Posts Tagged ‘Pathways Information Centre’

Needs of DTES still not addressed

Monday, January 23rd, 2012 | Leave a Comment

The new Employment Program for BC, scheduled to be implemented April 2, 2012, will leave many not served, especially in the inner-city.  Several existing services, previously supoported as employment services, will be closing.  Pathways Information Centre is an important community resource, providing access to basic resources, referrals to community services, and connections to employment.  Alternative funding after April 2012 is not yet in place.

Withdrawal of our funding by the Ministry of Social Development has prompted several media pieces and the Bill Good Show was one of the best.  Subsequent coverage on CBC Radio, the Globe and Mail and the Vancouver Courier has been great.

Tradeworks Training Society met with the Minister in November but neither the Ministry nor other arms of government have stepped up. The Downtown East Side is a neighbourhood to which people retreat when they hit hard times.  But they need help getting back on the feet.  Pathways, a low barrier, easy access resource centre at Main & Hastings and the centre sees @3000 new members each year.  The government’s planned ‘Employment Service Centre’ anticipates only serving @500 higher needs job seekers each year.  Where will the other people go?

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Gaps in DTES Services Expected

Monday, January 9th, 2012 | Leave a Comment

The Globe and Mail (Saturday January 7th) featured the story of one person who has been a member of Pathways Information Centre, Perry Joyce.  Perry’s own story is similar to many; he lost his job, migrated to Vancouver and found himself in the inner-city.  Finding work proved difficult.  And so did accessing community services, housing, and building a network of friends, until he found Pathways.

What is not stated directly enough, is that the number of people in the inner-city struggling to ‘attach to the workforce’ is huge.  And the government’s plan for employment services does not serve the population well.

10,000 people live in ‘low income households’ in the DTES.  Pathways, a low-barrier access point and referral centre, registers @3,000 new members each year.  Pathways has, for 9 years, worked to address the needs of the DTES by connecting people to community services when they need them.  Daily 200-250 people stop in to use the computers, talk to counselors.  The Ministry of Social Development’s new streamlined Employment Service Centre  is supposed to replace Pathways and several other existing services on April 1, 2012.  The new proposed Employment Service Centre,  for the much larger  ‘catchment area’ (Nanaimo to Richards), anticipates serving only 500 high needs job seekers annually.

Put simply, where do the other unemployed and under-employed people in the DTES go?

 

Posted in Media, Pathways, Stories | Tags: , , ,

Campaign for DTES Basic Services Extended

Thursday, November 24th, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Tradeworks is continuing its efforts to secure long term funding for the basic services to the DTES community offered through Pathways Information Centre.  The issue is now public, as we have been on CBC radio, Radio-Canada, Fairchild TV, and CKNW.  Local residents are active writing letters to the Minister of Social Development and signing a petition (recently tabled in the BC legislature by MLA Jenny Kwan).

Pathways was created 9 years ago when a multi-party review identified the need for a conveniently located, low-barrier information centre that could ensure those in need could find the community services they need.  Pathways has played that role, seeing 250 people a day and almost 3000 new people each year.  This inner-city community has an exceptional number of residents in stress and struggling to cope – 10,000 of the 15,000 people living in this neighbourhood live in poverty.  And many are living with physical and mental disabilities.  Many have lost contact with family and do not have the social and material supports others may take for granted.  Pathways is a catalyst for change:

  • Pathways members get access to basic information resources; phones, PC’s, the Internet, faxes and copiers.
  • Pathways members get voice-mail services.
  • Pathways members get up-to-date information on local services, clinics, employment programs and community resources.
  • Pathways members get counseling advice and preliminary assessments, someone to talk to and build a relationship with.
  • Pathways members get job search advice and assistance with online searches, applications and resumes preparation.
  • Pathways members get access to supplementary services from others on our premises – related to tenancy problems, pardons, diabetes, mental heath services, and more.
  • Pathways members are given opportunities to volunteer and contribute to the centre and to the dtes.ca website that it maintains.

The DTES is a neighbourhood where many retreat, out of economic necessity.  Often the circumstances are beyond their control; learning disabilities, workplace injuries, mental health calamities, family breakdowns, etc..  However, most do want to work and live normal lives.  They need access to basic services and social supports.

The new ‘employment services’ delivery model of the Ministry of Social Development will serve only 5-10% of the low income and unemployed population in the inner-city.  Pathways and other neighbourhood community services are to be closed in March-April 2012, unless the Ministry recognizes the special needs in the DTES.  Fact Sheet

 

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Success In Small Steps – Pathways Stories

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Here’s a story about a member from Pathways, an information and referral centre at Main and Hastings that tries to respond to local residents needs:

Mike was the middle aged man who had mostly done manual labour in his life. He turned up one day required to produce his first resume to qualify for employment assistance.

“I’m a good worker,” he kept repeating. “When I can meet someone I can show them that I am a good worker.” I read this as meaning, “I don’t know how to do a resume and I don’t know whether my skills can be written down”

I spent the time with him. I asked about his background and explained what his work experience would look like in a resume. He also got a quick intro to the computer so that he could use our “2 finger” resume template. He was sufficiently encouraged that he came back for the next three days and despite some beginner mishaps with the computer produced a final resume.

He came back regularly to look for work on the JobBank. He also regularly thanked us for spending the time with him to teach him and get him started.

As a postscript, he was around the other day with an interesting information request. He is an experienced wild mushroom picker. He wanted to get a list of the forest fires from last summer so he could choose the best place to go based on his past experience. He didn’t have a vehicle, so he needed to choose wisely in spending his money to go up country. I found him both maps and longitude and latitude of all the fires. He went away to do his homework.

 

Check out the Pathways website for more info here.

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Pathways Road to Employment

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Pathways Road to Employment Expo/Open House, held on June 21st, 2010, was a great success once again. Running this event since 2001, the Open House provided opportunities for our members from the Downtown East Side community to speak and interact with the enthusiastic representatives from a wide variety of organizations and firms. Packed with over 200 participants – 100 of them becoming new Pathways members, it was an exciting day for many. (more…)

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