Please read the article below that was in today’s Winnipeg Free Press and join in prayer for Paul and his brother Peter as they continue to fulfill this ministry of peace for the over 200,000 people with Albinism in Tanzania alone. If you’re free Saturday night, why not attend the 60’s Dance at Southlands and partner with Under the Sun financially to continue this valuable ministry?

A Winnipeg businessman is trying to save fellow albinos in Africa from superstition and slaughter.

“It strikes me very personally,” said Paul Ash on Monday. Ash’s brother, Peter, in Surrey. B.C., founded a registered charity to help Tanzanians with albinism who’ve been shunned and even murdered for their lack of skin pigment.

Paul Ash Winnipeg

On Saturday, Under the Same Sun is holding a fundraising event in Winnipeg.

“If I was born in Tanzania, my life would be at risk,” said Ash. “I’d be afraid someone would come in the middle of night and chop off my arm or legs.”

There have been 55 documented murders of Tanzanian albinos in the past two years — most often women and children, said Ash.

The superstitious believe albinos are ghosts who administer curses, and ghouls have harvested their body parts as ingredients for good-luck charms. Witch doctors have exploited those beliefs, charging big bucks to the rich and powerful for the albino suffering, said Ash.

In 2008, the United Nations issued a statement saying there had been 173 arrests — including five police officers — but the cases weren’t getting to court. The UN demanded the suspects be prosecuted and killers be brought to justice.

So far, there have only been two prosecutions, resulting in the convictions of a just handful of perpetrators, said Ash. The stigma of albinism is partly the reason the cases aren’t getting to court, said Ash, who is leaving for Tanzania on April 14. And the country is a hot spot for the genetic disorder, he said.

“Albinism is a lot more prevalent there, with about one in 30,000 here and one in 3,000 there,” Ash said.

“The theory is that the genetic disorder started there and there is some research that indicates that,” he said. “Because of the stigma and persecution of albinos, there is also more intermarriage.”

An albino marrying an albino guarantees any child they might have would be albino, said Ash, whose brother Peter married a non-albino and has a non-albino child.

“As long as one partner does not have the defective gene, then the healthy gene is dominant.”

His brother started Under the Same Sun to raise awareness in Tanzania and tell people the truth about albinism. They’ve set up an office in Dar es Salaam with a staff of 16 — mostly albino employees — doing media relations and public education, said Ash.

“We’re fighting for their hearts and minds and to put to bed a lot of myths.” They’ve produced brochures and are making a feature-length documentary in English and Swahili to distribute in churches, mosques, schools and to any group that will screen it. They’re sponsoring the education of albino children and young adults in the hope that the leaders of tomorrow will be more enlightened.

“We want to work hard to help young people with albinism succeed. Ultimately they become the leaders in society.”

Southlands Community Church is hosting a ’50s dance fundraiser for the charity Saturday. Today is the last day to buy tickets. Call 946-9160 for information.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

What is albinism?

Albinism is a rare, genetically inherited disorder • It affects people of all races and genders • It results in a lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin and eyes • In nearly all cases a significant visual impairment is also involved, with most being legally blind • Albinos have very little natural protection from the sun’s rays and are more susceptible to skin cancer

– National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation

Source: http://www.salvationarmy.ca/2010/03/16/saving-fellow-albinos-from-killings-in-africa/

“It strikes me very personally,” said Paul Ash of Winnipeg. His brother Peter, in Surrey, B.C., founded a registered charity to help Tanzanians with albinism who’ve been shunned and even murdered for their lack of skin pigment.

On Saturday, Under the Same Sun is holding a fundraising event in Winnipeg.

“If I was born in Tanzania, my life would be at risk,” said Ash. “I’d be afraid someone would come in the middle of night and chop off my arm or legs.”

There have been 55 documented murders of Tanzanian albinos in the past two years; most of the victims were women and children, said Ash.

