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Homelessness in Hope, BC

Aboriginal Homelessness Off-Reserve


A REPORT BY THE HOPE AND AREA TRANSITION SOCIETY

Working with Aboriginal partners to close the gaps in Hope

Hope, BC represents only 2% of the population in the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD); however,
it contains 12% of the FVRDs homeless population (FVRD, 2014; van Wyk, 2011). 1 As the last stop
between Vancouver and the mountains, and as a town located at the hub of three major highways, Hope
attracts a migratory homeless population. However, it also contains a significant homegrown homeless
population, many of whom are Aboriginal. This report 1) explores the dimensions of the Aboriginal
component of Hopes homeless population; and 2) attempts to make suggestions as to how Hope can
make headway in meeting the needs of this demographic.
Background
For a small community, Hope is ahead of the game in addressing homelessness. Most rural communities
have only implemented emergency services at best (Waegemakers Schiff, 2014). However, the Hope and
Area Transition Society (H.A.T.S.) piloted a Housing First/low barrier housing project before
Housing First was even officially embraced by the federal government. This project, the Thunderbird
Motel Project, attempts to provide permanent, semi-independent housing for people trapped in chronic
homelessness. Residents are not encumbered with any pre-housing readiness conditions (such as
1 the FVRD comprises territory including Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Agassiz-Harrison, Hope, and north up to Boston Bar.

Jennifer Hawkins email: jennifer.louise.hawkins@gmail.com phone: 604.845.7211

sobriety or mental health case management); however, the project emphasizes recovery and community
integration. It offers 24 units on 3 acres of land, with a communal drop-in centre on site, as well as access
to horticultural and other activities. For six years, the Thunderbird Motel Project has made an enormous
difference in Hope. But it definitely feels the strain of a gap in Aboriginal outreach and engagement.
Aboriginal Component
Hope is surrounded by several bands: Shxwohamel, Peters Band, Chawathil, Boston Bar, Yale Band,
Union Bar, and Spuzzum. Unfortunately, some people who choose to live off-reserve live in extremely
vulnerable and most often impoverished conditions (Lamarre, 2014). Many of them are at great risk of
homelessness. Some may not be welcome back in their home communities (Starr, 2014). Currently, these
individuals have no one to help them who has an understanding of the particular issues that relate to onand-off reserve migration. This demographic currently includes hundreds of people in Hope.
According to BC Housing statistics, 31% of the total population who have accessed Homeless
Outreach Program (HOP) services are Aboriginal (Keller, 2014). Currently, the Thunderbird does not
have access to an Aboriginal outreach worker or case manager of any sort.
Additionally, Hopes Homeless Outreach Coordinator, Paul Keller, is very concerned about a group of
8-10 homeless Aboriginals who have had troubles staying housed at the Thunderbird and who are living
rough in Hope. Keller feels strongly that these Aboriginal individuals struggling with homelessness
would benefit greatly from an Aboriginal outreach worker who has the heart, knowledge, and
understanding to connect with the Aboriginal demographic in a meaningful and culturally
sensitive way (Keller, personal interview, 2014).

Aboriginal Homeless Statistics at the Thunderbird Motel Project in Hope, BC: 2009-2014

Gender

Family Status

Time in Hope

Time Homeless

Barriers

M: 60%

Single: 75%

< 1 year: 52%

< 1 month: 21%

Health Issue: 45%

F: 40%

Couple: 18%

1-3 years: 8%

1-6 months: 34%

Disability: 36%

Family: 5.5%

> 3 years: 35%

6-12 months: 4%

Addiction: 50%

Did not say: 1.5%

Did not say: 5%

> 3 years: 19%

Mental Health: 49%

Did not say: 5%

Incarceration: 33%

Jennifer Hawkins email: jennifer.louise.hawkins@gmail.com phone: 604.845.7211

Thunderbird Motel Project

Moving Forward
H.A.T.S. is currently working on strengthening the system of supports surrounding the Thunderbird.
The agency is building and strengthening partnerships with the RCMP, Fraser Health, the volunteer
sector, and the Aboriginal community in order to fill gaps. H.A.T.S. has efficient infrastructure as well as
experience in building partnerships. Ideally, an Aboriginal Outreach Worker would be a part of a
team of supports that reaches Hopes most at-risk demographics, including those at risk of
homelessness. The team would include homeless outreach, Aboriginal homeless outreach, Addictions/
Mental Health outreach, Volunteer presence, and RCMP liason. In particular, H.A.T.S.s current
Homeless Outreach Coordinator (Keller) asserts the great need for additional staffing, which would
include a full-time Aboriginal Outreach Coordinator (AHOC).
The AHOC position could potentially be operated out of the Trails Crossing Friendship Centre in
Hope--an option H.A.T.S. is currently exploring. The position would require approximately $75,000 in
funding, including benefits and any traveling expenses. This funding could potentially come from the
HPS Aboriginal funding stream (dispersed by Luma), the Aboriginal Housing and Management
Association, Fraser Health, and/or the First Nations Health Authority.
In a literature review on Aboriginal homelessness in Canada, Caryl Patrick asserts that not every
Aboriginal culture or band has experienced colonization or assimilation the same way, nor do they have
identical relationships with reserves and government agencies; experiential, localized knowledge and
expertise is essential (Patrick, 2014). An Aboriginal Homeless Outreach Worker in Hope would go a long
way in closing that gap in a rural setting that has significant issues with homelessness.

Jennifer Hawkins email: jennifer.louise.hawkins@gmail.com phone: 604.845.7211

REFERENCES

Fraser Valley Regional District. Regional Statistics. 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.fvrd.bc.ca/
ABOUTUS/Pages/DistrictStatistics.aspx
Fraser Valley Regional District. Social Services Inventory, 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.fvrd.com/
INSIDETHEFVRD/REGIONALPLANNING/Pages/AffordableHousingandHomelessness.aspx
Keller, Paul. Aboriginal Homeless Statistics: Internal Report. Hope and Area Transition Society. Hope,
BC: 2014.
Keller, Paul. Personal Interview. Hope and Area Transition Society. Hope, BC: 2014.
Lamarre, Nikki. Personal Interview. Trails Crossing Friendship Center. Hope, BC: 2014.
MacDonald, Bruce. Personal Interview. Harvest Community Church. Hope, BC: 2014.
Patrick, Caryl. Aboriginal Homelessness in Canada: A Literature Review. Toronto: Canadian
Homelessness Research Network Press, 2014.
Starr, Gail. Personal Interview. First Nations Policing. Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Seabird Island,
BC: 2014.
van Wyk, Ron and Anita van Wyk. Homelessness in the Fraser Valley: Report on the 2011 Fraser Valley
Regional District Homeless Survey. 2011.
Waegemakers Schiff, Janette & Alina Turner. Housing First in Rural Canada: Homelessness & Housing
Feasibility Across 22 Canadian Communities. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.
Homeless Partnering Strategy. Calgary: University of Calgary, 2014.

Jennifer Hawkins email: jennifer.louise.hawkins@gmail.com phone: 604.845.7211

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