VANOC pledge $5-million to Vancouver youth shelter
Premier Gordon Campbell announced millions of dollars yesterday for a Vancouver youth shelter to double its capacity, but it amounts to little more than a flash in the pan, advocates for the homeless say.
The province is pledging $4.75-million to Covenant House, while the Vancouver Olympic Games Organizing Committee is kicking in an additional $250,000.
“This will enable more at-risk youth to access shelter support before, during and after the Games,” said Dave Guscott, VANOC’s executive vice-president of celebration and partnerships.
He said VANOC wanted to respond to a potential increase in shelter demand during the Games and create a lasting legacy past 2010.
VANOC promised 250 units of social housing in the runup to the Games, far short of the 3,200 suggested by a consortium of government and community groups of which it is a member.
The new funding means Covenant House can add 32 new beds for people 16 to 23 years old, bringing its total number to 54.
Young people who stay at the crisis shelter are given medical care, food and rest before working with a counsellor to plan out an exit strategy from the streets.
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