Ivar with his new RainCity Housing hoodie!

April 9th, 2008, Vancouver — Hundreds of supporters from across Metro Vancouver showed their commitment to ending homelessness today at RainCity Housing and Support Society’s annual Shining a Light on Homelessness Luncheon. A record $60,000 was raised to provide much needed housing and support services for homeless people living with mental illness, addiction and other challenges. The luncheon was sponsored by BC Housing, Progressive Builders and The Vancouver Sun.

In the wake of the recently released homeless count, which shows a 19% increase in homelessness since 2005, it is clear that homelessness continues to be an increasingly challenging issue in Vancouver and indeed across the entire region. RainCity Housing has been a leader in providing solutions to end homelessness for over 25 years and will use all donations raised at the Shining a Light on Homelessness fundraiser to continue to provide innovative, cost effective solutions to achieve their vision of a home for every person.

“Congratulations on your steadfast commitment to providing housing and support services to people living with mental illness, addictions, homelessness and other challenges. Through your work, the quality of life for everyone in the community is improved,” says Craig Crawford, Vice President, Development Services, BC Housing, the Presenting Sponsor of the Shining a Light on Homelessness event.

Other luncheon sponsors include RBC Dominion Securities, G&F Financial Group, DYS Architecture, Executive Strategies, Manning Elliott Chartered Accountants, Marsh Canada Ltd, and GBL Architects.

RainCity Housing and Support Society is a leading provider of housing and support services for the homeless in Vancouver. It is a grassroots organization built around compassion, purpose and a commitment to delivering progressive housing and support solutions for people living with mental illness, addictions and other challenges. Programs and services include emergency housing, supported housing, women’s housing, permanent housing, community living support, outreach programs, food services and life skills management support. For more information, please visit www.raincityhousing.org.

On January 30th, 2008 – RainCity Housing and Support Society, formerly Triage Emergency Services & Care Society, has grown and changed significantly since it began as an emergency shelter in 1982. The organization now offers a full range of housing programs and services for people living with mental illness, addiction and other challenges. In order to reflect this growth, RainCity Housing has undergone an identity update, effective January 30, 2008.

 “When the organization began 25 years ago, the name Triage was appropriate for the work and philosophy of the organization,’ says Mark Smith, Executive Director of RainCity Housing and Support Society. “Things have changed, and the current philosophy of RainCity Housing is not to triage, which implies that people are sorted by need and some will be left behind, but to provide ‘a home for every person’. This updated identity will help us build on our existing community of support and work towards our goal of ending homelessness.”

RainCity Housing and Support Society is a leading provider of housing for the homeless in Vancouver. It is a grassroots organization built around compassion, purpose and a commitment to delivering progressive housing and support solutions for people living with mental illness, addictions and other challenges. Programs and services include emergency housing, supported housing, women’s housing, permanent housing, community living support, outreach programs, food services and life skills management support. For more information, please visit www.raincityhousing.org.

VANCOUVER, BC – April 7, 2007 -With Vancouver’s lack of affordable housing having a job no longer guarantees being able to afford a safe, secure place to live. Outreach workers at RainCity Housing and Support Society are seeing a spike in the number of homeless who hold down jobs but are spending their nights on the streets. This increase in working homeless contributes to the rising problem of homelessness and adds additional pressures on organizations like RainCity Housing who provide housing and support services to Vancouver’s homeless population.

Some of the people affected have had an unanticipated setback—dismissal from a job, break up of a marriage or other life changing experience—and found themselves without a safety net. RainCity Housing provides a number of services to help these people get back on their feet including outreach support, food services, and shelter services. However, the growing demand from this sector of the homeless population is taking the focus away from those among the homeless who are living with complex health issues.

“Seeing this rise in the working poor on the streets adds an additional challenge to providing services and support to the homeless,” says Mark Smith, Executive Director of RainCity Housing and Support Society. “Our mandate is to provide innovative housing and support services to people living with mental illness, addiction and other health challenges but we can’t ignore those who are homeless due to a combination of other circumstance. Additional resources are going to be required if the lack of affordable housing in our city continues.”

RainCity Housing and Support Society is a leading provider of housing and support services for the homeless in Vancouver. It is a grassroots organization built around compassion, purpose and a commitment to delivering progressive housing and support solutions for people living with mental illness, addictions and other challenges. Programs and services include emergency housing, supported housing, women’s housing, permanent housing, community living support, outreach programs, food services and life skills management support. For more information, please visit www.raincityhousing.org.