The superstitious believe albinos are ghosts who administer curses; ghouls have harvested their body parts as ingredients for good luck charms. Witch doctors have exploited those beliefs, charging big bucks to the rich and powerful for charms harvested from murdered albinos, said Ash.

In 2008, the United Nations issued a statement saying there had been 173 arrests — including five police officers — linked to albino murders, but the cases weren’t getting to court. The UN demanded that the suspects be prosecuted and the killers brought to justice.

So far, there have only been two prosecutions, resulting in the convictions of a just handful of perpetrators. The stigma of albinism is partly the reason the cases aren’t getting to court, said Ash, who is leaving for Tanzania on April 14. And the country is a hot spot for the genetic disorder, he added.

“Albinism is a lot more prevalent there, with about one in 30,000 here and one in 3,000 there.

“The theory is that the genetic disorder started there and there is some research that indicates that. Because of the stigma and persecution of albinos, there is also more intermarriage.”

Albinism is a rare, genetically inherited disorder that affects people of all races and genders. It results in a lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin and eyes.

In nearly all cases a significant visual impairment is also involved, with most albinos being legally blind.

Albinos have very little natural protection from the sun’s rays and are more susceptible to skin cancer.

An albino marrying an albino guarantees any child they might have would be albino, said Ash. His brother Peter married a non-albino and has a non-albino child.

“As long as one partner does not have the defective gene, then the healthy gene is dominant.”

His brother started Under the Same Sun to raise awareness in Tanzania and tell people the truth about albinism. They’ve set up an office in the capital Dar es Salaam with a staff of 16 — mostly albino employees — doing media relations and public education, said Ash.

Tanzania is a fairly stable country with good people and the average person on the street there would abhor the attacks on albinos but probably not take action, he said.

“We’re fighting for their hearts and minds, and to put to bed a lot of myths.”

Under the Same Sun has produced brochures and is making a feature-length documentary in English and Swahili to distribute in churches, mosques and schools, and to any group that will screen it. They’re sponsoring the education of albino children and young adults in the hope that the leaders of tomorrow will be more enlightened.

“We want to work hard to help young people with albinism succeed. Ultimately they become the leaders in society.”
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

By Carol Sanders, Winnipeg Free Press

Source: http://www.timescolonist.com/story_print.html?id=2686126&sponsor=

This week, CBC News reported that a St. Boniface man was renting out two sheds on his property to a man and a woman.

The homeowner, Charlie Warman, was fined $275 by the Manitoba Health Department on Monday. Inspectors who visited his property on Horace Street told him the insulated sheds were too small.

Warman, who was charging $100 a month for each of the sheds, said he was just trying to help homeless people who can’t afford to pay for an apartment.

Katz called the practice a violation of the city’s health and safety codes, and further proof that Winnipeg needs transitional housing that would provide safe and legal places for people to stay.

“I’m disgusted that people have to do that,” Katz said. “I’m also disgusted we have street people, but we do have people live on the streets and I’m also extremely disappointed that there are people in our community who would try to take advantage of these people.”

But the people who were renting Warman’s sheds — Debbie Peachy, 43, and Louis Kryminski, 56 — said the shelter is clean and warm and provides privacy that crowded homeless shelters cannot.

Peachy also said the money she gets from welfare isn’t enough to afford an apartment that doesn’t have bedbugs.

She and Kryminski were given 48 hours on Monday to move out, but have remained while provincial officials try to find them an affordable place to go.

Katz insists the sheds are an unacceptable form of housing.

“When it comes to housing, there are many codes that have to be maintained. I can assure you that these codes are not being maintained,” he said, identifying those codes as “access, egress, whatever the case may be.”

“I also believe that if I were to ask you if it’s okay for two people to live in my garage, you might say, ‘Sam, I don’t think that’s appropriate.’ And I would agree with you.”

The mayor said he has been talking with officials from Siloam Mission about establishing transitional housing.

