Power Hour – Housing and Homelessness in the Downtown Eastside

Until I moved to the DTES, I was unfamiliar with the crisis of homelessness and poverty. There are approximately 11,000 homeless across BC, with 2500 homeless in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Those who are homeless are disproportionately Native and most are suffering from some kind of physical or mental health issue or disability. Most people do not realize the impact that being homeless has on people’s lives. I was only homeless for three months, while many others are homeless for years, even decades. I cannot even begin to comprehend how people survive through the serious physical and psychological consequences on one’s well-being. The impacts of homelessness include feelings of isolation, spread of infectious disease, and health deterioration from exposure to cold and wet weather, and lack of safety and privacy especially for women. (…)