A mother lies awake wondering how she’ll cover next month’s rent. A man completes treatment determined to rebuild his life, only to discover there is nowhere stable to go next. A senior on a fixed income faces a sudden expense and realizes they’re one missed payment away from losing their home. Different stories. Different circumstances. Yet each reflects a reality … Read More
A Week of Giving, A Year of Impact: Cassels’ Story
If you’ve ever walked into the Cassels Vancouver office during a busy weekday, you’ll notice something right away: the place hums. Phones ringing, files moving, people in motion. But last December, there was a different kind of energy in the air – a quiet buzz that had nothing to do with closing deals or court deadlines. At the centre of … Read More
The New Lease: Sharlene’s Story
Sharlene has the kind of smile that makes you feel like you’ve known her for years. When I met her at a café, her blue summer dress and easy laugh were impossible to miss. Within minutes, it was clear that the warmth she radiates isn’t incidental – it’s who she is. She came to Vancouver from Windsor in 1992, looking … Read More
A Major Investment by BMO to Bring ARCH to Life
A strong coalition of public partners (FNHA, CMHC, BC Housing, Northern Health) has supported the vision for ARCH. Now, a significant private contribution is helping bring the model closer to completion. Streetohome Foundation recently announced a $500,000 gift from BMO, delivered over five years, in support of Canada’s first integrated Addiction Recovery Community Housing model. The funding advances the development … Read More
The Long Way Home: Henry’s Story
If you happen to be walking down Burrard Street and spot a man strolling along with an iced Americano in hand, radiating lively energy, chances are you’ve just crossed paths with Henry. There’s a certain kind of quiet strength that comes from having lived a full, complicated, and ultimately triumphant life. You can see it in the way he carries … Read More
Meet the people who brought ARCH to life
Inside the Model: A Conversation with Isaac Hernandez For Isaac Hernandez, Executive Director of North Wind Wellness Centre, the need for this model has long been evident – not because services don’t exist, but because they rarely ensure continuity of care. “The gap isn’t in what exists, but in how it all connects.” ARCH is structured as a progression of … Read More
ARCH: Bringing Addiction Recovery Supports Under One Roof
In northern British Columbia, recovery has too often required leaving home. For many Indigenous individuals, accessing treatment has meant travelling far from community – away from family, culture, and support systems at the very moment they are needed most. People move through withdrawal management, wait for treatment, complete programs, and then face the uncertainty of what comes next, often without … Read More
From a Two-Week Trip to a Lifetime of Purpose: Theresa’s Life at Oneesan
On May 25, Theresa turned 66 – a milestone she is celebrating from a place of true stability, surrounded by a neighbourhood finally feels like home. It is a long way from how her time in Vancouver began. When she first arrived from Chilliwack, she planned to stay just two weeks. But the city’s energy drew her in, and she … Read More
The Door That Finally Opened: Rosemary’s Journey Home
For many of us, “home” is a given. But for Rosemary, a resident at Sanford Apartments, home was a hard-won victory – a journey that spanned provinces, loss, and years of searching for a place to call her own. Rosemary grew up in Saskatchewan before moving to Vancouver with her family. After the heartbreaking loss of her mother at a … Read More
The Light That Found Her: Margit’s Story
In the morning, the light arrives first. It spills across the floor of Margit’s room, catches the edges of her paintings, and settles gently into the corners of a space she now calls her own. “I need light,” she says. “I always have.” It’s a simple need, but one that took years to come back to. Long before this apartment, … Read More
