SURREY (October 19, 2015) Organizations and individuals working to support Surrey’s homeless received a boost on October 15th when grants totaling $130,000 were presented to seven projects at the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society’s 7th Annual Awards and Grants Presentation Ceremony. The full-capacity crowd also celebrated the 2015 winners of the Heroes of the Homelessness Awards.
Judy Villeneuve, Chair of the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society said, “This is a gratifying evening where we celebrate the community for its collective contributions to helping our most vulnerable citizens. Working together, we are holding back the tide of homelessness and helping to lead the way home.”
2015 Heroes of the Homeless
Carolyn Colwell, Your City Sport
Carolyn was inspired to launch her buy-one-give-one custom sock company after volunteering at a homeless-serving event where socks were in short supply. For every pair of socks ordered, Your City Sports donates a second pair for those experiencing homelessness. Carolyn has distributed over 5000 pairs of socks in Surrey since January 2014.
Bruce Kehler & daughter Sharon, Ca
nex Building Supplies
Bruce has a long history of philanthropy and immediately saw where he could make a difference by helping children and vulnerable families in Surrey. Bruce has donated more than $200,000 into the community since June 2015.
B&B Contracting
B&B Contracting i
s providing a portion of their services in-kind to help Options Community Services in the site-preparation stage for the construction of a purpose-built shelter in Cloverdale. B&B is bringing fill to the site, to address the challenge of periodic flooding.
Grant Recipients
Councilor Judy Villeneuve and Councilor Vera LeFranc presented cheques totaling over $130,000 to seven grant recipients at the packed awards event last night. Projects range from helping individuals secure housing, providing support services to those experiencing homelessness, and capacity building to help organizations better respond to those experiencing homelessness.
Projects eligible for funding must meet the Society’s funding criteria and those chosen best demonstrate they will address the housing and/or service needs of the most vulnerable of Surrey citizens – those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
| Organization | Project | Grant Awarded |
| Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver | Women’s Drop-In Centre Outreach | $20,000 |
| Options Community Services | Mobile Housing Registry and Homelessness Prevention Van | $20,000 |
| Pacific Community Resources Society | Youth Outreach Housing Transition Worker | $25, 000 |
| Realistic Success Recovery Society | Life Skills program washer/dryer sets for three Trilogy houses | $20,000 |
| Realistic Success Recovery Society | The Next Step – Relapse Recovery Prevention Workshops | $5500 |
| Social Planning Research Council of BC | Moving Forward Together: A Strategy to End Homelessness in Metro Vancouver | $30,000 |
| Surrey Homelessness & Housing Task Force | Capacity Building Program | $16,000 |
About the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society
The Society has a vision that everyone in Surrey has a home. The Society raises, manages and distributes funds to support programs, projects and initiatives to make a difference in the lives of peoples who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness in Surrey. Since inception, we have contributed over $2.5M to capital projects and programs that support our homeless and at-risk residents in Surrey.