Big grant on offer for innovative housing of the homeless

Gerry Bellett, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, April 02, 2008

SURREY - The Surrey Homelessness and Housing Fund Society is offering $1 million to any group that comes up with an innovative way to reduce homelessness.

The society made the offer Tuesday and is asking for letters of intent from organizations on how the money can be spent to combat homelessness.

This one-time grant comes from a $9.7-million affordable housing reserve fund the city established last year to seed the SHHFS, society program manager Vera LeFranc said.

Surrey, with a population of 350,000, has about 2,000 homeless people, LeFranc said.

She said the society has no idea what kind of proposals the competition will generate.

"We don't think that making small grants would achieve much,"she said. "The [SHHFS] board wanted to make a big impact and a substantial grant such as this could be used as leverage to get more program funds from government or organizations such as VanCity,"

"We really don't know what will be proposed. We've hoping for some great, innovative ideas and we're excited about what will be coming across the desk."

LeFranc said homelessness has many causes, including mental illness and addiction.

A program that could prevent the conditions forcing people on to the street would have great value.

"Also, we have working homeless people. They might not be earning enough to put something aside for a damage deposit so they can rent a place. But there are programs such as the Newton Advisory Group's Project Comeback that helps those people get into housing," she said.

gbellett@png.canwest.com

More information about the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Fund is to be posted soon at www.surreyhomelessnessandhousing.org

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

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