Sarah Jamieson

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  Sarah commented on the article | about 2 years ago

  Vancouver Olympic Homeless Displacements Spark Innovation

  I wanted to thank Shannon for taking an interest in our Vancouver DTES and the on-going issue we are facing with a lack of affordable low cost housing in the east end of our community.  The Olympics has brought to light new and innovative ways to combat this rising issue through the lens of corporate philanthropy. I support this new campaign style and it's innovative approach, however, what I would like to see happen after the Olympics is a critical path mapped out to determine the best way to re-distribute those funds raised. Working in the NPO world and working on the DTES I can say that at present, we have a lack of affordable and decent low cost housing options for people in transition. Currently, the cost of living (and basic needs) is higher than the social assistance received to a DTES community dweller. My hope is that with all of this buzz, we take into consideration the capacity building required to improve our current model and effective methods and take an in-depth look at options for opportunities and strive to map out a landscape that will bring new found hope to our DTES programs. I am very grateful and was excited to see this post this morning, thank you very much and Happy Holidays.