Edmonton’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness: Year 4 Updates Announced

Bissell Centre hosted a media conference on Thursday, April 25^th where Year 4 updates were released by The Edmonton Homeless Commission regarding Edmonton’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, Homeless Commission Chair Hal Danchilla, and Homeward Trust CEO Susan McGee announced the achievements that show real progress is being made towards their goals.
Mayor Mandel congratulated all the partners involved with the effort to end homelessness in Edmonton but stressed that there is still work to be done to house the over 2,100 people that are still homeless in the city.

Here are some of the Year 4 updates:

• 2,325 Edmontonians previously homeless now have a home.
• 1,664 permanent homes have been secured for the 2,325 homeless with the vast majority of these homes being private rental market in buildings across the city.
• The October 2012 Homeless Count found 2,147 homeless Edmontonians, which is 29% fewer than the 2008 count.

The Edmonton Homeless Commission recognizes that there are challenges ahead moving into Year 5 of the plan to end homelessness. Some of the challenges outlined are:

• The need for capital funding to build permanent supportive housing for people with intensive needs.
• The tightening of the rental market in Edmonton as vacancy rates drop and rents rise.
• Limited space for new clients due to The Housing First teams working at full capacity.
• A greater focus is needed on prevention to reduce the numbers of people falling in to homelessness.

To learn more about The City of Edmonton’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness or the Year 4 Update, please visit http://homelesscommission.org or call Hal Danchilla, Chair, Edmonton Homeless Commission at 780.975.4462.

Brand New Look for Bissell Centre Food Services Van!

Bissell Centre has added decals to the van we use as a vital resource for our Food Services Program to help feed the inner-city community. With the help from Display  Design Systems Ltd., these decals promote the programs we offer the community, such as Housing, Employment, Family Services, Recreation & Wellness… our Mission Statement (Inspiring People to Move from Poverty to Prosperity), and our contact information (phone number, website address, and social media platforms).

Our Food Services Program serves on average 350 meals per day for the inner-city community. We provide meals for our community members in the Drop-In Centre, the children in our Childcare Program, and for participants with our Employment Services Program.  We also provide meals for external events hosted by Bissell Centre to help feed the community. One such event is New Year’s Day Dinner where we feed over 1,200 men, women, and children every January 1^st!

For more information about our Food Services Program, please contact: