Homelessness

Nanaimo children’s author Lois Peterson’s latest book is ‘Shelter: Homelessness in our Community.’ (Photo courtesy Louroo Photography)

Vancouver Island author pens children’s book on homelessness

Nanaimo’s Lois Peterson to bring latest book ‘Shelter’ on virtual classroom tour

Nanaimo children’s author Lois Peterson’s latest book is ‘Shelter: Homelessness in our Community.’ (Photo courtesy Louroo Photography)
Kayla Garcia walks her dogs daily at Dry Creek Park, and says she finds drug paraphernalia and other garbage in the park every day. She is concerned pop-up warming centres will add to the problem. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

Warming centres cause some concern for neighbours in Port Alberni

Grassroots Homelessness Coalition will provide pop-up outdoor warming places for city’s unsheltered

Kayla Garcia walks her dogs daily at Dry Creek Park, and says she finds drug paraphernalia and other garbage in the park every day. She is concerned pop-up warming centres will add to the problem. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)
Alice Sam, left, Graham Hughes and Lisa George (holding Hughes’ puppy Riot) volunteer at a nighttime ‘pop-up’ warming centre at a city-owned parking lot on Fourth Avenue, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020. The temporary warming shelter included two propane firepits, food, warm drinks, Naloxone and hygiene kits. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

City of Port Alberni OKs outdoor warming centres this winter

Pop-up warming centres were successful in 2020, 2021

Alice Sam, left, Graham Hughes and Lisa George (holding Hughes’ puppy Riot) volunteer at a nighttime ‘pop-up’ warming centre at a city-owned parking lot on Fourth Avenue, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020. The temporary warming shelter included two propane firepits, food, warm drinks, Naloxone and hygiene kits. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)
Island Health says tents are a far cry from a proper isolation space. (Black Press Media file photo)

COVID-19 cases confirmed inside Greater Victoria supportive housing community

Island Health officials call for the return of proper isolation spaces in hotels and shelters

Island Health says tents are a far cry from a proper isolation space. (Black Press Media file photo)
Regional Chief Terry Teegee speaks to the press after Premier John Horgan announced Indigenous human rights will be recognized in B.C. with new legislation during a press conference at the provincial Legislature in Victoria on October 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Prince George bylaw targeting homeless people ‘scapegoats’ the poor, says expert

Municipality criticized for using harsh regulations to force street people from public spaces

Regional Chief Terry Teegee speaks to the press after Premier John Horgan announced Indigenous human rights will be recognized in B.C. with new legislation during a press conference at the provincial Legislature in Victoria on October 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Homeless counts took place across 16 communities in B.C. in 2020 and 2021. (File photo)

Homeless count reveals 125 without housing in Port Alberni

Data shows “higher proportion” of people experiencing health concerns

Homeless counts took place across 16 communities in B.C. in 2020 and 2021. (File photo)
Dr. Alina Turner, president and co-founder of HelpSeeker Technologies, who is taking part in a federally funded project designed to predict what will happen to homelessness, suicide and domestic violence rates, is pictured at the company's office in Calgary, Alta., Friday, July 23, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Where will homelessness rise or fall? A federally funded AI has some predictions

Helpseeker says numbers should help policy-makers decide on where to put resources

Dr. Alina Turner, president and co-founder of HelpSeeker Technologies, who is taking part in a federally funded project designed to predict what will happen to homelessness, suicide and domestic violence rates, is pictured at the company's office in Calgary, Alta., Friday, July 23, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A Nanaimo man, experiencing homelessness, sustained serious injuries after he was intentionally run over with a vehicle, and his daughter is setting up a trust fund to help with his recovery. (GoFundMe image)

Fundraiser benefits man experiencing homelessness who was purposely struck by motorist in Nanaimo

Daughter creating a trust fund to help her father as he recovers

A Nanaimo man, experiencing homelessness, sustained serious injuries after he was intentionally run over with a vehicle, and his daughter is setting up a trust fund to help with his recovery. (GoFundMe image)
Residents with pets can move into housing such as these tiny homes near Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. (Jane Skrypnek/News Staff)

Victoria area homeless pet trends bucking expectations

No increased influx of animals as people move from parks to housing in Victoria: BC SPCA

Residents with pets can move into housing such as these tiny homes near Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. (Jane Skrypnek/News Staff)
A motion heading to Victoria council’s committee-of-the-whole this Thursday (June 3) aims to prohibit sheltering in Beacon Hill Park for two years. (Black Press Media file photo)

Victoria considering two-year camping ban in Beacon Hill Park

Motion on June 3 agenda calls for park rehabilitation period in wake of intensive camping

A motion heading to Victoria council’s committee-of-the-whole this Thursday (June 3) aims to prohibit sheltering in Beacon Hill Park for two years. (Black Press Media file photo)
Still from a video posted on social media of a man lighting fireworks next to a homeless person’s encampment in the parking lot at St. Mary’s on Mary Street in Chilliwack. The video was posted on April 21, 2021 but it’s unclear if the incident happened that day. (Facebook)

VIDEO: Man sets off fireworks next to homeless person’s cart in Fraser Valley

No police reports made into incident shared on social media

Still from a video posted on social media of a man lighting fireworks next to a homeless person’s encampment in the parking lot at St. Mary’s on Mary Street in Chilliwack. The video was posted on April 21, 2021 but it’s unclear if the incident happened that day. (Facebook)
Gregory Ould, co-founder and executive director of Blanket BC, drops off warming blankets to Our Home on Eighth shelter in Port Alberni during a tour of Vancouver Island on Feb. 19, 2021. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

Blanket BC delivers warmth, hope to Vancouver Island’s homeless

Gregory Ould donated blankets, toques in five communities

Gregory Ould, co-founder and executive director of Blanket BC, drops off warming blankets to Our Home on Eighth shelter in Port Alberni during a tour of Vancouver Island on Feb. 19, 2021. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)
James, a homeless man, rests inside his new plywood structure on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. The box was made by members of the Chilliwack Fire Department. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)

Homeless man says ‘thank you’ to Chilliwack firefighters for building him a shelter

City of Chilliwack received several calls this week from people concerned about James’ safety

James, a homeless man, rests inside his new plywood structure on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. The box was made by members of the Chilliwack Fire Department. (Jenna Hauck/ Chilliwack Progress)
Students from the junior leadership class at ADSS help homelessness and addictions advocate Mark Braunagel load backpacks and bags full of supplies into his truck on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. Students collected supplies to be handed out to some of Port Alberni’s most vulnerable people. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

Alberni high school students fill backpacks to help city’s homeless

Junior leadership students embraced service project, said teacher Mike Roberts

Students from the junior leadership class at ADSS help homelessness and addictions advocate Mark Braunagel load backpacks and bags full of supplies into his truck on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021. Students collected supplies to be handed out to some of Port Alberni’s most vulnerable people. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)
The Wesley Street encampment earlier this fall. (News Bulletin file photo)

‘Disorder, conflict, violence, frequent overdoses’: Why Nanaimo tent city was dismantled

City of Nanaimo says had fire happened at night, the result would have been multiple fatalities

The Wesley Street encampment earlier this fall. (News Bulletin file photo)
People experiencing homelessness in Bowen Park last week. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)

Task force presents $65.5-million action plan to address homelessness in Nanaimo

Draft action plan calls for 635 new program and housing spaces over five years

People experiencing homelessness in Bowen Park last week. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)
A message is written on a door outside a tent at a homeless encampment at Strathcona Park, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Residents of the neighbourhood were used to a few people sleeping overnight in a park before moving on, but they weren’t prepared for an entire village of homeless campers still occupying 400 tents after over three months. They have been demanding the city take action to house campers, especially as concerns have mounted about the spread of COVID-19 among hundreds of people living in tight quarters. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Specialist who treated rare disease among homeless wants doctors to be aware of signs

Those four cases this year are the only ones known to have occurred in Canada since the mid-1990s

A message is written on a door outside a tent at a homeless encampment at Strathcona Park, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Residents of the neighbourhood were used to a few people sleeping overnight in a park before moving on, but they weren’t prepared for an entire village of homeless campers still occupying 400 tents after over three months. They have been demanding the city take action to house campers, especially as concerns have mounted about the spread of COVID-19 among hundreds of people living in tight quarters. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
John Edmondson, left, and Colin Minions from the Bread of Life are two of the team working to reopen the Third Avenue facility as a warming centre. Nov. 20, 2020 (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

Port Alberni’s Bread of Life to open as warming centre

Centre will offer a place for those with no other place to go to get out of cold weather

John Edmondson, left, and Colin Minions from the Bread of Life are two of the team working to reopen the Third Avenue facility as a warming centre. Nov. 20, 2020 (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)
Graham Hughes, front, who ran as an independent candidate in the B.C. provincial election, sits with half a dozen supporters in front of Our Home on Eighth shelter, where Hughes is protesting the way homelessness has been dealt with in Port Alberni, on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)

Protesters occupy Port Alberni’s shelter

Former election candidate leads sit-in outside to protest homelessness

Graham Hughes, front, who ran as an independent candidate in the B.C. provincial election, sits with half a dozen supporters in front of Our Home on Eighth shelter, where Hughes is protesting the way homelessness has been dealt with in Port Alberni, on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. (SUSAN QUINN/ Alberni Valley News)
A man walks through a homeless camp where approximately 150 people are living at a parking lot on Port of Vancouver property adjacent to Crab Park, in Vancouver on June 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. announces creation of first-ever ‘navigation centre’ to help homeless

Residents referred to the navigation centre will be able to stay until longer-term housing is available

A man walks through a homeless camp where approximately 150 people are living at a parking lot on Port of Vancouver property adjacent to Crab Park, in Vancouver on June 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck