Homelessness Action Week (formerly known as Homelessness Awareness Week) is an annual week-long campaign held in over 20 communities in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, Canada. In
Metro Vancouver
The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 28 ...
, the week is sponsored by the Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness.
The first Homelessness Action Week began in 2006 as a way to increase participation and public support for solving
homelessness by government, the private sector, communities and individuals. The week promotes initiatives and projects that directly affect communities in a positive way, holding events for and about people who are homeless. It is supported by notable local figures such as former B.C. premier
Mike Harcourt
Michael Franklin Harcourt, OC (born January 6, 1943) served as the 30th premier of British Columbia from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of Vancouver, BC's largest city, from 1980 to 1986.
Early life and education
Harcourt was ...
, Vancouver Whitecaps president
Bob Lenarduzzi
Robert Italo Lenarduzzi, OBC (born May 1, 1955) is a former North American Soccer League player, Canadian international, and coach of the Canadian national and Olympic soccer teams. He is currently club liaison for Vancouver Whitecaps FC. H ...
, and musician
Jim Byrnes.
Homelessness Action Week 2008 has over 20 participating communities throughout
B.C. and the
Yukon
Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...
. The week was proclaimed by the provincial government as Homelessness Action Week in 2007 and 2008. The communities participating in the week include:
Abbotsford,
Metro Vancouver
The Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), or simply Metro Vancouver, is a Canadian political subdivision and corporate entity representing the metropolitan area of Greater Vancouver, designated by provincial legislation as one of the 28 ...
,
Prince George,
Prince Rupert,
Kamloops,
Kelowna,
Nanaimo,
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
,
Whitehorse
Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...
, and
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
. Events include: peaceful
demonstrations
Demonstration may refer to:
* Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting
* Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought
* Demonstration (political), a political rally or prote ...
,
discussion forums
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...
, food drives, photo exhibitions, films, and service fairs for people who are homeless.
Image:ID_08-S.jpg
As of 2021 Homeless Action Week is still happening in Vancouver and supports community and grassroots events.
Grants
See also
*
Homeless Persons' Week
Homeless Persons' Week (HPW) is an annual event publicizing the plight of homeless people in Australia. The event is held in the first full week of August each year, and is coordinated by Homelessness Australia, the peak body organisation for the ...
(Australia)
*
Youth Homelessness Matters Day
Youth Homelessness Matters Day (YHMD), according to the National Youth Coalition for Housing the 2018 Youth Homelessness Matters day was held on 18 April 2018. YHMD is an annual day which seeks to highlight the issue of youth homelessness in Austra ...
(Australia)
References
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*
*
*
*
External links
Official websiteCity of Vancouver site
Organizations based in British Columbia
Homelessness organizations
Awareness weeks in Canada
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