Victoria Cool Aid Society

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The Victoria Cool Aid Society, also known as "Cool Aid" is a charitable organization that provides shelter and other services to disadvantaged and homeless youth and adults. It was founded in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, in 1968 as an emergency hostel for transient youth. [1] [2]

Charitable organization non-profit organization with a charitable purpose

A charitable organization or charity is a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being.

Victoria, British Columbia Provincial capital city in British Columbia, Canada

Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 85,792, while the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria has a population of 367,770, making it the 15th most populous Canadian metropolitan area. Victoria is the 7th most densely populated city in Canada with 4,405.8 people per square kilometre, which is a greater population density than Toronto.

Canada Country in North America

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Canada's southern border with the United States is the world's longest bi-national land border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. As a whole, Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land area being dominated by forest and tundra. Consequently, its population is highly urbanized, with over 80 percent of its inhabitants concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, many near the southern border. Canada's climate varies widely across its vast area, ranging from arctic weather in the north, to hot summers in the southern regions, with four distinct seasons.

Contents

History

During April and May 1968, members of the Victoria Youth Council researched the extent and quality of helping facilities available to youth in the Greater Victoria area. For housing, the picture was “dismal”[ citation needed ] with the Salvation Army housing only men, and the YMCA housing women but charging $2.50 - $3.50 per night. For counseling, the outlook was even worse. This led to the idea of a hostel and an emergency-oriented, crisis intervention service, run by youth. Having obtained permission from a Vancouver group to use the name “Cool Aid,” the group began operations with a phone number and a single shelter. [3]

Greater Victoria Metropolitan area in British Columbia, Canada

Greater Victoria is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is a cultural rather than political entity, usually defined as the thirteen easternmost municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD) on Vancouver Island as well as some adjacent areas and nearby islands. The Capital Regional District administers some aspects of public administration for the whole metro region; other aspects are administered by the individual member municipalities of Greater Victoria. Roughly, Greater Victoria consists of all land and nearby islands east of a line drawn from the southern end of Finlayson Arm to the eastern shore of Sooke Harbour, along with some lands on the northern shore of Sooke Harbour.

YMCA worldwide organization

The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries from 120 national associations. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by Sir George Williams in London and aims to put Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy "body, mind, and spirit".

Between 1970 and 1976 Cool Aid evolved into a more serious and adult run organization operating a shelter and medical clinic. [4] In 1976 the organization was formally incorporated as the Victoria Cool Aid Society. Over the following years and decades Cool Aid has expanded its shelter facilities and increased the range of services to include medical and dental, counseling, employment and a community center which promotes healthy living. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Homeless shelter Service agency which provide temporary residence for homeless people

Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency which provide temporary residence for homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community. They are similar to, but distinguishable from, various types of emergency shelters, which are typically operated for specific circumstances and populations—fleeing natural disasters or abusive social circumstances. Extreme weather conditions create problems similar to disaster management scenarios, and are handled with warming centers, which typically operate for short durations during adverse weather.

See also

Homelessness in Canada

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Warming center

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References

  1. Valerie Green (2001). If These Walls Could Talk: Victoria's Houses from the Past. TouchWood Editions. pp. 44–. ISBN   978-0-920663-78-3 . Retrieved 6 July 2013. - He also worked with Cool-Aid, a society which has its origins in the Cool Aid Hostel established in 1968 to provide short-term emergency shelter for transient youth, and today offers a wide range ...
  2. New Zealand. Committee on Drug Dependency and Drug Abuse in New Zealand (1973). Drug dependency and drug abuse in New Zealand: second report. Board of Health. p. 197. Retrieved 6 July 2013. -Aid in Victoria and Oolagen in Toronto. Cool-Aid in Victoria was started by the Victoria Youth Council in 1968 to meet the needs of the young transients who flock to British Columbia in the summer.
  3. "Victoria Project Newsletter, February 17, 1969, page 1".
  4. ""Peace, Brother, It's Chow Time," Victoria Daily Times, July 26, 1971".
  5. "Judith Lavoie, "Cool Aid looking to move downtown," Times Colonist, August 11, 1988".
  6. "Judith Lavoie, "Cool Aid shares in $23-million rehab fund," Times Colonist, September 21, 1988".
  7. "Susan Danard, "Province kicks in for homeless shelter," Times Colonist, April 20, 1996".
  8. "Victoria Cool Aid touts plan to solve homelessness" . Retrieved 8 February 2014.

Further reading