Pubdate: Fri, 02 Sep 2005
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Province
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Susan Lazaruk

DROP-IN CENTRE TO OPEN FOR STREET KIDS

A Place To Have A Meal, A Shower, Drug Counselling

Street kids in Vancouver are geting a new 24-hour-a-day drop-in centre 
where they can get a meal, a shower, addictions counselling and help 
finding a job or a home.

The new centre, in an old radio station building on Burrard across from St. 
Paul's Hospital, will open in November.

MLA Lorne Mayencourt led a media tour of the under-construction centre 
yesterday.

Run by Family Services of Greater Vancouver and funded by three levels of 
government, it cost about $1 million to build and has an operating budget 
of about $2 million.

The centre replaces two facilities now run by Family Services: the Dusk to 
Dawn drop-in centre at St. Paul's and the daytime resource centre at 1065 
Seymour St., said Teri Nicholas of Family Services.

Area residents were opposed to kids hanging around the building, so there 
will be an indoor smoking room to discourage loitering outside.

Counsellors will be able to refer youths to Family Services detox or 
treatment. "They can come in if they're high" on drugs or alcohol, but drug 
use won't be allowed on the property, Nicholas said.

Mayencourt said the centre was located in the area of the downtown that he 
calls south Vancouver instead of the downtown eastside because "kids are 
afraid to go down there," he said.

The centre is not a shelter but director Renata Aebi said there is a need 
for more shelter beds.

The centre is the first of four planned, one in each sector of Vancouver, 
Mayencourt said.
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman