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Community-based Employment Services will be offering individualized support for people facing challenges to help them take steps to get a job.

Photo by Jaana Björk

Government taking action to help people out of poverty

By The Canadian Press

Published 11:31 PDT, Thu July 25, 2024

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People facing complex barriers will have better access to employment opportunities with the launch of wraparound services that support the most vulnerable on their path to employment readiness.

Community-based Employment Services (CBES) will offer individualized support for people facing challenges, such as unstable housing, health, mental health and substance use, to help them gain stability, confidence and take steps to get a job.

“People say they feel better, and are better off, when they have a job and community connections, so we are reducing barriers for those who can work while continuing to support those who cannot,” said Sheila Malcolmson, minister of social development and Poverty Reduction. “This new employment program, part of today’s new poverty reduction strategy, will support people getting back to work so they can build a better life.”

With support from the Canada-B.C. Labour Market Development Agreement, the province is investing almost $4 million into Community-based Employment Services for the next three years. Beacon Community Services will deliver the pilot program in Victoria and by August 2024 other providers will be selected to offer CBES in Vancouver (Downtown Eastside), Surrey, Prince George and Nanaimo.

“Research shows that there is a direct relationship between people working and their overall health and well-being, whether they are housed or unhoused, dealing with substance-use issues, or not,” said Tricia Gueulette, chief executive officer, Beacon Community Services. “Our goal is to provide a safe place for people dealing with complex barriers to come and experience a sense of respect, dignity and community, while receiving community-based employment support.”

The program recognizes that some people face complex barriers to employment and offers tailored and flexible supports to help people stabilize and connect to the services they need while working on volunteer projects or participating in training as they build employment readiness. All services will be delivered in trauma-informed and culturally safe ways.

“When I found myself and my three children in a position of struggle, I discovered the supports within WorkBC and Beacon,” said Melissa Hoffmann, a mother from Sidney who used Beacon’s services. “I was offered access to funded schooling, food and child care. This allowed me to follow my passion, graduate as an early-childhood educator and have a fresh start. I humbly acknowledge the hard work I put in to make this happen, but without these programs, I would not be in the position I am today. These new services can help people with even more complex challenges.”

The new CBES services will meet people where they are on their path toward employment and support the goals of British Columbia’s 2024 Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The new strategy lays out cross-government work to create a province where everyday necessities, such as food, housing, health care and transportation are accessible and affordable for everyone, and every person has access to opportunities such as skills training and employment services. It incorporates feedback from more than 10,000 people, 70 per cent of them with lived experience of poverty, gathered during B.C.’s public consultation in 2023.

The strategy brings together initiatives to help people with the rising cost of living, deliver more homes people can afford, make child care more accessible, improve wages and help people get and keep employment.

Besides CBES, WorkBC centres will continue to provide a wide range of employment services, including assistive technology to support people with disabilities, while specialized training will be offered for people who are under-represented in the workforce.