Homelessness On The North Shore

Photo credit: North Shore News

On Friday evening, March 26th, 2010, West Vancouver United Church will be hosting a dialogue on the growing issue of homelessness on the North Shore. “The intention,” says Brian Watts, who will be facilitating the evening alongside Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart, “is to increase awareness about homelessness on the North Shore and other contributing social issues that often underlie homelessness.  As Christians and members of this community, we have a responsibility to educate ourselves about issues like these and how we can use the gifts we have been given to help our neighbours in need.”

To do so, the evening will be centered around a series of round table discussions informed by a diverse group of panelists, all of whom are stakeholders when it comes to homelessness. The featured speakers for the evening will be:

• Ralph Sultan (MLA, West Vancouver-Capilano),
• Paul Butler (Coordinator of Youth at Hollyburn Family Services),
• David Foster (North Shore Homelessness Advocate), and
• AJ Ives (teenage participant in the Oppenheimer Park Outreach Project).

Photo credit: Dylon Nofziger

While the featured speakers will provide much of the direction for the evening, the goal of Friday night’s conversation is to be exactly that: a conversation. “So often as a society, we jump to solutions without necessarily understanding the issues at stake,” continues Brian. “That is why we have sought out people who are actively involved with this issue and who are exposed to it day-to-day in different capacities. By sharing their perspective and stimulating conversation between those participating in Friday’s dialogue, the featured speakers and other guests will hopefully help all of us foster a greater understanding of this growing issue.”

Indeed, it is often easy as a community of people to dismiss homelessness as an issue specific to Vancouver’s urban downtown core. After all, the economic reality is that, ultimately, many of us in North and West Vancouver feel we can afford to disassociate ourselves from the very real experience of a growing number of people in our midst. The invitation is therefore for each of us to come and engage with others, adding our own voice, whether it is a passionate or a disillusioned one, to that of city planners, non-profit workers, single mothers, and homeless people, who will attest to the vitality of this dialogue for our North Shore communities.

Date: March 26th, 2010
Doors Open: 6:45pm
Time: 7:00pm to 9:30pm
Place: West Vancouver United Church Hall

Be sure to add your voice.  Register now by clicking here.

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