Growing need for daytime drop-in sites for homeless, B.C. non-profit says

A Vancouver non-profit says it is being overwhelmed by the demand for daytime drop-in services for the homeless.

Most homeless shelters only provide a place to stay overnight and require clients to leave during the daytime.

The Kettle Society is one of the few daytime drop-in facilities in the city, offering services such as showers, laundry, meals and referral to other supports.

It’s a resource that people like Bobby Prasad say has been a lifeline.

He was homeless for more than a year before he visited the centre looking for a safe place to rest during the day. Staff were able to refer him to a housing provider, and now he works in the kitchen.

“I feel like I’m back home, they treat you like a family,” he told Global News. “The staff are good. Even the people who come here, they are nice with me.”

But the society’s director of community services says they are seeing growing numbers of visitors — and more people with complex needs.

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“Some people are getting lost in the shuffle, and we’re not able to keep up with it,” Michelle Jerome said.

“We do have to turn people away, unfortunately… the volume coming to especially our other community supports, especially upstairs like our outreach team, our advocacy, our employment program… we have long waitlists.”

Last week, Vancouver city council approved a motion calling on staff to look into more funding and potential sites for day spaces and washrooms.

But that work will take time, and in the short-term, Jerome said facilities like hers are under pressure and need help.

“We work so hard to help everyone in the community, but we really need the support of the community as well,” Michelle Jerome told Global News.

“It doesn’t have to be a big complicated thing. Even doing a sock drive, or a small amount of money, or even monthly donations you can do through our website, that $5, $10, it actually goes quite far.”

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