PIVOT’s Homelessness is Over! Campaign
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Vancouver Ends Homelessness!
City’s last homeless person moves into social housing
November 24, 2009 – For Immediate Release
Vancouver’s housing crisis is finally over. Today Ray Solda, Vancouver’s
last homeless person, moved into his room in the Kansas Hotel, a new social
housing building funded by the provincial government. Government officials
and Canadians everywhere today are celebrating the end of homelessness in
Vancouver, a city that has struggled with a homelessness crisis for years.
Today’s announcement is the result of a number of key investments made by
the provincial government to build social and supportive housing as part of
their visionary comprehensive housing strategy. Despite the up-front costs,
government and experts alike are confident that ending homelessness in
Vancouver will actually save money over the long term.
“The years of spiralling rates of homelessness, derelict hotels,
over-crowded shelters and laws punishing those without a safe place to live
are going to be remembered as a dark page in this province’s history” says
Laura Track, Pivot’s housing campaigner. “But the way this government
changed course and resolved the crisis is a testament to what is possible
when governments show real leadership and determination to make positive
social change.”
Already, Vancouver is being held up as model for the rest of the country.
Governments around the world are looking to the province for guidance in
addressing homelessness in their jurisdictions.
When asked what role she felt advocacy work had in ending homelessness,
Track commented: “This accomplishment is the result of people coming
together and saying they would not settle for anything less than an end to
homelessness. It took everyday people saying yes, I will welcome social
housing into my neighbourhood and taxpayers recognizing that it makes
financial sense to tackle homelessness. Finally, it took governments hearing
the call and making the decision to act.”
Laura Track
Housing Campaign Lawyer
Pivot Legal Society and Pivot Legal LLP
http://www.homelessnessisover.ca/