Open Lifeskills, Supervised Injection Site and Washington Needle exchange 24 hours

  • Author:
    n/a
  • Send To:
    Vancouver Coastal Health Authority
  • Sponsored By:
    PHS Community Services Society
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I hereby petition the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority to immediately open the PHS Lifeskills Centre 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Over 3500 members of this community rely on The Lifeskills Centre with an average of 800 visits per day. The Lifeskills Centre, offers a unique environment to the community providing services such as daily hot meals, respite, community meetings and events, group support meetings, advocacy/referrals, laundry, showers, vocational training, computer /internet access, long distance phone, and a womens shelter at night. Despite the continued increase in the number of members, the number of daily visits and the increased number of and variety of services, the Lifeskills Centre has operated on the same budget with the same number of staff since it opened in 2002. The Health Contact Centre, which provides similar services to a smaller population, receives five times the amount of funding as The Lifeskills Centre. Since the Health Contact Centre has been shut down, it had brought into focus the need to redirect funding to expand such essential services as the Supervised Injection Site, the Washington Needle exchange, and The Lifeskills Centre to remain open 24 hours a day. With increased funding we will be in a position to deliver existing services both day and night, expanding to include other essential services such as access to health professionals and full time advocacy to address the immediate needs of, health, employment, welfare, housing, and education.
We the following, kindly ask that the Vancouver Coastal Health authority redistribute funds fairly between these respective service providers to reflect and meet the communitys needs.

176 Signatures

  • shira
    • Comments
    • These services save lives!
  • isidore stone
  • Paulo Ribeiro
    • Comments
    • These services are essential to help people transition to a healthier lifestyle and to prevent further social disorder, the spread of infectious disease as well as reduce deaths from overdose. Please continue to fund these projects. Thank you.
  • Simon Fellows, Rev.
    • Comments
    • Please make informed choices
  • Karen Torley
    • Comments
    • These services are vital. please listen
  • Bohdan Klima
  • Ken Shankhill
  • Wendy Ursulak
  • Liz Moss
  • Joshua Wells
  • Mariner Janes
  • christine kim
  • Rebecca Ananda
  • Spike Harris
  • Cameron Dilworth
  • matthew camirand
  • Rainbow Friberg
    • Comments
    • 24 hour access and more locations too!
  • Sam Dubetz
    • Comments
    • В
  • Theresa Lam-Dinh
  • Brian Goble
  • Patrick May
  • john jones
    • Comments
    • thank you for treating this with both the gravity and urgency this situation deserves...
  • Mike Smith
  • Guinevere Pencarrick
    • Comments
    • As a Service Provider to the area, I cannot express enough the need for resources and support around the clock for this population. Thanks for giving us voice.
  • douglas ferris
    • Comments
    • these are essential services for this community please get it together
  • Russell Maynard
  • Adrianne Robson
  • Ramsay Moffat
    • Comments
    • Availability and ease of access are important factors in getting essential services and health care to the people that need them. This is the only sensible route.
  • Lenore Clemens
  • galen rigter
    • Comments
    • I have worked at the Needle Depot for 5 years and can only personally express to you how vital this service is . A 24 hour service is essential in my view.
  • Andy Healey
    • Comments
    • В
  • C. Michael Campbell
  • Dylan Mackie
  • Jacqueline Maloney
  • Tuan Lam
  • lara ellison
  • Tania Bystedt
    • Comments
    • This is a very important service that saves lifes daily.
  • Darrel Dinh
  • Amy O'Dea
  • Matthew James Maximilian Kidd
    • Comments
    • I believe this would be a great step forward for the entire community, not just the DTES, but the whole area
  • Masa Anzai
    • Comments
    • Saves lives !!!
  • Debbie Winsor
  • jason guihan
  • Felix Waterhouse
  • fleurette couture
  • jonathan stevens
  • Linda Tamburri
    • Comments
    • This service is incredible and very much needed for this increasingly marginalized community!
  • Tess DesRochers
  • Andy Bond
  • Michelle Robinson