The final quarter of the Risebridge Oceanside Support program was particularly rewarding.  We had many wins as an organization in the community, many of which came from previous relationships and work done in earlier seasons with individuals in need.  Our overnight program at our Parksville location continued to be a huge success, sheltering many from the cold and wet nights when our entire area lacks emergency housing or shelter options.  Being able to come in from the cold and have reliable access to resources and food each week has fostered immeasurable goodwill towards creating the trust and meaningful connections needed for building relationships and hope for people that are chronically unhoused in the area.  14 families were supported with emergency housing relief - empowering half to-stay in their current housing situations, 4 were assisted in finding new housing in the area and 3 were supported to move outside of the community to reconnect with their Nation, family or a new job opportunity.  Two individuals were successful in completing their detox and treatment program that resulted in us being able to support them in accessing housing for the first time in years, and one of them secured a job!  We are excited about the opportunity to continue developing relationships and trust within the community and local Nation to be able to support more resources and hope for those in need.

Our outreach team continued serving the entire area 7 days a week and making great use of our Crisis support phone line that is answered as much as possible to meet with people where they are at, even if that means a bush in the middle of nowhere for resource access!  As transportation continues to be one of the largest barriers in our region, it’s been helpful to have two outreach teams with vehicles and the ability to assist people in attending appointments, accessing shelter placements in nearby communities, or helping to transport belongings to storage or other areas.  This has helped many individuals avoid belongings such as tents being taken by bylaw, as our outreach team has been able to respond promptly to crisis situations and offer alternative/temporary solutions.  Despite having 7 days a week outreach and our drop-in program - it’s difficult to reach and respond to all the needs that are out there in our community right now.  Having to choose between which family or individual gets our support based on funding allowance continues to be our greatest challenge, especially considering there are very few other resources existing in our community area.