The Foodbank
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- If you're on your own and you're trying to survive you've probably
realized by now that things are not cheap. Especially food. I can't remember
the last time I went to the grocery store and actually bought what I wanted
instead of what I could afford. If you can't afford food, or if you can't
get enough food, or if you have a friend who needs food, contact the Squamish
Food Bank (or the local food bank in your area). The people who run the
food bank are very friendly and non-judgemental. They've all been there,
they can empathize with you and help you. If you don't want to go and stand
in line to receive food, call them and I'm sure that they can arrange some
other way to get you the food. Also, if you have no way of getting into
town I'm sure that delivery is possible. Don't hesitate to ask.
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- Squamish Foodbank Society
- phone #898-1608
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- Foodbank day is usually the 2nd Wednesday of every month. The Foodbank
distributes its food at the Elk's Hall on Cleveland Avenue in downtown
Squamish, doors open for distribution around 12 pm to 1:30 pm.
The Squamish Foodbank is run by volunteers in Squamish. They take turns
co-ordinating each distribution day. Food is bagged and sorted on the 2nd
Wednesday of the month between 9:30 am and 12 noon before food distribution
begins. More help is always needed, if you want to get involved just drop-in
or call Pam at 898-1608. Open meetings are help from 1:30 pm to
2:30 pm where they discuss how things are going, new ideas, decisions and
planning for the next month. They encourage users of the foodbank to get
involved but everyone in the community is welcome.
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- Whislter Mountain Foodbank
- phone #604-938-1928
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- Greater Vancouver Foodbank Society
- 311 East 6th Ave.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-876-3601
- hours: every Wednesday except Welfare day.
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- Drop-in at any of the depots listed below. Make sure to get there early
to line-up. If you are a first time user you will have to "register."
This allows you to get a bag of food at that depot every week. Give your
name and any piece of ID (Driver's License, SIN card, Care card). There
are no age restrictions and you don't have to show proof of residency.
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- The foodbank offers a free bag of food and other groceries. You may
only go to one depot per week.
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- Depots:
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- DTES Youth A & D Services
- 432 East Hastings St.
- 2:00 pm
- *Also Thurs. after Welfare Day
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- Longhouse Council of Native Ministries
- 2595 Franklin
- Vancouver, BC
- 10:30 am to 11:30 am
- (adults only)
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- Mt. Pleasant Community Centre
- 3161 Ontario St.
- Vancouver, BC
- 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
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- New Start
- 1600 Franklin St.
- Vancouver, BC
- 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- (adults only)
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- Ray-Cam Co-operative Centre
- 920 East Hastings St.
- 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
- St. Paul's Anglican Church
- 1130 Jervis St.
- Vancouver, BC
- 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
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- Franciscan Sisters
- 385 East Cordova St.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-685-9987
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- Drop-in and ask about their grocery program.
- Groceries are given out Monday & Friday 9:00 am to 11:00 am
- Meals are given every day, except Wednesday and Saturday, at 3:00 pm
to 5:00 pm
- Clothing is given out Monday to Thursday 9:00 am to 11:00 am
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- Cheap
Clothing
- Clothes are a funny thing. Sometimes when you're young, all you can
think about is looking cool. Then you get to a point when all you care
about is staying warm and comfortable. (By the way, some people are always
at this stage, and other people just never get there. That's life.) So
as I was saying, you need clothes but they are expensive. There's a few
things you can do to make sure you're clothed but that you didn't spend
a lot of money to get there.
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- Number One: you could ask your
friends and family for their hand-me-downs
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- Number Two: you could talk to
the Women's Centre in Squamish (or in your town if you don't live in Squamish),
Sea to Sky Community Services or the Foodbank to see if they have any clothes
available to you
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- Number Three: you could check
out some of the second-hand stores in Squamish, they often have cheap clothing
in good condition. Try Hidden Treasures, the flea market on 2nd Ave. ot
the Thrift Store on Cleveland Ave. If you have kids you might want to try
a used kid's clothing store or Birthright (above the post office on Cleveland
Ave.), they offer free maternity clothing and clothes for yor baby.
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- Number Four: you might want to
find a ride into Vancouver and check out Value Village, the Salvation Army
or a number of free clothing stores we've listed below.
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- Operation Compassion
- 304 B Victoria Dr.
- (Victoria and Franklin)
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-254-0555
- hours: 11:00 am to 2:30 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
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- Drop-in at the times specified. You will have to register at the front
desk. This then allows you to a list of items once a month. The items change
depending on their supply but you will be able to receive a bag of groceries,
clothing and some household goods once a month.
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- St. James Social Service
- 391 Powell St.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-683-3243
- hour: 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday to Friday
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- Drop-in anytime, they are a free clothing store.
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- Salvation Army
- 261 East 12th Ave.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #607-874-4721
- hours: 9:00 am to 5:15 pm Monday to Wednesday
- 10:00 am to 9:00 pm Thursday and Friday
- 10:00 am to 5:15 pm Saturday
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- They offer clothing, small appliances, toys and games at really cheap
prices.
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- Check out hospital thrift stores, religious thrift stores, Value Villages
and the Salvation Army.
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Cheap Services
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- Downtown Community Health Clinic
- 412 East Cordova St.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-255-3151
- hours: 8:45 am to 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday
- closed at 3:00 pm on Wednesday
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- Phone ahead to book an appointment. This clinic is specifically for
residents of the downtown eastside. The cost of service is about $20 for
a half an hour of dental work (45 minutes is about the average time that
they take on most people's teeth). Some emergency dental services are also
available.
