At the beginning of June, leadership from Family Services of Vancouver spoke to the Standing Finance Committee of BC to give recommendations for investments to support British Columbians.
FSGV recognizes that this is a challenging years for governments, businesses, and non-profits alike. There’s a need for efficiency and careful strategy in investments. Social services are integral, with their nimble and responsive service to communities and people-centered, outcomes-driven work.
As a social services non-profit, FSGV works directly with some of the British Columbians who are struggling the most and we wanted to highlight those struggles and propose solutions for how we can collaborate on building brighter tomorrows.
FSGV has been in the community for almost 100 years and is no stranger to weathering tough times; it is key we hold tight to optimism for the future.
In the spirit of this optimism, FSGV put forth two suggestions to support people across BC.
Invest in Youth: Directions Youth Services
Our ask to government is to create a housing plan specific to the youth population, one that includes a directive to BC Housing to develop supportive housing for youth so that they can successfully transition out of homelessness before they enter the adult system.
Directions Youth Services at FSGV has supported unhoused youth for more than 30 years. From downtown Vancouver, Directions currently operates the only 24/7/365 drop-in centre in the province for unhoused youth. We also run two secure youth safehouses, a 10-bed supportive housing facility, and the only emergency weather response (EWR) shelter specifically for youth 16-19.
To paint a picture of the population we support:
- 47% of all unhoused people who participated in the latest homelessness count noted that they first experienced homelessness under the age of 25
- More than 33% have experience in governement care
- There has been a near 200% surge in deaths amongst unhoused people since 2020
Today, the pathways to homelessness are expanding. Youth unemployment is rising. Groceries continue to be expensive. And while rents are coming down, they are still out of reach for many young people. We don’t want more youth to slip into homelessness.
Targeting support for the youth population is an economically sound point of intervention and mitigation – reducing the future burden on healthcare, justice, and social services.
Invest in the Bridge Builders: Social Service Non-Profits
The second recommendation FSGV makes is for government to invest in the non-profit sector through existing contracts and funding models to reflect today’s changing world.
Non-profits play a vital role in supporting British Columbians. Let’s continue with youth as an example of how agencies like FSGV complement government services.
FSGV interacts with youth across many of our programs. A youth who has been involved with MCFD might enter our programming if they have a developmental disorder and need support. They might come to us through Directions if they are unhoused, through our CYSN program if they have a CYSN social worker, or to our family preservation program if their family has been involved in the ministry.
But FSGV also serves youth who have experienced sexual violence, family violence, or exploitation. We want to draw attention to all of these services because it’s through them that we know: building trust with a youth who has experienced trauma takes time. There is no substitute for the time required for in-depth care and support. This is where non-profits like FSGV thrive.
We know how to build relationships with youth and how to bridge them to all of the supports they need, including those offered by government.
At FSGV, we might refer a youth from Directions to our Sexual Abuse Intervention Program. They could aslo be working with a Victim Support Worker. They might be getting help from our Housing Support Worker or developing their money skills with a trauma-informed coach.
Non-profits are here to help and we’re well positioned to do so. But in order to do this work as effectively as possible: we need robust funding.
To continue offering this level of trust-building and bridging, non-profits need a strong foundation. And that includes technology, systems, and administration. Our contracts need to support our ability not just to administer programs but:
- To hire and train the workforce of tomorrow
- To track and analyze data, and to keep that data safe
- To develop more efficient working models through technology adoption
- To have capacity to collaborate with other organizations, including government
- To let people know that we’re here to help through advertising and community engagement
This all comes with a price, but so does not investing in these areas. Non-profits have to be a resilient, thrifty creative, and nimble enough to make the most of our budgets. And we do all of that and more, but it’s getting harder to keep pace with technology and rising costs. Fulsome investments in administrative costs of recruitment, technology, data, and communications allow us to reach more people in need and to fine tune programs to their needs.