The clients who stay at St. James Community Service Society’s Powell Place Shelter in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside have one thing in common. They are all cared for by staff who is genuinely concerned about them. Rhonda Peters supervises those staff.

“Having a compassionate environment makes a big difference to how well the women we work with do,” said Rhonda. “One of the main things we work with them on is finding housing. Some request to go to treatment or detox; others stay for a couple of weeks before moving on. We work with them to find the appropriate place to live based on their lifestyle needs, rather than just a place to stay. We stay in touch once they find housing in case they need help. This means they have supports they may need to stay housed. ”

Beyond needing a decent and safe place to live, many of the shelter’s clients have addictions and/or mental health issues. St. James’ staff connect them with support services within their community, and listen to their concerns about some of the challenges they are facing. They will accompany them to appointments if needed. “A big part of our work is to show the women that they deserve to be cared for,” said Rhonda. “Their feelings about living on the streets and addictions can make them feel they are not worthy. We try to create an environment that builds their esteem. That helps them realize the benefits to eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, wearing warm clothes in the winter… showing them they deserve to take care of themselves, as well as to be taken care of.”

There are 26 beds at Powell Place – and they are always full. “There’s usually about five minutes between the time someone leaves and a new client arrives,” said Rhonda. The recent opening of The Umbrella at 625 Powell Street., another shelter operated by St. James, added an additional 26 beds that are available to homeless women in the Downtown Eastside.

The effect of being funded to be open 24 hours a day and to offer support services has been “amazing” in Rhonda’s eyes. “We’ve seen huge increases in the number of women who stay housed. The standards of the single room occupancy hotels have also improved with BC Housing’s purchase of so many of them. The women we place there now feel they are moving on to a better place.”