A spokesman for the mayor said later Wednesday that the decision to shut down the sheds was made by the provincial health department and not the city. As well, Manitoba Housing is a provincial, not municipal portfolio.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/09/16/mb-sheds-homeless-winnipeg.html

The Main Street Project has been serving the needs of Winnipeg’s most vulnerable residents for more than 30 years.

By providing emergency shelter and food services, a drug and alcohol detoxification unit, on-site counselling, transitional housing and a range of other critical services, the project supports clients’ basic needs while giving them the opportunity to make real choices and meaningful progress every day.

The project has served the needs of Winnipeg’s estimated 1,500 to 2,000 homeless persons for more than 32 years, provides for an average 20,000 emergency overnight shelter stays per year, provides more than 6,000 individual crisis services per year, provides counselling and advocacy services to an average of 3,800 individuals a year, provides residential drug and alcohol detoxification services to between 750 and 850 individuals per year, provides for between 150 and 200 individual intakes into transitional housing facility each year and supports the nutritional needs of clients by serving between 400 and 600 cups of soup every day.

Is anyone talking about homeless people on the street because of a range of policies put in place by government?

We don’t appear willing to put a policy in place to rectify the damage of previous policies but are willing to legislate forcible removal to the doorstep of a shelter in inclement weather.

I think it’s time for the B.C. government to look at Winnipeg’s program, which has been running for more than 30 years.

Gordon Youngman

Nanaimo
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

The Daily News

Source: http://www.canada.com/Winnipeg+program+homeless+works+well/2032332/story.html

In 2007, they travelled to Montreal to visit the places Paul Ash had lived as a child. At almost every place, his comment was: “It’s still the same. The trees are bigger, but it’s still the same.” But Susan saw dilapidated buildings, peeling paint, railings falling off, etc.

Susan and Paul Ash realized that in their married life, they had always lived in decent housing. However, when they first moved to Winnipeg and were seeking suitable housing (an apartment to rent and later, a house to buy), they encountered just how challenging this can be – for anyone. Knowing several people who had moved to Winnipeg from other countries, Paul and Susan learned exactly how overwhelming the process is for a newcomer looking for a home. ”Although we grew up in Canada and speak English fluently, we still found the details involved in finding a home to be very demanding”, says Paul Ash. “For someone arriving without these advantages, finding a place to live must be quite frightening.”

This became a concern for Paul & Susan, and they began to ask: “How can we help?” When they met Sally Nelson and learned of her vision for newcomer housing, they realized that her ideas lined up with what was in their hearts.

After many meetings and discussions with Sally, Paul Ash managed to secure funding from private donors to support the project. And on May 4th, 2009, New Journey Housing opened its doors!

Now, a new charitable foundation has opened a resource centre to teach immigrants and refugees how to find and keep a place to live.

“We don’t need a free house or free money,” said refugee Mwumvaneza Azarias who spoke Thursday at New Journey Housing’s grand opening on the third floor of Portage Place. “What we need is training and information.”

Azarias fled war in Rwanda in 1994 and came to Winnipeg in 2007. He is volunteering at the resource centre, which is run by two full-time and two part-time staff and volunteers, with no government money.

Many agencies help newcomers get settled in short-term housing, learn English, get an education and find jobs when they first arrive, said Sally Nelson, executive director of New Journey Housing. The one-stop resource centre is the first to offer help with housing to all immigrants and refugees — no matter how long they’ve been living in Winnipeg — whether they want to buy or rent.

The centre is filling a dire need in the gap between a booming immigration policy and shrinking supply of affordable housing, said Prof. Tom Carter of the University of Winnipeg.

“The number of immigrants and refugees is increasing every year and that’s likely to continue with our aging population and labour shortage,” said Carter, who has been evaluating refugee needs in Winnipeg over the last four years.

“The key challenge is finding affordable housing,” said Carter, who noted the vacancy rate in Winnipeg is one per cent and the government is not investing in new, affordable housing.

