Sessions . Networking Lunch . Ethical Marketplace & Booths
__________________Workshops___________________
Saturday 29th 2:15 PM - 3:45 PM
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Homelessness 101: Official Lower Mainland Homeless Counts and Housing Plans
Most Lower Mainland communities have been taking systematic counts and surveys of people experiencing homelessness for years now. They have also developed comprehensive plans to address the root causes of homelessness, based on community consultations conducted for the Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Regional Districts. Our two panellists are among the most knowledgeable on the subject.
Dr Ron Van Wyk, Mennonite Central Committee of BC. Before moving his family to Canada from South Africa in 1999, Ron Van Wyk worked in partnership with international NGOs in community development for more than 10 years, taught at universities and worked as a senior policy analyst in government. Ron’s PhD studies focused on the sociology of development and political sociology. In January of 2000 he began his role at MCC BC, overseeing employment and community development programs and projects in the Fraser Valley, Langley, South Vancouver and Richmond. In 2007, he spearheaded the first ever homelessness study in the upper Fraser Valley followed by a study on affordable and accessible housing there. He became Director of Programs in 2007. From 2000 to 2004, he served as a Director on the Board of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNET). Since 2004 he has been Chair of CCEDNET's Research Committee.
Alice Sundberg, Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness. Alice has a long history with the issue of homelessness, having been one of the founders in 1968 of Vancouver Cool Aid, a youth serving youth organization that was instrumental in transforming the social service sector. Alice was formerly the Executive Director of BC Non-Profit Housing Association, and has served as a Director on a number of housing-related organizations including the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, the Community Housing Land Trust Foundation and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association. Alice has served as the co-chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness since 2005.
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Voices, Discussions, and Solutions from the Streets
Come and be part of a discussion with those who have lived on the street, who know the intimacies of being homeless. For these friends the statistics or cold facts have been and/or is their reality. Come and learn from the stories of those who have been homeless or are homeless and let them inform and teach us.
How do relationships formed with those on the margins transform their lives? Transform ours. How can we best form these relationships? Some of the answers might just surprise you.
Al McKay, Urban Coalition. Al Mckay was born in Vancouver and lived on the East Side of Vancouver. Al is a trained educator and for the last 10 years has been involved in a ministry called Urban Coalition which creates safe places for residents and non residents of the Downtown East Side to come together for mutual education and transformation. Urban Coalition also seeks to encourage and stand with those who seek God’s Shalom for the city and is part of City in Focus.
Craig Greenfield, Servants Vancouver. is the co-founder of Servants Vancouver and the International Coordinator of a fast growing mission movement into slums and inner cities called Servants International. Craig and his wife Nay lived amongst the urban poor in the slums of Cambodia for 6 years, working with Servants and establishing a large ministry amongst people affected by AIDS and their orphaned children.
Since 2006, Craig and Nay have been leading an intentional Christian community known simply as Servants Vancouver, located in Downtown Eastside Vancouver. This community practices radical hospitality in an attempt to reclaim the Christian mandate to love those on the margins, by building relationships with people on the streets and/or struggling with addictions. Craig is the author of The Urban Halo published by Authentic Media and co-author of Living Mission published by InterVarsity Press.
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Starting from Scratch - Lessons from a Local Social Enterprise
It’s not uncommon to hear someone angrily tell a panhandler, “Get a job, you bum!” Sadly, the homeless and other persistently vulnerable populations experience significant, complex barriers to market employment. More and more non-profit service providers, and some for-profit entrepreneurs, are launching “social enterprises” so that even the “least employable” have an opportunity to earn income.
Come listen to Mission Possible’s journey from a Drop-in Centre to a Transformation Co-op which offers employment to residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside through MP Maintenance and MP Recycling. Brian Postlewait will sharing what he has learned about how social enterprises work, what to do and not to do. Participants will leave with a better understanding and materials that can assist them further.
Since 1990, Mission Possible has offered basic street-level care and spiritual support to those challenged by homelessness and poverty. In October 2007 MP began a journey from relief-oriented services towards comprehensive community development initiatives. MP now operates two social enterprises that are helping people achieve a renewed sense of dignity and purpose through meaningful work.
Brian Postlewait, Mission Possible. Rev. Brian Postlewait currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with this wife Becky and their two children, Madelyn (8) and William (5). He is a sought after speaker, facilitator, and consultant in the area of urban mission, community development and social entrepreneurship. His dynamic and gifted leadership has proven effective in developing businesses that both support themselves and their employees.
