Events

Communities across Metro Vancouver are recognizing Homelessness Action Week from October 7 to 13, 2018.

Sources Housing Support Services is organizing the 13th Annual Homelessness Awareness March on October 12 at Sources Newton Resource Centre (#102 – 13771 72A Avenue. Surrey) from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to raise public awareness and rally local solutions for the widespread issue of homelessness. Registration opens at 10:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate.

After opening the event, there will be brief updates on the progress and the state of homelessness in Surrey, before heading out on a 45-minute walk around Newton. Coffee will be provided prior to the March and a light lunch will be served afterwards. There will also be door prizes.

New this year: “House of Cans” building competition

After twelve years of hosting the Homelessness Awareness March, we have decided to introduce a new activity: “House of Cans.” Ten teams will collect dry food goods, which will be the “building materials” for constructing a “house.”

Want to participate in our friendly “House of Cans” competition?

1. 1. Register: Participants will register their team by contacting Susan Sellick or Jay Blaschuk (details below).  Creative team names are encouraged! Maximum 4 builders per team. An additional 2 “food delivery” and cheering members will be permitted. You may get an extra team member if someone with lived experience of homelessness volunteers at the event to participate. 
   2. Challenge: Another agency or group to build!
   3. Plan your Design: Each team will build a “house” from donated food items (dry goods only). The spot to build the “house” is 8×10 feet and cannot exceed 6 feet in height. Permitted additional non-food building materials are limited to:
      – Up to a maximum measure of 32′ of lumber (1×4 or 2×4 only)
      – Up to a maximum measure of 32 sq. ft. of plywood (equivalent to 8×4 – but can be in pieces)
      – Up to 24 zap straps (maximum 12 inches in length). No nails or screws permitted
      – Up to a maximum of 32 sq. ft. of corrugated plastic
   4. Collect: From when you register your team until October 11, 2018, we are asking teams to collect canned and dry food donations (their “building materials”) at their locations.
   5. Build: On October 12, we ask teams to bring their “building materials” (food donations) to the Homelessness Awareness March location (Sources Newton Resource Centre) between 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Building cannot start before 9:30 a.m. and ceases at 11 a.m. No “pre-fabed” structures are permitted.
   6. Housing Crisis: This is where things get interesting. Each team is permitted to inflict on another team during the building period a “housing crisis”  for $20.00 per incident (to be donated to Sources Housing Support Services programs). This will allow the donating team to have a timed 30-second period to go onto another team’s construction site and create a “housing crisis” (e.g. dismantle/remove part of the other team’s building, without damaging the building materials/denting the cans or food items). Why might you want to do this? To win, of course!
   7. Winning: After the building time has expired, the structures will be judged in the following categories:
      A) Aesthetic: The nicest looking structure (most complete, colour coordinated, aesthetically pleasing)
      B) Uniqueness of Design: Is it a castle? A gingerbread house? The Sistine Chapel? And which would win?
      C) Honourable Mention: Something about it has us talking (open to interpretation)! It could be best recovery from a housing crisis!

All food donations will go to the Sources and Surrey Food Banks. All “housing crisis” cash donations will go to Sources Housing Support Services Programs.

For more information or to register to participate, please contact:

We are looking forward to helping people and building awareness in our community of homelessness.

We hope you are able to join us.