Comox Valley Affordable Housing Society have been receiving positive feedback throughout the community from other societies and partners about how we have been building bridges and ensuring we are working with other agencies.  It is refreshing to see collaboration and all the agencies working together for our common goal while simultaneously being wearisome as potential clients become aware of who we are and what services we provide, increasing the demand for our limited resources.  The more we interact with our tenants and use community support, the more tenants are talking about what supports and programs are available to others resulting in an increase in the amount of people we have looking for a variety of assistance.  

Outreach is finding it challenging to find affordable housing for clients.  The excessive costs of market housing, coupled with low vacancy rates, have made it increasingly difficult to secure suitable accommodations for those in need.  It is also challenging not to be able to offer clients much needed long-term rental subsidies, currently to fill this gap, we must refer them to other agencies.  We are also finding this program should be full time to maximize the impact.  Through the Reaching Home initiative, our outreach successfully supported a single parent in crisis who was fleeing domestic violence and at risk of homelessness with their child.  They were referred to outreach from the Rent Bank.  Recognizing the urgency of their situation, outreach collaborated with another agency to provide aid.  We were able to provide a portion of their first month’s rent for them to secure housing. This provided them with immediate stability and safety for themself and their child.  We are making a difference with the help of the Reaching Home funding.  We have housed people, fed people, done tenant support and outreach, provided a kind word and a helping hand.  We are excited to do more.