Before his present position as Executive Director of Mission Possible, Brian was a Deputy Director at Community of Hope in Washington DC. Before that, he was Lead Pastor at Trinity Church in Kansas City, which became a thriving urban congregation skilled at accommodating the ethnic, economic, and cultural diversity present in the city. Prior to Trinity, Brian worked for six years as founder and executive director of Kingdom Communities, which develops intentional communities of men and women seeking the peace of the city through a shared way of life, hospitality, non-violence, and commitment to a local church.
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Welcoming New Canadians
The 2000 refugees coming every year to Metro Vancouver continue to gain much public and media attention. Who are refugees, why do they arrive here, and what is God’s heart for these “strangers” coming to us?
In this workshop we will gain a brief overview of the local refugee situation with a particular focus on how the housing crisis affects this most marginalized and often oppressed group of people in our community. These are among the hidden homeless. Many come with very few resources except for the courage and hope they bring from a background of danger, tragedy and despair.
We will examine some current models of refugee housing provided by Christian ministries that serve as glimmers of light in a somewhat dismal forecast. And finally, we will dream some dreams of hope as we give attention to what God may be saying to us in discussing possibilities and ways of actively engaging in this issue of both critical need and wonderful opportunity.
James Grunau, Journey Home Community. James is a graduate of Canadian Theological Seminary and Regent College. He was involved in some vocational church ministry experiences prior to spending a good deal of his working career in administrative/management positions in the home renovation industry. In 2006, James felt God moving his heart in a different direction so he left his workplace to devote the next phase of his life to humanitarian and social justice concerns.
Noting the lack of resources for refugee claimants in Metro Vancouver, James Grunau along with a group of committed friends began a ministry to assist them. As a result, a Christian charity, Journey Home Community was born in 2005.
One of James’ passions is to keep alive the tension between the contemplative and the active – to make sure that our ministry activity is born out of a deep and prayerful journey with God.
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Supporting Youth in Crisis to Achieve Healthy Adulthood
Vancouver has hundreds, perhaps thousands, of youth in crisis. As a result, almost every church has at least one or two youth living in an unstable housing situation and dealing with personal problems such as addiction and family breakdown. Often the church community wishes they could do more, but lacks the skills and expertise to address the core issues. At the same time, there is a growing network of Christian organizations who have trained staff and programs designed to meet the needs of vulnerable youth. These organizations spend their week developing relationships with at-risk youth: providing housing, employment services, advocacy and social and recreational programs. Many faith-based organizations offer discipleship programs mid-week and see youth come to faith, but often struggle to find churches ready and willing to embrace these youth who are in desperate need of a Christian community.
This workshop showcases one of the very few faith-based supportive housing ministries for youth in the Lower Mainland, Inner Hope Youth Ministries. Jenny will share her experiences and the lessons they have learned around how churches and community organizations can work together to best support youth in crisis and help them achieve healthy adulthood.
Jenny Shantz, Inner Hope Youth Ministries. Jenny has over 15 years experience working with youth-at-risk. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity Western University and a Bachelor of Education from UBC. She has taken courses in special education and is a certified trainer in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention. Her previous experience includes being a youth director at New Beginnings Church, a relief worker in group homes and developing and directing an after-school program in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. From 2004-2006 Jenny taught in Driftpile, a Cree reserve in Northern Alberta, where she started an alternative high school for the community. The last few years, Jenny taught part-time in the Surrey School district while helping launch the non-profit Inner Hope Youth Ministries, a Christian ministry to youth at-risk in East Vancouver that focuses on housing, life skills and discipleship. She is currently the Director of Development and Life Skills at Inner Hope as well as a house-parent in the home.
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The Link between Good Food and Stable, Affordable Housing
“Food Security” has lately been added to a growing number of municipal and regional plans for addressing homelessness and affordable housing need. Reliable access to food that is nutritionally adequate, safe, affordable and culturally appropriate is vital to all of us – and particularly to those who must routinely choose between paying the rent and putting food on the table. From Jesus’ example onward, sharing food has been integral to Christian mission and the life of faith. In this workshop a panel of presenters will highlight best practices for meeting the dietary needs of vulnerable people (such as under-employed families, isolated seniors, homeless adults) through a range of responses that move beyond charity to build life-skills and enduring communities of mutualtransformation for everyone involved. Beware: radical hospitality could change your church! (This workshop is a teaser for a half-day seminar to be held in late November.)
Moderator, Jonathan Bird, City Gate Leadership Forum. Prior to founding City Gate in 2004, Jonathan helped establish Crossroads Community Project out of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church in east Vancouver, as their Program Coordinator and Chaplain. Before entering the nonprofit sector, Jonathan taught at the university level. When not in ministry or academia, Jonathan has enjoyed working with his hands as a self-employed home renovator, an installer of high-end custom cabinetry for a Beachy Amish shop, a maintenance man for a social housing complex, and a crew member for a custom homebuilder. Jonathan holds a MA in Old Testament Studies from Regent College (Vancouver) where he paid particular attention to the ethical thrust of Torah and the Prophets and to the implications of ancient Israel's story - from Exodus to Exile - for Christian mission in the postmodern era.
Karen Geisbrecht, Dietician. Karen is a registered dietitian and also has regular community involvements with First Baptist Shelter, with a community kitchen in the downtown eastside, and with Inner Hope Youth Ministries, a local program for at-risk youth. She is currently working on her Masters in Healthcare Leadership at Royal Roads University, and is doing her masters research on mentoring relationships in the Inner Hope life skills program.
Geordan Hankinson, Crossroad Community Project.
Queenie Bei, A Rocha Canada. Queenie recently completed her undergraduate degree at UBC in Global Resource Systems, focusing on sustainable food systems and the role of food culture in a community. Two years ago she was a Summer Student Intern with A Rocha Canada, learning how to farm organically to supply produce for their Community Shared Agriculture Program. In her new role at A Rocha, as their Community Garden Network Coordinator, she strives to promote and support the establishment of gardens, especially food-producing ones, to restore the connection of people with earth and our creator God. She is eager to see how community gardening and urban agriculture can work in conjunction with other forms of committed social activism to become part of the solution working against injustice in our city.
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Achieving Housing Goals through Partnerships
Long gone are the days when having free land such as a church parking lot was enough to achieve affordability in new construction projects. Greatly increased costs of construction – not to mention land acquisition, or operating costs for some kinds of housing – together with increased competition for scarce funding now means that creative partnerships are necessary to move virtually any nonmarket housing plan forward. Even if you merely want to replace your aging church building, you will likely need to finance it with a “mixed use” site that includes housing. Our panel will outline where to get help for finding and negotiating good partnerships, and will highlight several recent successful examples.
Moderator, Denakae Beno, Affordable Housing Coordinator, City of Richmond. Dena Kae Beno has 21 years of experience working in the construction, development, and affordable housing in private, public, and non-profit sectors in Canada, the U.S., and South America. She holds a B.A. in Geography and a M.A. in Sociology/Anthropology with a focus on Sustainable Urban Development. Dena Kae has also been actively engaged with first nations and faith communities to centre their planning and design processes in their organizations' mission and mandate. She currently holds the position of Affordable Housing Coordinator for the City of Richmond and serves on the Board of Directors for C.E.D.A.R.S Group, a faith-based housing and economic development nonprofit formed as a result of the Church & Affordable Housing Forum 2008.
Lorne Epp, Executive Director, More Than A Roof. Lorne's current role is CEO of More Than A Roof TM , a growing social enterprise, charity and non-profit that develops builds and manages affordable housing. His background includes teaching, real estate and 18 yrs. of project management in the development / construction industry. He served on the inaugural board of the B.C. Non Profit Housing Association and has a long standing involvement with that provincial housing organization. Lorne also has been very active in the Mennonite faith community for many years. In 1992 he joined the board of More than A Roof Housing Society and in 1995 he accepted the leadership role of Executive Director. His hobbies are" anything outdoors", motorcycle, guitar and reading. He is also amateur indie film maker with a passion to tell stories with depth of meaning, redemptive quality and social impact.
Simon Davie, Principal, Terra Housing Consultants. Simon is a principal of Terra Housing. Terra is a leading social purpose real estate development management firm, using land and development to create community benefit. As the Chief Operating Officer he works with his two partners to shape the future direction of the company, to pursue opportunities and partnerships for the firm, and to guide the day to day workings of a staff of 18 experienced professionals.
Simon has been a certified Project Management Professional since 2003, with specialized expertise in social housing development. Simon is currently responsible for 4 of the City of Vancouver 12-Site projects, all of which are targeting LEED Gold Other project highlights include Thompson Rivers University Student Union, Nikkei Home project in Burnaby, the first ever new construction project for non-profit assisted living in British Columbia and the redevelopment of the Mole Hill site in Vancouver which includes 26 heritage homes. Simon graduated from Queens University with a BA in Urban Geography, holds a Certificate in Real Estate Appraisal from Langara College in Vancouver. Simon volunteers as a coach with the Vancouver Ringette Association.