“What we’ve discovered… is that people don’t have the information they need to find housing,” he said.

With such a scarcity of good places in safe areas, it’s even more vital for newcomers to be in the know, said Nelson.

“They don’t understand the system,” she said.

New Journey home-ownership counsellor Karen Giesbrecht recalled one woman with five children renting a home in the inner city. The landlord ignored her calls to come and fix a leaking toilet that had become unsanitary.

When the landlord showed up to collect the rent, she refused to pay and was given 24 hours to get out. She ended up paying the rent until her son got a job and they could afford the down payment on a modest home of their own.

Her son co-signed for the mortgage then bought a car and she couldn’t afford the mortgage payments or much-needed home repairs.

“I think sometimes people are desperate,” said Giesbrecht. “They don’t realize the responsibilities and pressures.”

The charity that funds the resource centre was started by a Winnipeg couple aware of the housing challenges newcomers face in a new culture, who wanted to help.

“We thought maybe we can do something like buy an apartment building,” said Paul Ash, chairman of the board of the New Journey Housing Foundation. Instead, he and his wife Susan met Nelson who worked for IRCOM House, which provides three-year transitional housing for refugees. Nelson was looking for a way to help people move into long-term housing. In less than two years, they formed a charitable foundation to open the resource centre.

“It fit with what was in our hearts,” said Ash.

The head of Winnipeg’s largest refugee settlement agency said he’s impressed.

“The money is coming from the private sector,” said Marty Dolin, executive director of Welcome Place, which helped settle 550 government-sponsored refugees last year. “They’re stepping up.” Groups that sponsor refugees and immigrant professionals will also benefit from the resources at the centre, he said.

For information see www.newjourneyhousing.com or call 942-2238

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 15, 2009 B1

The $1.3-million capital project is a result of partnerships between the Province, health authority and local non-profit societies. The Vivian originally opened in 2004 but closed after a serious fire in May 2006.

The Vivian’s operator, the Triage Emergency Services & Care Society, began renovating the building in November 2006. Renovations were made possible by the insurance proceeds and additional donations from Triage and the Vivian Grace Ash Benevolent Society. In March 2007, the provincial government committed $772,000 towards the project and the final renovations were completed this month.

“The Vivian provides 24 units of supportive housing to help women in the Downtown Eastside,” said Vancouver-Burrard MLA Lorne Mayencourt. “The Vivian is about women at risk having a home, with treatment for their addiction and mental health disorders as well as other support services integrated into their daily life.”

The Province and Vancouver Coastal Health will provide ongoing operational funding for support staff. Fundraising done through E-Care Contact Centers & Triage rounded out the renovation costs and will help to provide the operational funding.

“Access to safe, secure housing is a fundamental part of building a healthy community,” said Ida Goodreau, president and chief executive officer, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). “VCH has supported The Vivian for the past two years, and will continue to provide on-site support services so that we can help at-risk women improve their quality of life as they move toward the more permanent housing they need.”

The Vivian is for at-risk, chronically homeless women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and is the first minimal barrier, “housing first” program specifically designed for women living with concurrent mental health and substance use issues. The program is fully staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

“E-Care Contact Centers is fortunate to be able to partner with Triage,” said E-Care CEO and Ash family member Peter Ash, “To provide a place of safety and security to the most at-risk women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The residents of The Vivian are a unique and special group of women in need of a place to call ‘home’ – a place where resources are available for them when they want them. We are thrilled that The Vivian is open again, and pledge our unwavering and ongoing support in every way. At E-Care we are so proud of Triage’s work and are truly privileged to have a part in it.”

“The Vivian houses women who have often chosen the streets over current housing options or have continuously failed out of other residential programs,” said David Ash of the Vivian Grace Ash Benevolent Society. “These are the women that need the kind of help that Triage Emergency Services & Care Society is willing to provide in a home like The Vivian.”

