For nearly three years, Georgette Gibson has relied on a free weekly ride to the local food bank from her apartment in Alexander House, an affordable housing complex for seniors in Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood. Read More
B.C. Housing slashed $421,000 in funding for a pilot program, blindsiding the charity, which is now scrambling to find a way to continue supporting some of the region’s most at-risk seniors
B.C. Housing slashed $421,000 in funding for a pilot program, blindsiding the charity, which is now scrambling to find a way to continue supporting some of the region’s most at-risk seniors
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For nearly three years, Georgette Gibson has relied on a free weekly ride to the local food bank from her apartment in Alexander House, an affordable housing complex for seniors in Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhood.
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Gibson is one of 400 seniors in Metro Vancouver who rely on Whole Way House’s Seniors Enhanced Independent Living program, which provides rides to medical appointments, food deliveries and other essential services, including mental health support, at four low-income housing buildings in the Downtown Eastside, Downtown Vancouver, Mount Pleasant and Burnaby.
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The 65-year-old says the non-profit’s help is the main reason she hasn’t slipped back into homelessness.
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“Before this, it was a daily battle just to live,” said Gibson, who recalled sleeping in her car after falling on hard times as a retiree in interior design without a pension plan. “Many of us don’t have family nearby, and we didn’t know how we were going to eat. Even if we could afford food, some of us can’t walk very well to get it.”
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The retiree recalls one day last year when a resident at Alexander House broke their arm. “Someone from Whole Way House was able to drive them to the hospital immediately,” she said.
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B.C.’s housing ministry did not respond to questions from Postmedia by deadline.
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Without warning last week, B.C. Housing slashed $421,000 in annual funding for the pilot program, leaving the charity scrambling to find a way to continue supporting some of the region’s most at-risk residents, according to Whole Way House.
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“We’re completely devastated,” said Jenny Konkin, founder and president of Whole Way House.
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Konkin says the funding cut means seniors who are already struggling to afford food and medication, some near the brink of homelessness, will now lose these essential services.
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“We’ve been reassuring residents that we’re not abandoning them, but we don’t know where else to turn.”
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Every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., staff from the non-profit are stationed at Alexander House, running programs for seniors — such as exercise classes — or providing one-on-one assistance to residents.
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“We’ve essentially acted like family for residents, helping seniors stay at home for as long as possible,” Konkin said.
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“The work has never been more important,” the president added, noting that nearly a quarter of Metro Vancouver’s homeless population — 22 per cent — are seniors, with nearly half of them experiencing homelessness for the first time after age 55, according to the latest Greater Vancouver Homeless Count.
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“There’s a significant gap between housing and health, where seniors are aging in place but aren’t fully independent. They’re declining but don’t yet qualify for long-term care,” Konkin explained.