Vancouver group asks UN (rather than local government) to help homeless Canadians The Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) met with United Nations representative Miloon Kothari this week and appealed to the UN to intervene on behalf of homeless people in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. via [more inside]
posted by KokuRyu on Oct 18, 2007 - 43 comments

This morning in Vancouver, volunteers handed out hundreds of disposable cameras, available free to any low-income resident of the city's Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighbourhood. Pictures in the returned cameras will be entered in this year's "Hope in Shadows" competition, with winners getting prizes and one of 12 spots in next year's calendar. (It will be sold by specially-trained low-income folks, who keep half their profits.) Run by Pivot, a local legal activism group, "Hope in Shadows" is a succesful and "innovative empowerment through art" project and a chance for the residents of the DTES to define their community -- one most often defined by its poverty, addictions, violence and disease.
Previous winners: 2004, 2005 [1] [2], 2006
posted by docgonzo on Jun 9, 2007 - 13 comments

For Christmas Briony would like: a sketch book, pencil crayons and 2 new rodent cages for her pet rats. A lot of people give to charities or directly to a homeless person during this time of year in the hopes that their money will be put to good use. But what do the homeless really need? Jennie and Dan Keeran found out, put the answers up on the web and are now asking for people to donate. I think it's an awesome idea.
posted by concreteforest on Dec 15, 2005 - 15 comments