“Our dreams for The Vivian are not simply to get women off the streets, but to provide a wide range of supports 24 hours a day that assist this vulnerable group in getting back on their feet,” said Mark Smith, executive director of Triage Emergency Services & Care Society. “We are very grateful for the extraordinary contribution from the private sector and individual donors that in partnership with our government partners, helped bring The Vivian back for the long term.”

This initiative is an integral part of the provincial housing strategy, Housing Matters BC. The strategy includes a commitment to build new supportive housing units as a continuation of the ongoing work of the Premier’s Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions. The Province has committed to creating 2,287 new housing units under the Provincial Homelessness Initiative. The Province’s budget for shelters and affordable housing is $328 million – nearly triple what it was in 2001.

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BACKGROUNDER
THE VIVIAN

The Vivian, at 512 East Cordova in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, provides 24 housing units for homeless women or women at risk of homelessness with mental health and addiction disorders. The building has officially re-opened after fire forced its closure in May 2006.

Partners and Funding
Capital cost of this project is approximately $1.3 million.

*
The Province provided a one-time grant of approximately $772,000 to complete building repairs and will provide annual operating funding of $395,000.
*
Vancouver Coastal Health will provide funding for 3.2 full-time equivalents of support staff for The Vivian’s first year back in operation. VCH has been providing funding for staffing at The Vivian since April 2005.
*
E-Care Contact Centers has provided over $240,000 through fundraising.
*
The Vivian Grace Ash Benevolent Society has provided a 30-year lease of the property to the Triage Emergency Services & Care Society for $10, representing equity of $152,000.
*
Triage Emergency Services & Care Society provided $132,000 in equity through insurance, donations and pledges and will provide $100,000 in fundraising.

Media contacts:

Renee Schisler
BC Housing
604-439-4757
604-327-1235

Mark Smith
Executive Director
Triage Emergency Services & Care Society
604-215-3040
604-805-2763

Viviana Zanocco
Senior Media Relations Officer
Vancouver Coastal Health
604-708-5282

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca

New Hope Centre is one of 61 transitional housing developments being built across the province as a result of the Premier’s Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions. Other major partners in the project include Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Human Resources and Social Development Canada, Vancouver Island Health Authority and the Salvation Army.

“Canada’s New Government is committed to helping those who are homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless,” said James Lunney, Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Alberni on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development. “The New Hope Centre will help ensure that vulnerable individuals in Nanaimo can access the housing and services they need.”

“New Hope Centre will be the turning point in the lives of homeless men and women in Nanaimo,” said the Honourable Rich Coleman, Minister responsible for Housing. “By providing safe and secure shelter and round-the-clock support, residents will have immediate stability, and can start to prepare for the future.”

“The Vancouver Island Health Authority funding for residential care and assisted living workers will provide 24-hour, seven-days-a-week coverage so clients have the necessary supervision and support at all times,” said Marg Fraser, manager of Mental Health and Addictions Services in Nanaimo. “A supportive drop-in centre will provide a central location with co-ordinated services to this underserved population.”

New Hope Centre has 23 shelter beds and 16 separate, self-contained studio suites for men and women to provide them with a secure and comfortable environment. The four-storey building has been built beside the Salvation Army-operated Community and Family Services Centre, which allows for direct access to support programs and resources.

“With approximately 300 homeless people in Nanaimo, providing transitional housing is vital,” said Nanaimo Mayor Gary Korpan. “The City of Nanaimo is proud to support this initiative to help break the cycle of homelessness in our city.”

“The Salvation Army is pleased to be a part of the Provincial Homelessness Initiative, which is an opportunity to expand our continuum of care,” said Major Bill Blackman, Divisional Commander, Salvation Army British Columbia. “New Hope Centre will offer safe appropriate transition housing for men and women who are at risk of homelessness as they move on to more stable living situations.”

The Provincial Homelessness Initiative is an integral part of the provincial housing strategy, Housing Matters BC. The strategy includes a commitment to build new supportive housing units as a continuation of the ongoing work of the Premier’s Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions. The Province has committed to creating 2,287 new housing units under the Provincial Homelessness Initiative. The Province’s budget for shelters and affordable housing is $328 million – nearly triple what it was in 2001.

Through the new Homelessness Partnering Strategy, a federal government program that came into effect on April 1, 2007, $270 million will be provided over two years to help communities across Canada combat homelessness more effectively. The Strategy focuses on a housing-first approach to homelessness, recognizing that housing stability is essential to self-sufficiency and full participation in Canadian society. With its clear goals of improved partnerships, enhanced sustainability and tangible results, the new Strategy will provide concrete, meaningful and lasting results for Canadians in need.

The Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, will contribute more than $130 million by 2010 towards affordable housing in this province. The provincial government will provide a minimum of $34 million annually to subsidize the cost of units built under the Canada-B.C. Affordable Housing Agreement, as part of a larger strategy to provide a range of housing options for British Columbians in greatest need.

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BACKGROUNDER
THE SALVATION ARMY NEW HOPE CENTRE

The Salvation Army New Hope Centre at 19 Nicol Street in downtown Nanaimo provides 39 beds, including 23 shelter beds for homeless men and 16 self-contained studio units for homeless women and men.

The new four-storey, masonry and wood-frame addition to the existing two-storey Community and Family Services Centre, includes:

*
six men’s dormitory rooms containing 21 shelter beds,
*
16 small studio suites,
*
two sleeping units,
*
a drop-in resource centre with showers and laundry facilities,
*
a living room – quiet sitting space, and
*
offices for Vancouver Island Health Authority and Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance staff, and other community agencies.

A meal program available to shelter and transition residents as well as drop-in guests is operated out of the ground floor of the existing building.

The capital cost of the development is $4.2 million.

*
The federal government provided an $800,000 grant under the Canada/British Columbia Affordable Housing Agreement, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; and $300,000 in homelessness funding.
*
The Province provided a $1.1 million grant and is providing $346,000 annually for operating funding.
*
The Vancouver Island Health Authority is providing $242,584 in annual operating funding for the support of the 16 housing units and the resource centre.
*
The Salvation Army is providing $375,811 in cash equity, and the land, valued at $1,089,700. Land value includes $460,000 in equity from upgrades funded by the federal government through the National Homelessness Initiative.
*
The City of Nanaimo is providing a $300,000 grant and development cost charge forgiveness and reduction of levies totalling $120,518.
*
The Real Estate Foundation of B.C. is providing a $50,000 grant.

The Salvation Army is the largest non-governmental social service agency in the province. It has vast experience in social service programs including housing and shelter. The B.C. division’s operating budget is $75 million.

-30-

Contact:

Candace McGuire
BC Housing
604 439-4740
604 805-9623 (cell)

Captain John Murray
The Salvation Army
604 296-3821
604 551-5388 (cell)

Megan Shaw
CMHC
604 737-4032

Anya Nimmon
Communications Advisor
Vancouver Island Health Authority
250 740-6980

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.

“Canada’s New Government understands the special needs of individuals who are struggling with mental health and addiction issues and the challenges of homelessness in communities across the country,” said Ron Cannan, Member of Parliament for Kelowna-Lake Country, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development. “That’s why we’re working to ensure funding is available for projects like this one, here in Kelowna, so that safe, quality and supportive housing is available for those who need it most.”

The project is part of the Provincial Homelessness Initiative, which aims to break the cycle of homelessness by integrating support services with housing to help people move beyond temporary shelter to more secure housing, greater self-reliance, and appropriate employment. The four-storey building on St. Paul Street is expected to be occupied by May 2008.

“Cardington Apartments will make a real difference, both for the people who call it home and for the community as a whole, by providing stable housing and support to people battling addictions and mental illness,” said Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Al Horning. “Facilities like this are possible because of partnerships between the Province, the federal government, non-profit organizations and local governments.”

“With more than 400 people in Kelowna living on the street or in a shelter, providing supportive housing is vital,” said Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd. “The City of Kelowna is proud to support this initiative to help break the cycle of homelessness in our city.”

Interior Health will provide support services for the 30 units. Staff will assist tenants in developing independent-living skills, connecting with community resources and maintaining treatment services.

“Partnerships between housing and health providers are crucial for creating a supportive environment,” said Interior Health board chair Alan Dolman. “Interior Health will provide the health-care component of this important partnership so that people with mental health and addictions issues are able to focus on their recovery and move forward with their lives.”

Cardington Apartments will be managed by the John Howard Society of Central and South Okanagan. The mission of the John Howard Society is to understand and respond to social and health-related problems, with a focus on criminal justice.

“We believe affordable, supportive housing is vital to providing stability, security and a better quality of life to people living in vulnerable circumstances,” said Shelley Cook, executive director of the John Howard Society. “Building relationships and developing a sense of belonging to a supportive community are new opportunities for homeless individuals. This development offers future tenants hope for a personal comeback, and a sense of purpose for the future.”

The Provincial Homelessness Initiative is an integral part of the provincial housing strategy, Housing Matters BC. This strategy includes a commitment from the Premier’s Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions to build new supportive housing units. To date, the Province has committed to creating 2,287 new housing units under the Provincial Homelessness Initiative. The Province’s budget for shelters and affordable housing is $328 million – nearly triple what it was in 2001.

The Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, will contribute more than $130 million by 2010 towards affordable housing in this province. The provincial government will provide a minimum of $34 million annually to subsidize the cost of units built under the Canada-BC Affordable Housing Agreement, as part of a larger strategy to provide a range of housing options for British Columbians in greatest need.

-30-

BACKGROUNDER
CARDINGTON APARTMENTS

The John Howard Society Cardington Apartments, 1436 St. Paul Street in Kelowna, will provide 30 units of supportive housing for adults who are homeless and addressing addictions and mental health issues.

The four-storey building will contain approximately 300-square-foot studio suites and additional space to provide support services and programs to assist tenants in achieving independence and self-sufficiency.

Interior Health will provide housing support services for tenants, including helping individuals to develop independent living skills, connect with community resources, and successfully complete treatment programs. Tenants will also have access to treatment services and on-site staff.

Partner Contributions

The preliminary capital budget is approximately $6.75 million.

*
The Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, will provide a one-time grant of $2.25 million under the Canada-BC Affordable Housing Agreement.
*
The Province will provide an operating subsidy of approximately $225,000 annually for 35 years. The subsidy will offset the difference between what the tenant pays and what it costs to administer and maintain the building, including the principal and interest on the mortgage.
*
The City of Kelowna will provide the land (valued at $465,000 in 2005) for a nominal fee on a 60-year lease.
*
Interior Health will provide funding for support services up to approximately $500,000 annually.
*
John Howard Society will provide cash equity of $165,000.

The John Howard Society of Canada

The John Howard Society of Canada (JHSC) is a national, provincial and territorial society comprising and governed by people whose goal is to understand and respond to social and health-related problems with a focus on criminal justice. The Society is a registered charity that operates in over 78 communities across Canada providing more than 450 programs and services.

The Society has a long history of providing service to the Central Okanagan that dates back to 1956 and includes operating various models of supported housing in the community. Their programs and services focus on crime prevention, education, rehabilitation and reintegration.

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Contact:

Candace McGuire
BC Housing
604 439-4740
604 805-9623 (cell)

Shelley Cook, Executive Director
John Howard Society
250 763-1331

Megan Shaw
CMHC
604 737-4032

Interior Health
Cathy Renkas
250 862-8394
250 862-7228 (cell)

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.