Category: homeless
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Risebridge offers community support
We are so fortunate that Marnie Boers, a Director with Risebridge, made time to answer questions from PAN about their Fall 2025 operations. 1. Tell us about your drop-in times. Where are they, when are they, and what kind of support is provided to people who attend? Community drop-in times…
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News that surprised exactly ZERO frontline workers
By Sarah Pump, PAN Executive Director “Despite increased demand, access to basic needs services in Nanaimo has declined over the past decade,” says a report from staff at the City of Nanaimo. On May 12th, 2025, City of Nanaimo staff presented a report to the Governance and Priorities Committee about…
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I’m a Frontline Worker. Your Disrespect Is Loud and Clear.
Guest post from Marnie Boers. I am a registered emergency nurse with over 17 years of experience. I have spent years working on the frontlines of the toxic drug crisis here in Nanaimo. I have also volunteered and worked with Risebridge, a reasonably new non-profit that supports our city’s most…
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PAN Stands with Dr. Jess Wilder
By Sarah Pump, PAN Founder and Executive Director On January 22, Dr. Jess Wilder was placed on administrative leave from her physician lead positions in harm reduction and education, and addiction medicine at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. This leave was a punitive response to Dr. Wilder’s advocacy on behalf of…
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Why public libraries are not substitutes for warming centers: a librarian’s perspective
From Sarah Pump, PAN Executive Director Currently, there is only one funded daytime warming center for unhoused people in Nanaimo, the Drop-In Center located at 55 Victoria Road and run by Island Crisis Care Society. Their capacity is 20 people at a time. Estimates of the number of unhoused people…
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Funeral Resources for low-income people
Anyone in need is eligible for BC government support. They do not need to be on Income Assistance or Provincial Disability to receive this support. Also, if the decedent contributed to CPP for at least 10 years, their estate is eligible for the CPP death benefit of $2500. This is…
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Pets & BC Housing
By Sarah Pump, Executive Director Recently, PAN has been contacted for support by several families experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness. Some of these families have been on the wait list for subsidized housing through BC Housing for a long time and don’t understand why they haven’t received a placement. There…
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Lack of Funded Warming Spaces in Nanaimo is an Emergency
Yesterday, PAN was copied on an email written by a doctor on the front lines of our homelessness crisis in Nanaimo. She addressed any and all people in positions of authority in Nanaimo, pleading for warming centre support for our unhoused neighbours. Instead of sharing an excerpt, we decided to…
Poverty Advocacy Nanaimo 