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- Gordon Neighbourhood House
- 1019 Broughton St.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-683-2554
- hours: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Tuesday and Thursday
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- Drop-in anytime. They offer cheap food.
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- MidMain Community Health Clinic/Dental
Clinic
- 3998 Main St.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-873-3666
- hours: call for an appointment
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- The provide a check-up for around $20 and offer a 10%
discount on dental work.
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- REACH Centre Dental Clinic
- 1145 Commercail Dr.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-254-1331
- hours: 8 am to 8 pm Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
- 8 am to 5:30 pm Tuesday and Friday
- 9 am to 4 pm Saturday
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- Call ahead to make an appointment. You will be required to have an
examination first, which is about $40, then you will have to see someone
again to get any work done. This usually costs an additional $40 to $50.
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- Vancouver Community College
- 250 West Pender St.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-681-8111
- hours: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday
- Some services are only offered during school terms. Call to get more
details.
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- Drop-in or call to get more information. They have training programs
for students and as part of the training students have to "practice"
what they are training to become. You can get your haircut for under $5,
your shoes repaired, cheap food, baking and even your teeth cleaned all
at a pretty low cost.
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- Vancouver Hospital
- Dental Outpatient Clinic
- 805 West 12th Avenue
- phone #604-875-4006
- hours: 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday
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- Call ahead to book an appointment. This is an outpatient dental clinic
for anyone 17 years of age or older. You will be required to have an initial
examination by a dentist. This costs around $35. Additional appointments
for teeth cleaning, fillings etc. cost extra.
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- Cheap or
Free Housing
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- Sometimes finding a place can be difficult, especially on short notice.
If you live in Squamish and you need a cheap place to stay, or if you've
just arrived in town and haven't found a place yet, the Squamish Hostel
is a great idea.
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- Squamish Hostel
- 38490 Buckley Ave.
- Squamish, BC
- phone #892-9240
- hostel@mountain-inter.net
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- They feature a fully equipped kitchen, hot showers, a large balcony
and barbecue and friendly staff who will help you plan the activities you
want.
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- It's $15 per night or $40 for 3 nights
- for a private room it's $25 a night
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- They take Travellers Cheques, VISA and Mastercard.
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- Also in Squamish ...
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- If you are a woman in an abusive relationship you can contact the Howe
Sound Women's Centre in Squamish and they will provide you with a place
to stay, for a limited time, in their transition house. Call 892-5711
(the transition house, Pearl's Place) or 892-5748 (the Women's Centre).
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- Vancouver
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- Adolescent Services Unit
- Ministry of Social Services
- 575 Drake St.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-660-9376
- hours: 10:00 am to 11:00 pm Monday to Thursday
- 10:00 am to 1:00 am Fridays
- 5:00 pm to 1:00 am Saturdays
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- Drop-in anytime. If you are under 19 they will find you a place to
live right away, such as a group home, foster home or whatever.
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- Safehouse
- Family Services of Greater Vancouver
- phone #604- 877-1234
Call anytime or talk to a worker at Street Youth Services. They offer a
safe, comfortable place for street involved youth to stay for up to 7 days.
Youths are assigned a keyworker to help with goal-setting, support or advocacy
needs.
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- Vancouver Hostel
- Canadian Hostelling Association
- 1515 Discovery St.
- Vancouver, BC
- phone #604-224-3208
- hours: 7:00 am to 11:00 pm
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- You must drop-in, or call ahead to get a room. It is best to call in
the morning because sometimes the place is full. The cost is around
$15 with a membership or $19 without.
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- They offer men and women of all ages a bed, showers and some recreational
opportunites with fellow hostellers in a dormitory setting.
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- Local Universities
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- During the summer months many dorm rooms are empty. Some local schools
rent these rooms out for low costs. Contact individual schools for more
information.
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- There are many more places
in Vancouver that you can go to find cheap or free lodging. Start by contacting
Street Youth Services in Vancouver and they can tell you what place would
best suit your needs.
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- Social
Assistance
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- Well, if you're a young adult trying to make it in the world, or even
just an adult trying to survive, the idea of accepting social assitance
has probably entered your mind. It's hard to find a job, especially in
a small town, and it's just as hard to try to live off of a $7.00 an hour
pay check. So what happens if you need assitance?
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- There are a number of different scenarios that can take place if you
need financial assistance. If you've just lost your job but will soon be
receiving unemployment insurance, going to social services for money to
cover the 8 week period before you get UI may not be a great idea. You
see, any money they give you will then be taken off of your UI check, so
you're really no farther ahead. If you are a young adult/youth who has
just moved out on your own social assistance may help you but it's important
that you know your rights. What I've learned is that they'll only give
you as much as you ask for, but if you don't know you're entitled to more
you'll never ask for it. So what kinds of things can you get? Depending
on your situation, you might be able to receive medical, dental, schooling,
daycare for your child, a clothing allowance etc.
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- Be prepared though. If you go down to social services you are probably
going to feel humiliated, very poor and extremely frustrated. I won't say
that everyone who works for social services is rude, but I will say that
these people work in a high stress job and they sometimes forget what it's
like to have nothing and nowhere to go. They will ask you how much you
have in your bank account, what your bank account number is, how much your
rent is (and they will want to see a receipt), how much you owe, what are
your other bills (again they'll want to see proof), whenter you own a car,
a house or RRSP's. Basically they want to know if you have anything, and
if you do they want you to sell it. Just grin and bear it, and remind yourself
that #1, it's not always going to be like this and #2, when you get back
on your feet you can work to improve the system for others.
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