Achieving human potential is true prosperity
Dr. Trevor Hancock is a retired professor and senior scholar at the University of Victoria’s School of Public Health and Social Policy, a public health physician, health promotion consultant and columnist for the Victoria Times-Colonist newspaper. Dr. Hancock spoke...
“There’s a lot that needs to be done”
Eli Cooley-Morris was baptized in the Downtown Eastside’s landmark First United Church in 1988. He died next door at the Hazelwood Hotel nearly 32 years later, another victim of B.C.’s poisoned drug supply. His father, Rev. Barry Morris, was the minister at the church...
Iliajah Pidskalny cycled from Saskatoon to Vancouver to stop the harm
Iliajah Pidskalny, an award-winning Geology graduate from Saskatchewan, set out on January 1, 2021 -- on his bicycle and carrying a tent -- and he cycled from Saskatoon to Vancouver, arriving on Friday January 29. Iliajah cycled to raise awareness of the ongoing --...
New supportive homes open at Q’waxsem Place in Campbell River
Construction has finished on a 50-unit supportive housing development in Campbell River that will provide homes with 24/7 support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. "This housing will make a significant difference for people in Campbell River who are...
When a lesser god expires: Remembering Leonard Williams
Leonard Williams lived on the streets of Nanaimo, British Columbia, for an estimated 30 years. He was kind, gentle, and lived a life of gratitude. But early in the morning of Dec. 26, 2020, the 59-year-old’s lifeless body was found in Nanaimo’s Old City Quarter. A...
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VIMHS NEWS
Here’s our VIMHS Currents newsletter for November 2020
It’s that giving time of year…VIMHS updates from Campbell River and Nanaimo…Stats, infographics, and the continuum of housing…COVID stress syndrome…Mental health challenges among women and girls who are homeless…and more. Download a PDF copy of our...
Bridge housing and supportive housing in Campbell River
Provinces across Canada face similar issues as attempts are made to provide housing to homeless citizens. In British Columbia, the provincial government is acting on several fronts, across a spectrum of programs, from emergency shelters to temporary, transitional, and...
VIMHS Rosehill Apartments in Nanaimo are now available for rent
23 units of new rental housing are now available in Nanaimo at VIMHS Rosehill Apartments (located at 285 Rosehill Street). Rental rates are governed by BC Housing's Community Housing Fund. "There is an urgent need to create more options for those struggling to find...
MEDIA SCAN
Prioritize vaccinations for people experiencing homelessness, shelter staff
The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness and the Canadian Network for the Health and Housing of People Experiencing Homelessness call on federal and provincial/territorial governments, COVID-19 Vaccination Task Forces and health system vaccination lead organizations...
B.C.’s tiny houses show big promise for homeless
When homeless people in Duncan, B.C., were asked two years ago how they’d like to live, they said a small cluster of simple sleeping cabins would be great. That way, they’d have a few others around for some protection but not so many that it would become a chaotic,...
Bell Let’s Talk Day is Thursday, Jan. 28
We’ve known for a long time that it’s almost always better to talk about mental health than to keep quiet about it. We should continually be looking for ways to have conversations about how we are doing, how we are feeling, and ask those questions of those we care...
PEOPLE FIRST MEDIA
When a lesser god expires: Remembering Leonard Williams
Leonard Williams lived on the streets of Nanaimo, British Columbia, for an estimated 30 years. He was kind, gentle, and lived a life of gratitude. But early in the morning of Dec. 26, 2020, the 59-year-old’s lifeless body was found in Nanaimo’s Old City Quarter. A...
The connections between intimate partner violence and traumatic brain injury are beginning to be understood
The term intimate partner violence (IPV) describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former intimate partner or spouse. IPV is also known as domestic abuse or gender-based violence and is a major public health concern that destroys lives,...
One in three women will experience intimate partner violence. Most will also suffer a brain injury
The term intimate partner violence (IPV) describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former intimate partner or spouse. IPV is also known as domestic abuse or gender-based violence and is a major public health concern that destroys lives,...
