Women who are homeless in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside now have access to the newly-expanded Powell Place Women’s Shelter.

Located at 329 Powell St., the shelter has been expanded from 26 to 52 beds. The new shelter also features a number of support services and amenities including 24/7 staff support, an in-house medical room, learning space for skills-development programs, a commercial-grade kitchen, courtyard and healing garden.

The year-round shelter is managed and operated by the Bloom Group. The non-profit group temporarily relocated its services to a 52-bed shelter at 625 Powell St. during construction.

Project partners and funding include:

• The Government of Canada, through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, contributed $500,000 and $50,000 through the Federal Accessibility Grant.
• The B.C. government arranged long-term financing of approximately $3.5 million, and is providing over $2.3 million in annual operating funding.
• The City of Vancouver provided a grant of $585,000.
• The Bloom Group has fundraised more than $1.2 million.

Quotes:

Wai Young, Member of Parliament for Vancouver South -

“Our government is committed to supporting Canadians and their families, especially those who are most vulnerable. We’re proud that our investment in this important project has contributed to the renewal and expansion of Powell Place Women’s Shelter.”

Suzanne Anton, MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview, Attorney General and Minister of Justice -

“Women facing homelessness deserve safe, secure housing that meets their needs. The expansion of Powell Place Women’s Shelter ensures 52 at-risk women now have access to shelter with the supports they need to help them stabilize and rebuild their lives.”

Mayor Gregor Robertson, City of Vancouver -

“The renewal of the Powell Place Women’s Shelter is another important example of the partnerships we need to end street homelessness in Vancouver, and to provide urgently needed housing assistance for many of our most vulnerable residents. This new project will ensure that 52 homeless or at-risk women have access to secure shelter, and the specialized community support they need to transition to safer, healthier, and more hopeful lives.”
 
Trudi Shymka, director of services, women & children, The Bloom Group -

“Powell Place Women’s Shelter represents our vision for progressive and comprehensive emergency shelter services. Our low-barrier and strengths-based approach supports vulnerable women to move out of crisis in the short term, while strengthening their resiliency and access to permanent housing in the long term. We thank all our government funders, generous donors, and project partners for believing in this approach and making these renovations a reality."

Quick Facts:

• Since 2001, the B.C. government has invested $4 billion to provide affordable housing for low-income individuals, seniors and families.
• This year, nearly 100,000 B.C. households will benefit from provincial social housing programs and services.
• Last year, the B.C. government invested over $112 million to provide subsidized housing and rent supplements for more than 26,000 Vancouver households.

Learn More:

For more information on provincial affordable housing programs and efforts to end homelessness in B.C., please visit: www.housingmattersbc.ca/factsheets.html and www.bchousing.org

The Bloom Group (Formerly St. James Community Service Society) was founded over 50 years ago with the mandate of building resilient communities. For more information, please visit: www.thebloomgroup.org

Follow BC Housing on Twitter: @BC_Housing (twitter.com)

Media Contacts:

Elaine McKay
BC Housing
778 452-6476

Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819 994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

City of Vancouver
Corporate Communications
604 871-6336
media@vancouver.ca

Natalie Hill
The Bloom Group
604 606-0302
nhill@thebloomgroup.org