Success Stories

During the pandemic our Coordinator did a presentation for 100+ Women Who Care and the group of women voted to provide their donation of $9600 to the Care-a-van.

Recap of the Presentation

Good evening, I am Sabina Acheson. I started as a volunteer in 2015 and I am now the coordinator of Comox Bay Care Society which is a non profit philanthropist group made up of over 50 volunteer: nurses, doctors, pharmacists, audiologists, optometrist, denturist, harm reduction workers, advocates, social worker, occupational therapist, chiropractors and drivers. Behind the scenes are the board members, supply managers, cleaners and technical staff.

Our Mission is to provide innovative, safe and ethical health and social development services to people who are homeless or precariously housed in Comox Valley.

We engage in trusting relationships that improve consistency and continuity of care. Our Vision is to provide interventions that decrease stigma, address barriers to prevent homelessness, stabilise health, improve social connections while increasing access to the determinants of health through primary care, health promotion and public education.  Since 2009 we have served more than 2240 unique individuals  There has been 345% increase in people using our services within the last 5 years and the face of homelessness has changed and represents a diversity of demographics

 Overall there is a disproportionate representation of: Women, LGTBQ2S and Indigenous people

 In the last quarter of 2019 we saw 598 people of them only 22% reported a need for mental health and substance use services In the first 8 weeks of the Pandemic we saw new trends

1.) 33% of people reported mental health and substance use issues; equivalent to an 11% spike since Dec.- Many people with complex trauma were seen by our Mental Health Team

2.) There was a 300% Increase in uptake for access to harm reduction supplies and education

3.) 77% of all people were seen for both medical health care & social services

4.) We have seen a 15% increase in seniors

5.). A 20% increase of youth (70% of those were below the age of 24 and newly displaced)

6.) More recently we have seen a rise in men and women 30-55 newly laid off and requesting access to resources, anxiety management and short term crisis stabilization 63% of all people we have seen are precariously housed.

Success Story

Two years ago I met a woman in her mid 40’s she had been living rough for about a year & a half. She grew up in Comox Valley, lived in a basement suite in poor repair. She had sought help from the landlord as the plumbing was backing up into the basement. She said she ended up being “reno-victed” he said family was moving in but a month later someone else moved in. She went to arbitration he rebutted she had not paid the rent. As she had been living in a tent all of her documents had be come wet so she could not provide evidence- so she lost. She also lost her part time job as her focus turned to survival. She was severely underweight, with high blood pressure and high blood sugars. We provided her regular health monitoring, found her a doctor, subsidised optometry, dental and an upper denture. We gave her clothing, nutritional supplements, helped her to replace her ID and access income supports. We filled in housing applications and advocated for her. I saw her last week. She said “I guess I better start going to city counsel meeting to speak up for people like me, my health was out of wack, now I have gained weight and my diabetes is managed. I feel better.” “People are afraid of us, but they shouldn’t be, if we yell in the streets it is because we are not used to being heard, we are just trying to cope. With the help of Care-a-van I have learned to cope and supportive housing saved my life, helping people when they are at their worst is a show of humanity, I am so much better for it today”

Over the last 10 years operational funds for Care-a-van have been generated by people and organizations within Comox Valley. Coupled with the hundreds of hours donated professional skills we have been able to provide cost effective, simple and meaningful interventions that improve health and prevent homelessness.

We are grateful to accept a donation from 100+ Women Who Care-CV and we will transparently utilise the funds for:

 Delivery of Care-a-van mobile out reach

 Subsidised Dental/Denturist and Optometry programs

 BUS/taxi tickets to transport people to appointments and urgent care

 Short term access to medications

 Medical supplies and Equipment, basic necessities like food and clothing, sundries, hygiene supplies like: toiletries, shower/laundry passes

 Vehicle expenses for our mobile clinic When possible; Supplies and services will be sourced from local businesses

 We will publicly acknowledge the contribution of 100+ women Who Care on out website, through social media and a social distanced photo opportunity

 we will report back to you the outcomes of your contributions

I am grateful to represent Comox Bay Care Society Care-a-van and for your time tonight. Sabina Acheson RN, BScN, Care-a-van Coordinator.

Thank you 100+ Women Who Care. For more information about the group

https://www.100womenwhocarecomoxvalley.com/

DENTAL STORIES:

Workplace injury, early pension, no benefits. A 55-year-old man who just started on CPP pension had left his position as a heavy machine mechanic after suffering neurological damage from exposure to industrial toxins. Since then 2 of his front teeth had fallen out due to nerve damage. The first time he came to the Care-a-Van was at the food bank stop. Someone in the line told him he should talk to the nurses about the dental program. He was rather surprised to find that his pension was so low that he could barely maintain housing. After working so many years he had not expected that his dental benefits would not carry over when he left the workplace. He pursed his lips while he spoke reluctantly admitting that he was a bit embarrassed that he had not paid more attention to pension stuff, he truly thought he would work much longer and know more closer to 65. He noted he was very self conscious and felt ashamed to ask for help. He identified "I have always been the one to help people, fixing the cars of single mothers, helping people with loans for their utility bills, cutting the neighbors grass when they are away, volunteering at fundraiser, you name it." Being away from work had been a hard adjustment for him and wanted to teach or retrain at something different. He worried that even if he did, he wouldn't make it past the interview because of his smile. Care-a-van supported him with obtaining a bridge to repair the teeth. He has gone on to teaching in trades and community service.

Dental Stories:

Pain free/ working poor. A low income single, working mother of 4 children diligently brought her children in for care at Cumberland dental using the Healthy kids’ program. She was in excruciating pain and had been going to walk in clinics to get antibiotics for an abscessed tooth which she could not afford to get repaired. She saved up part of the money needed for a root canal, but could not collect enough to complete the procedure in a timely fashion. A private donor in the community provided funds to the Care-a-van specified for single working parents without dental benefit. She was able to get the work done right away. We work with community partners to support people who are homeless or low income to obtain dental services. We help people who are eligible to gain an income source through the Ministry to ensure they have access to basic annual or biannual benefits for dental service. Through generous donations from the public we have been able to provide people with access to urgent and emergent care in cases where they would otherwise not be able to obtain dental.

Cold weather has turned out focus to seeking donations of:Mens/Womens/Non-binary socks & gloves, winter clothing layers, sleeping bags & blankets. Call 250-331-1413 to coordinate pick up or drop off! Thank you!

Care-A-Van Nurses Mobilizing Change

Guest User May 1, 2014

Canadian Nurses Association, May 2014

Our Comox Valley community on Vancouver Island has a large number of homeless people, who live in very rough conditions out of doors, as well as many who are at high risk of being homeless. The community has limited resources for affordable housing and has large rural areas where those who are homeless might be staying. These people are an “invisible” part of the community living on the fringes of society. They are not glamorous. Nor do they benefit from any dedicated social programs. Actually, they face a lot of prejudice, including those related to mental health problems and addictions.