[h3]Who are the people living in streets and shelters?[/h3] [p class="timeStamp"]Updated Wed. Dec. 6 2006 10:00 PM ET[/p] [p class="storyAttributes"]CTV.ca News Staff[/p] Yogi Chandra is one of Vancouver's homeless, but he doesn't suffer from drug addiction, mental health problems or even unemployment. He simply can't afford housing in Canada's most expensive city. [/p] [/p]According to one charity worker, up to 20 per cent of Vancouver's homeless have jobs. [/p] [/p]Chandra lives in a Surrey shelter called Hyland House -- a place he heard about from a homeless person he once gave food, before he lost his own home. [/p] [/p]"I felt sorry for that gentleman and I helped him out," Chandra told CTV Vancouver. "I never thought this would happen to me." [/p] [/p]He now works as a landscaper three or four days a week, but lacks the money to afford rent. His free time is spent helping other homeless people at the shelter. [/p] [/p]"The reason I'm here is because I can't afford to have a basement suite at the moment, because I'm not financially rich," said Chandra. "And that's my goal: to save up enough money so I can get out of here very shortly." [/p] [/p]When a new poll asked Vancouver residents why individuals become homeless, only 27 per cent blamed a lack of affordable housing. By contrast, 57 per cent thought drug or alcohol addiction. [/p] [/p]The survey was conducted by the Strategic Counsel for CTV, the [em]Globe and Mail[/em] and CKNW Radio. [/p] [/p]Saira Khan leads a program called Project Comeback that helps the working homeless find housing. She said that 20 per cent of homeless people are employed, usually as day labourers or through temporary employment. [/p] [/p]The program is overseen by the Newton Advocacy Group and is the only one of its kind in Canada. [/p] [/p]"We assist them with damage deposit, first month's rent, work boots, whatever is required," said Khan.
[/p]According to Peter Fidos of Options Hyland House, the high cost of rent in Vancouver is forcing some employed people to live in shelters. [/p] [/p]"People are working and they can't afford to live," he said. [/p] [/p]"When you're paying $700 to $1,000 a month and you're working at $8.50, you're not cutting it anymore. People being told that a job leads to independence is starting to sound like a hollow lie." [/p] [/p]The Greater Vancouver area also has the highest average price for homes in Canada at $518,176, according sales recorded by the Canadian Real Estate Association's Multiple Listing Service. [/p] [/p]That's far higher than Toronto, which has the second-highest average price at $365,537.
[/p]The minimum wage in British Columbia is set at $8 per hour. Michael Beckley makes $9 per hour, but like Chandra he still found himself living in a homeless shelter. [/p] [/p]"It was a little degrading, but I figure the ends justified the means, and it's better to be in a place like this than out on the street," he said. [/p] [/p]Thanks to Project Comeback, Beckley was provided with a damage deposit and able to find an affordable basement suite. [/p] [/p]Chandra is also hoping the program will help him move out of his Surrey shelter room. [/p] [/p]"Everything costs so much these days," he said. "And ten bucks doesn't get you around." [/p] [/p]For more information about Project Comeback, please phone 604-596-2311 or 604-916-5112.
[/p]
[/p]
[/p]
[/p]
[/p]Yogi Chandra is trying to save up enough money to get out the shelter and into his own home
Some residents find sleeping in shelters 'a little degrading,' but better than living inthe streets
Peter Fidos of Options Hyland House
Michael Beckley makes $9 per hour, but still found himself living in a homeless shelter.
