RainCity Timeline

We moved into Yaletown from St Paul’s Hospital to have more space and provide services to more people. The new location has been named the Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site. Thomus, a Peer Worker, died in July 2020. The artwork in the mural featuring Thomus was done by Vancouver Graffiti Artist Smokey D.

🚻 It’s important infrastructure that’s often overlooked during a pandemic – clean and safe toilets and sinks. Now the City of Vancouver, and other partners have a solution. @NEWS1130 @BT_Vancouver @raincityhsg @CityofVancouverhttps://t.co/GLbpFxAKM6 pic.twitter.com/l3AOWW19M4

— CityNews Vancouver (@CityNewsVAN) May 29, 2020

A partnership with the City of Vancouver, the Kingsway Community Station opened at the end of May, 2020, has four washrooms and office space for women (trans, cis, gender diverse and two-spirit folks included) that are involved in sex work and are working in and around the Kingsway area. It’s staffed by Peer Workers who have an understanding of sex work either through lived experience or close allyship with the sex work community. NOTE: the site moved to Fraser in Kingsway later that year.

Trethewey Modular Housing is our fourth modular building to open and our second in Chilliwack, BC. Nov 15, 2019.

Yale Modular Housing, our second modular building to open and our first in Chilliwack, BC. April 28, 2019.

The new website is launched on the first day of Spring! March 20, 2019.

The Jubilee Rooms is reopened in August 2018, now run by RainCity.

RainCity partners with St Paul’s Hospital and VCH to open the first Overdose Prevention Site outside Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in May, 2018.

Indigenous Cultural Services Department is established with a Cultural Safety Working Group (CSWG) supporting Indigenous Cultural Liaison workers and strengthening Indigenous cultural practices and supports throughout the organization.

Housing First Outreach Worker begins work at 3030 Gordon to support people to find housing throughout the community.

Maple Ridge Housing First Clinical Intensive Case Management Team begins work in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.

Peer Services Department is established to support peer work throughout the organization and in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

Sunshine Coast Outreach Services is established, working with about 50 individuals to assist them in securing housing.

Maple Ridge temporary shelter opens to provide shelter to 40 people from the community (program ended 2017).

Surrey Housing First Intensive Case Management Team starts with 35 rent supplements to help ensure people can have some choice about where they want to live.

Housing First Principles: our Videos and Workbook we officially launch our ‘Housing First: Principles to Practice’ toolkit, complete with animated videos, a Facilitator’s Guide and a Workbook.

Open Your Heart Website is launched, with NEWS videos.

NEWS Program launches. The goal of NEWS is to create opportunities for community members and media creators to come together to create inclusive and supportive stories about mental health, as a way to address stigma associated with mental illness.

We hosted the first ever DTES Women’s Rock Camp.

Harm Reduction Support Services program starts in Vancouver, providing needle exchange, pick-up, and opportunities for conversations about harm reduction and treatment (program ended in 2011)

As part of the At Home/Chez Soi national research demonstration project, RainCity is chosen to lead a Housing First Assertive Community Treatment Team in Vancouver.

RainCity Housing takes over managing The Shaldon Hotel in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Fraser Street Transitional Housing opens. This is our only alcohol and drug-free program and is our first program to have a Community Advisory Committee (CAC).

Killarney Apartments opens, our first housing and support program located outside of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Concurrent Disorders Outreach Team was established to develop ongoing relationships with people experiencing homelessness in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that are living with mental health and substance use issues, and connect them to housing and other services (program ended in 2014).

The Strengths Model is adopted, which recognizes that if we focus on individual’s strengths, talents, knowledge, skills and experience, then people can more likely achieve their goals.

Bridget Moran Place in partnership with Neighbourhood Housing Society commences. Our work focuses on supporting people living there. This partnership began in the summer of 2000 at the Oasis on East Hastings Street and moved to Bridget Moran Place on Powell Street in July 2001.

Client-Centred Approach is adopted. This approach is based on the philosophy that people tend to move naturally toward growth and healing and recognizes that each of us are expert in our own lives.

In 1993 the purpose built Triage Shelter opens at 707 Powell Street (Vancouver) with 28 individual shelter rooms for people.

Triage Emergency Shelter In 1982, Triage Emergency Shelter was opened at Main Street and Prior in Vancouver in a former Bank of Montreal building. The shelter was a program of St James Community Services Society and used a traditional model to temporary shelter with limited or no privacy afforded to people using the shelter.