New Downtown Eastside building offering shelter, housing, meals, recovery, and education officially opens April 18, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Downtown Eastside building offering shelter, housing, meals, recovery, and education officially opens April 18, 2011

April 13, 2011—Monday, April 18, marks the official opening of Union Gospel Mission (UGM)’s $29 million, 70,000 square-foot, multipurpose facility equipped to provide a continuum of care for those entrenched in homelessness, addiction, and poverty on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). Located at East Hastings and Princess, this new shelter and supportive housing development is the largest expansion in UGM history.

Provincial and municipal governments, community partners, and donors will join to celebrate the opening of this facility which will provide 72 shelter beds, 37 affordable housing units, extended meal capacity and a live-in drug and alcohol recovery program that can now accommodate nearly twice as many participants. In total, UGM will now be able to offer 183 beds to those on the DTES—100 more than the previous facility. Additionally, UGM will expand its education and employment training which includes an updated and expanded computer lab, additional classrooms and a resource centre.

An already noticeable improvement afforded by this building is the expanded drop-in which is now open eleven hours a day, instead of two.

“We just moved the drop-in portion of UGM’s services to the new building, and already the results have been amazing,” says Bill Mollard, UGM President. “The atmosphere is spacious, peaceful and dignified, and it’s no surprise that our guests themselves seem calmer and more positive. Many of them have just been so grateful for this space—their space.”

In honour of those who were significant building contributors, and as a demonstration of their love and concern for those in our community, a one-of-a-kind mural will be unveiled, the materials for which were all selected with the DTES in mind. The instillation is built solely from recycled glass and steel, as well as reclaimed pinebeetle wood. It was purchased from and installed exclusively by DTES merchants.

“I’ve always been amazed at the work that went on in the Cordova building,” says Carl Martin, a 2010 graduate of UGM’s Alcohol and Drug Recovery Program, “but space at the Mission has always been a challenge. With the new building, the programs can expand, which will not only change lives, it will save them. It took me 10 years of coming to UGM, totally entrenched in my addiction before I could consider getting out. But the second I was ready, UGM was there for me. I don’t want one more person out on the streets to miss that chance.” Carl now works at UGM as a material handler, but hopes to soon be employed as a member of the UGM outreach team.

Union Gospel Mission has been reaching hungry, hurting and homeless men, women, youth and children for nearly 70 years. Through its 8 locations in Metro Vancouver and the City of Mission, UGM provides counselling, education, safe housing, and alcohol and drug recovery to those struggling with poverty, homelessness and addiction. The heart of the mission is to demonstrate God’s transforming love, ease the burden of the most vulnerable, rebuild the lives of the broken and offer dignity to those who feel cast aside. UGM is a proud member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. For more information visit www.ugm.ca

-30-

Event Details

10:00- 10:30am	Guests check in at the Guest Table located in the main lobby of the new building, 601 East Hastings
10:30 – 11:10am	Short program
11:10 am	Photo opportunity for media
11:30 am	Official ceremony concludes
11:30- 12:30 am	Tour of facility & refreshment served

Contact:

Keela Keeping

Senior Public Relations Specialist

Cell: (604) 996-1417

Work: (604) 215-5445 ext. 359

Email: kkeeping@ugm.ca

*Please watch for the Provincial News Release with further details on this event to be released on Monday, April 18, 2011.

Backgrounder

601 East Hastings

Union Gospel Mission’s new six-story facility is located at 601 East Hasting in Vancouver. It provides a drop-in centre, a commercial kitchen, a dining room, training rooms and a meeting room. The building is designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards.

New Building Specifics

· 100 additional beds—an expansion from 83 to 183 beds

o 72 shelter beds (an expansion from 45)

o 64 alcohol & drug recover suits (an expansion from 38)

o 10 new dedicated beds for detox

o 37 new independent abstinence-based housing suites

· An increase to 335,000 meals provided per year (previously 240,215)

· Expanded drop-in hours of operation:

o 6:00 am to 9:00 pm (11 hours a day; 7 days a week)

o Up from 6:30 am – 8:30 am (2 hours a day)

· Increased capacity for programs that will create a 24 hour a day, 365 day a year community facility.

Alcohol and Drug Recovery

· Until now, UGM has only had the capacity to take less than one-third of all applicants for its alcohol and drug recovery program–only 115 of the 406 applicants could be accepted last year. Now the intake number can almost double.

· Of those who graduate from the program, 75% of are clean and sober one year later.

· Those who remain in one of UGM’s abstinence-based, long-term housing facilities are 76% more likely to remain clean and sober.

UGM’s Unique Mural

In honour of UGM’s donors who contributed $10,000 or more to the building project, a special instillation has been constructed in the new kitchen.

Notable items:

· The loaves and fishes are from the Bible story in Mark 6:39-42, reflecting UGM’s belief that a meal is best shared among community. It serves as UGM’s pledge to the community to always be that provider when called upon.

· The materials for the blue fish, which represent specific donors, are a respectful acknowledgement of the shimmering Coast Salish waters to our North.

· The red fish are recognition of the rich traditions found to our west, in our Chinatown neighbours.

· The green fish are for the grass at Oppenheimer Park, long held as the cultural heartbeat and centre of the DTES.

· The metal and wood elements were inspired by the rails and port of Vancouver, which brought trade and prosperity to this neighbourhood and allowed it to flourish.

· This mural was crafted as such to also recognize the vibrant artistic community of Strathcona to our south.

· The mural was built solely from recycled glass and steel, as well as reclaimed pinebeetle wood and purchased from and installed exclusively by Downtown Eastside merchants.