Every day, hundreds of non-profit housing providers help those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in communities throughout B.C. As we move into the colder months, these dedicated providers will ensure additional shelter spaces are available so everyone has access to a safe, warm place at night.

Oct. 11-17, 2015, is Homelessness Action Week, a time to raise awareness and acknowledge the work done by individuals and organizations to help end homelessness in our province.

It is also about understanding that there are people that need our support. That’s why we have homeless outreach teams in over 60 communities, connecting people with stable housing and a range of supports such as income assistance and mental health and addictions services. Outreach workers assisted over 7,200 people last year.

There are now more than 1,700 permanent year-round shelter beds and over 1,200 Extreme Weather spaces are available during the winter months. Most permanent shelter beds are now available 24/7 and provide three meals a day. Since the release of our provincial housing strategy in 2006, the number of subsidized housing units, rent supplements and shelter spaces available for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness has more than doubled to over 13,200.

We continue to work with our partners to create new affordable housing to help those in greatest need. For example, the former Remand Centre in Vancouver was completely renovated to provide 96 units of new housing for low income adults and at-risk Aboriginal youth. These youth are not only provided with housing, they’re able to take part in the on-site BladeRunners’ entry-level construction program.

We have invested $500 million, partnering with eight B.C. communities to create more than 2,100 new units of supportive housing. This new model of housing addresses the root causes of homelessness by connecting individuals with affordable housing and the supports they need to help stabilize and begin to rebuild their lives. These supports can include mental health, addictions and medical services, income supports, as well as education, training and life skills programs.

A year ago, we introduced the Homeless Prevention Program to provide people at risk of homelessness rent supplements to help them access rental housing in the private market. This is helping to prevent people from becoming homeless by supporting them before they end up on the street. More than 1,400 of these rent supplements have now been allocated to housing providers throughout B.C.

I would like to thank all of our partners, community organizations, staff and volunteers for the work they do to help make our province a better place to live. Their efforts benefit our communities and most importantly, some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

To learn more about what the province is doing to end homelessness in B.C., please visit: http://www.housingmattersbc.ca/factsheets.html and www.bchousing.org