As a public service in the Creston community, the library is often asked by our community partners to write letters of support for their funding grant proposals. These letters demonstrate that our community is working together, that we’re using our existing collective resources, and that the projects asking for funding have broad community support.
This summer we wrote the following in support of the Den Society’s proposal for a shelter located at the old ambulance bay:
“At the Creston Valley Public Library, we regularly serve unhoused patrons and are very familiar with the specific challenges they face in order to survive each day. We also know that affordable housing and homelessness are not just issues that occur in Creston, but we are a community that doesn’t currently have a shelter to address this growing crisis. We fully support the Den Society in their efforts to house and support our community members with the basic needs that every human deserves. We believe the proposal by the Creston Valley Den Society will only benefit the entire community and add to the support and services we also provide.
It is my understanding that the Den Society is seeking a location for a medium-barrier, safe, and supportive shelter for unhoused people in our community. We are aware that they are working in conjunction with BC Housing and many local partners, including the Town of Creston, and the broader community. We understand that their intention is to establish a 24 hour-service shelter that will provide beds, showers, nutritious meals, clothing, access to secure storage, and an opportunity for clients to engage in support services to enhance their opportunities for healthy living, education, housing, medical attention, and employment. We know the Den will be staffed with well-trained, caring individuals with a clear Code of Conduct and operational guidelines. We also know that BC Housing provides criteria, support and significant funding for community shelters and our non-profit Creston Valley Den Society will be run by a fully functioning Board of Directors.”
When we learned that the town hadn’t approved the proposal for the shelter and added multiple extra requirements that meant the proposal missed the funding deadline, we were disappointed. As a public service that serves the whole community, including unhoused community members, we know this means a real desperate cold weather season for folks that are already fighting to survive each day.
At the library, we are very familiar with the day to day challenges and realities for people without housing. There’s a saying we often hear - “It’s very expensive to be poor.” The further your finances fall behind, the bigger the barriers to bouncing back, and the harder it becomes to access support. Unfortunately, as our local, provincial, and national housing and affordability crisis worsens, the number of people falling into poverty and getting stuck there is only growing.
What are the solutions? Well, community is definitely key, which is part of why we were so disappointed that the Den Society proposal–a real grass-roots effort put together by many community members with lived experience, education, knowledge, and work experience in this area–was turned down. Here at the library, we will continue to support individuals experiencing poverty and hardship with our many services and we will also share resources for community members who want to learn more about the issues that unhoused folks face.
Read the following stories on homelessness at the library:
• The Book on Ending Homelessness by Iain De Jong (available through interlibrary loan)
• From the Ashes: My story of being Indigenous, homeless, and finding my way by Jesse Thistle
• Finding Murph : how Joe Murphy went from winning a championship to living homeless in the bush by Rick Westhead
• Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot
