This week, an organization who have been working to end homelessness for the past 17-years in the Capital Region has announced they will be shutting down operations permanently.
The Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region (AEHCR), formerly known as the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, made the announcement via social media following a board meeting on Thursday, June 26th.
During this meeting, the board recommended to its members that they cease operations by the end of the calendar year.
Following a majority vote, AEHCR members agreed and approved the process of initiating shutting down operations over the coming months.
“It is with a heavy heart that the board had to com to this recommendation,” said Sean Dhillon, Co-chair of AEHCR.
“Backbone organizations, that are the glue holding the sector together, are not the priority for funders. In spite of strong representation with our current funders, provincial, regional and local governments, our core funding was either terminated, kept at historical levels or re-structured.”
He added that this made sustainability impossible for AEHCR.
Sylvia Ceacero, CEO of AEHCR added that the resources they’ve been given as of late, have been insufficient to continue the organization’s viable operations.
Through the years they have worked to advocate for unhoused people in the region, connecting all levels of government, faith communities, social services providers and more.
“The Alliance is the glue that kept all our community partners connected, moving forward, collaborating,” said a community member present at the meeting.
“This interconnectedness will be lost at a time when it’s needed most.”
To this announcement, another community member commented, “Sickening.”
“The next time someone complains about street disorder in the CRD, ask them if they donated. If we refuse to fund solutions, we cannot continue to complain about the problems.”
This announcement comes just after the City of Victoria passed the first reading of its new, multi-facetted Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan, which hopes to curb homelessness in the downtown core where much of the unhoused population frequents.