Raymond Kwong, Manager of Regional Development for BC Housing, a crown organization of the BC Provincial government. He has been with BC Housing for over 4 and a half years and in his current role is the responsible for a number of BC Housing's new social and affordable housing projects in the Lower Mainland Region. His responsibilities include the approval of funding, strategic planning and new business development for social and affordable housing projects. Previous to this, he worked in the private market real estate industry for over 15 years. During that time, he worked on various market projects, including commercial, retail, strata and residential real estate from development, construction, operations and leasing.
Tom Siems, Regional Manager of Community Development and Professsional Services, Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation. Tom has worked in many different sectors of CMHC over his 30 year career including Aboriginal Housing, Real estate and Default Management. In his current position, Tom focuses his efforts on delivering the federal government's affordable housing programs as well as support local communities and the private sector to help create affordable and sustainable housing.
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Congregations Collaborating for Shelter and Support Services
Good things happen when churches work together! This workshop spotlights innovative, highly effective examples of multi-church programs operating at different scales to share the hard work and joy of serving the homeless and the vulnerable.
The Anglicans of West Point Grey Neighbourhood Ministry is a collaborative ministry offered by the parishes of St. Anselm’s, St. Philip’s and St. Helen’s to serve people living on our streets. One or more Street Ministry Teams of approximately three people walk the streets of West Point Grey two days or evenings per week, handing out care packages to needy persons and offering conversation and friendship. The Neighbourhood Ministry collaborates with other area outreach initiatives and is working with the City of Vancouver and BC Housing to ensure the homeless are considered for placement in supportive housing underway in the neighbourhood. Volunteers offer assistance in other ways - helping the homeless connect with medical services, replace lost identification, and complete tax and other forms that help these folks access services for which they are eligible.
The Tri-Cities Cold Wet Weather Mat Program is operated by the Hope For Freedom Society using host church facilities and volunteers. Homeless persons are picked up at designated muster points in each of the 3 Tri-Cities and bused to the shelter location. Five Tri-Cities area churches host the shelter on a rotating basis, one month at a time. Shelter clients are provided with a mat and blankets for the night, an evening meal upon arrival, a breakfast and a bag lunch before transport back to the muster points in the morning, and, if desired, someone to listen. This concerted effort overcame strong initial NIMBYism and proved integral to the recent municipal and provincial commitment to build a permanent emergency shelter and support services facility in the Tri-Cities.
The City of Refuge initiative of the Abbotsford Christian Leaders Network brings together 95 churches, 40 ministries and 7 schools. They work to encourage and facilitate churches working closer together and with para-church ministries with a more coordinated and strategic energy; the goal is to reach out to all the homeless, addicts, single parents, inmates and others living in poverty or on the fringes of their city.
Jim Burkinsaw, Coordinator of Abbotsford Christian Leaders Network's “City of Refuge Vision”. Jim is a Certified General Accountant and works full time in the agricultural industry; he also teaches part-time at Trinity Western University. He earned his MBA at Simon Fraser University. Jim has served for many years on church leadership boards and is currently attending Northview Community Church.
Rev Dr Pitman Potter, St Helen's Anglican Church. Pitman is Professor of Law at UBC Law Faculty and HSBC Chair in Asian Research at UBC’s Institute of Asian Research. He received his M.Div. from Vancouver School of Theology and was ordained a Deacon in the Anglican Church of Canada (Diocese of New Westminster) in June 2007. Shortly thereafter, he helped launch the Anglicans of West Point Grey Neighborhood Ministry Program.
Rob Thiessen, Managing Director of Hope for Freedom Society. Rob is the Managing Director of Hope for Freedom Society, where he has been involved for the last 12 years. In his past life, Rob ran his own building and land development company in the USA and Canada. Rob is a member and elder of Coquitlam Alliance Church. Hope for Freedom Society has been providing long-term residential supportive recovery, for men and women suffering from addictions, for the past 15 years. Since spring of 2006, HFFS has also been involved in homeless issues in the Tri-Cities. HFFS operates a homeless outreach team in the region and manages a seasonal homeless shelter in 5 area churches from November to March each year.
We thank all who attended. We will be posting recordings shortly