Rally in Van

olympic clock

What: End Homelessness Countdown: Sleep Out & Picture at the Olympic Clock (IV) When: 2:45 - 3:15pm, Sunday, February 10, 2008 Where: Around the Olympic Clock, North Side of the Art Gallery (750 Hornby)

Thanks to all who have participated before, we need you again!

Please join us in solidarity for this peaceful critical mass meant to bear witness to the reality of increasing homelessness in the face of the coming Olympic games.

Please come early, bring a blanket, invite your friends. Pictures will be promptly at 3:00pm. Come on out and lie down for a few minutes in this act of making visible, injustice and exclusion in our city.

We want to fill the square with hundreds of people, and take another picture, to show our elected officials in the 3 levels of government, and the Vancouver Olympic committee that we are holding them accountable to their promise of leaving a “legacy of social housing” in the wake of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

It will be the 2 year countdown to the 2010 Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver on February 12th, 2008, but we want to highligh a more important countdown. The Olympic clock has been re-christened a countdown to end homelessness clock. What are we doing to end homelessness?

We want to continue to spotlight the issue of homelessness and lack of affordable and supportive housing. While we acknowledge that steps are being made to address these issues, there are still many problems (ie. the Federal Government needing a big push to get on board with housing) and have also been many steps back (ie. failure to protect current affordable housing stock).

We want to continue to hold the 3 levels of government accountable to providing and maintaining the necessary structures (around income, housing and support) for the homeless to have homes, and also highlight what is being done in our communities to end homelessness.