On Family Day and every day of the year, we support families no matter what they look like. Whether you share the same DNA or found each other another way, Family Services of Greater Vancouver is here to help. You define family. We support it.
For our 2023 Family Day campaign, we’re highlighting some of the programs and services offered at Family Services – but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We have many family focused supports available at FSGV, and our well-trained and experienced counsellors, resource workers, and support workers can help you navigate through the difficulties you may be facing.
What are wrap-around supports?
In essence, wrap-around supports are the integrated support systems that aim to address an individual’s entire complex needs. This means dealing with a family or an individual’s mental and physical health concerns, financial needs, housing situation, immigration status, family dynamics, and more. At Family Services of Greater Vancouver, we strive to provide this type of comprehensive care by connecting people to community resources throughout the Lower Mainland. Navigating government benefits, housing, the job market, and resources can be difficult and overwhelming – but with the right support, it doesn’t have to be.
Meet a Resource Worker
Chau Nguyen has been a resource worker for twenty years, five of them at FSGV. In this role, Chau connects clients to relevant community resources. Her duties are endless and varied: helping with income assistance, tax benefits, childminding, transportation, getting to appointments, finding housing, or even just someone to talk to.
We asked Chau how she approaches her work. Either in-person or online, Chau introduces herself to families, and then “…if the client is comfortable, we’ll hook up a time to meet each other in the community. We can go for coffee or we can talk on the phone. And then I will introduce myself and offer my support.”
Her two-decade experience and background as a Vietnamese immigrant means she intimately understands the struggles people go through and the community resources available throughout the Vancouver area. Chau has also worked as a Vietnamese-English interpreter with MOSAIC since 1999.
There are many resources you can access, from social workers at the BC Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD), to WorkBC, to income assistance, and so many more.
This Family Day, we’re reminded that all families are unique. No two families are the same, and so what family means to you can only be defined by you. Whatever challenges you may be facing today, Family Services of Greater Vancouver is here to help and point you in the right direction.
To learn more about the way FSGV supports families, visit our Family Day webpage. You can also keep in touch by signing up for our newsletter and finding us on social media:
[Instagram] @VanFamServices
[Twitter] @VanFamServices
[Facebook] Family Services of Greater Vancouver
[LinkedIn] Family Services of Greater Vancouver