Under One Umbrella 2010: A Service Fair for People who are Homeless in East Vancouver (the picture shows the 2009 poster)

The Under One Umbrella Society, formerly called The Grandview Woodlands Drug and Alcohol Coalition [http://gwdac.org/], is a group of community residents and service providers who live and/or work in the Grandview Woodlands area of Vancouver. We have been working together for more than four years to address drug and alcohol issues in our neighbourhood. Our goal is to bring people together to create solutions that work for everyone in our community, including community members who have personal experience with drug use, addiction, street involvement and homelessness.

Over the past three years, the Coalition has completed a number of major community projects, including a series of ten community education dinners, a two year community needs and assets assessment which surveyed approximately 3000 residents and business owners in Grandview Woodlands, and the completion of a broad community consultation process that lead to the development of the “Under One Umbrella” event. For more information about the Coalition, please visit our website at www.gwdac.org .

Under One Umbrella is a one-day Service Fair being held in January 16, 2010 for people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. The purpose of the event is to bring together a range of services, information and activities for people who are homeless or street involved in East Vancouver neighbourhoods. Some examples of the services that will be present at the event include: VCH Addiction Services, showers, foot care, complimentary therapies such as massage and energy healing, housing information, etc. The event will also include food and local entertainment, as well as a venue for recording people’s personal stories in the hope of combating some of the stigma and misinformation surrounding homelessness.

A goal of the “Under One Umbrella” event is to encourage people to become involved in promoting change through volunteerism. Not only will the event create opportunities for residents of East Vancouver to volunteer for the day, but grassroots community groups and agencies that offer low-barrier opportunities to volunteer in the community will be featured at the event.

This event is based on the enormous popularity of our two previous Under One Umbrella Service Fairs (2007, 2009). People who are homeless and groups working with the homeless (Peer2Peer, etc.) are part of the planning process