Covenant House for the Homeless

Students raise funds for homeless, ERICA TIMMERMAN PHOTO

ERICA TIMMERMAN, Suite 101, March 22

At the Vancouver Covenant House on Drake Street, Community Giving Development Officer, Mark Savard sees up to 80 youth shuffle into their Drop-In centre each day.

He will see teenagers abusing themselves with meth, prostitution and violence. He doesn’t judge, Savard knows life on the streets is about survival, and he just wants to offer food, clothing and conversation.

“The life span of youth on streets generally is between seven to eight years,” said Savard. “ They usually can’t survive longer than that because of the lack of nutrition, hygiene and physical abuse.”

Savard said there are between 500 to 1,000 homeless youth living on Vancouver’s streets at any given time.

Receiving Donations

Recently, three students from Capilano University, in North Vancouver, raised over $2,500 after spending Sunday Mar. 15 to Friday Mar. 20 homeless on campus grounds, begging for donations to give to charity.

As part of a nation wide event called 5 Days for the Homeless eight Canadian universities took part and altogether collected over $150,000 for youth at risk. Capilano decided to give half of their total to Covenant House and the other half to the Urban Native Youth Association.

Savard said that with $1,100 one youth would receive five days of food, shelter and personalized professional care.

Homelessness to Independence

Vancouver Covenant House has four programs dedicated to help the homeless between the ages of 16 to 24.

* Outreach Program: A team of qualified staff visits the streets where homeless youth are usually found. They initiate contact with them and maintain relationships, offering help, food and clothing.
* Community Support Services Program: Youth 24 years of age and under can walk into the Drop-In centre and receive counseling, resources and referrals.
* Crisis Shelter: Doors are open 24 hours a day with accommodation for youth between the ages of 16 to 22. They can receive a bed along with food, clothing and a shower. They also receive help finding a job or going back to school.
* Rights of Passage Program: In an effort to transition youth from homeless to independent living, Covenant House offers bachelor apartments with guidance from residential advisors.

Hour to Hour, Minute to Minute

During the 5 Days for Homeless campaign, students expressed frustration over their poor nutrition, wet clothing, lack of hygiene and exhaustion from sleeping outside on the ground. Savard understood these comments and said they were examples of what homeless experience on a day-to-day basis.

“These people have to live hour to hour, minute to minute. This is why drug use is so rampant throughout the homeless, it numbs them from reality, staves off hunger and keeps them from sleeping, otherwise they might wake up without their shoes,” said Savard.

Covenant House began in New York City in 1972. Since then 20 facilities have opened in six countries. They have estimated there are over 750,000 homeless youth throughout America.

Students Experience Homelessness

(from left) Trevor Page, Connor Welsh and Krissi Bucholtz sleep outside for five days to raise funds for youth at risk, ERICA TIMMERMAN PHOTO

ERICA TIMMERMAN, Suite 101, March 20 2009

Students slept outside on campus grounds from Sunday Mar. 15 to Friday Mar. 20.

Under the guidelines of 5 Days for the Homeless, participants had to give up their common conveniences, such as cell phones, income and showers and only eat and drink what was donated to them. During the day and night they begged for change to give to their local charities.

In the end the organization totaled almost $150,000 nationally, or 50% more than their targeted goal of $100,000.

Students were also expected to still go to class and withstand the stares and looks from their classmates.

Unexpected Heartlessness

“You never really realize how heartless people are to homeless. We have some people who avoided eye contact with us or avoided us altogether,” said Krissi Bucholtz, another student at Capilano who huddled outside with Page and Connor Welsh for five days in the rain.

Students Explain Experience by Blogging

Blogs were set up on the 5 Days website so participants could describe what each day felt like. Many became very emotional as their nutrition level dropped, their hair became matted and their body sore from sleeping on the concrete ground.

Jaclyn Bell from Guelph University, in Ontario, wrote that the experience caused her to re-think her situation: “I am so lucky to be able to flick a switch when I need light, or adjust the thermostat when I’m hot or cold, or turn the water on when I need to shower, or turn the TV on if I’m bored. All these things I had absolutely no choice in doing today. The lights (sun) went out and I stuck, left there in the dark with nothing to do about it.”

In Saskatoon, participants roughed it during night two and three by sleeping outside in -35C weather with wind chill.

Day Five

By day five some schools received donations well over their expected goal and others were disappointed to obtain only 60% of their target.

Back at Capilano, the $2,577 Bucholtz, Page and Welsh made will be going to the Vancouver Covenant House and the Urban Native Youth Association. Welsh said although they have lived uncomfortably for the past few days, it has been relatively easy compared to reality.

“Obviously it is nothing like actually living out on the streets but it’s kind of like doing it with training wheels on. Getting somewhat of an idea what some people have to go through.”

Welsh understands, like all the others who wrote on their blogs, that while the end has finally come for them, it hasn’t for the youth who live each day in fear, wondering where their next meal will be. Thankfully the money that was raised Friday will help some of those who desperately need it.