ONE IN SIX …. IN CANADA –
That’s how many people are just ONE paycheque away from poverty. Can YOU imagine living with that kind of stress on a daily basis – being potentially homeless at a moment’s notice?
Since Vancouver has now been graded as the third most unaffordable city in the world, where does that leave our residents then?
Dr. Kerry Jang, Vancouver City Councillor and a strong advocate in the fight against poverty and homelessness, as a psychiatrist, can tell you from experience, that the underlying causes leading up to poverty and ultimately homelessness cannot be eradicated until you first provide a “home”, not a house.
That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news:
Together, we CAN fix this – one home at a time. The City of Vancouver has been making headway but even they cant do it alone. There are success stories in over 40 cities in the US and in two cities in Canada (Toronto and Calgary) where Housing First initiatives have proven success rates.
We know the list of charities approaching you is long and growing. We know that you have your own charitable priorities but we hope that this year you WILL consider THS as one of them. Your gift – whatever you are able to offer – WILL help us provide subsidized housing; WILL help those in the Jewish community bridge the gap between homelessness and poverty; WILL help them regain their strength and their self confidence to build a better life for themselves and their families.
It ALL starts with housing – together, we CAN make a difference – one home at a time.
We inherit from our ancestors, gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contains within us this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise.
EDWARD SELLNER