Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Burnout, despair facing workers on front lines of poverty and homelessness in Canada

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Oct, 2023 10:58 AM
  • Burnout, despair facing workers on front lines of poverty and homelessness in Canada

Those who work with people facing homelessness and food shortages say employees are carrying a massive emotional burden as demand for services soars beyond what their organizations can provide.

Warren Maddox, executive director at Fredericton Homeless Shelters, in New Brunswick, says staff are witnessing more desperation, more violence and more people in extreme states of crisis.

He says demand from staff on the organization's in-house mental health counsellor has increased and that it's harder to help employees see past what he described as "an unending chain of misery."

Tasha Lackman, executive director at the Depot Community Food Centre, in Montreal, says her group is being forced to make gut-wrenching decisions, including to reduce the amount of food clients get in their baskets. 

She says demand at the food bank is on track to nearly double this year compared to last year, and that staff are working harder but seeing their efforts have less of an impact.

Lackman says it's unconscionable that charities are forced to bear the brunt of what she calls a "massive systemic social crisis."

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Canada signs $3-billion deal to finance nuclear power in Romania

Canada signs $3-billion deal to finance nuclear power in Romania
Canada is helping to finance two new nuclear reactors in Romania, which that country's energy minister says will help diminish Russia's ability to use its energy exports as a weapon. Canadian Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson signed the $3-billion deal with his Romanian counterpart, Sebastian Burduja, in Ottawa today.  

Canada signs $3-billion deal to finance nuclear power in Romania

Sikh community 'reeling' on news of India interference in death: B.C.'s AG says

Sikh community 'reeling' on news of India interference in death: B.C.'s AG says
British Columbia's attorney general says the community is reeling over news that the Canadian government is investigating a link between the shooting death of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the government of India, although insiders say it's not a surprise.  Niki Sharma says the link is shocking and every B.C. resident has the freedom to express their political views without the threat of violence and harm. 

Sikh community 'reeling' on news of India interference in death: B.C.'s AG says

15 charged in PNE riots

15 charged in PNE riots
Vancouver police say 15 people have been charged with mischief for riot-like violence when a headline performer suddenly pulled out of a music festival at the P-N-E last summer. Police say the resulting mayhem and property destruction caused an estimated 300-thousand dollars damage at the P-N-E amphitheatre and in the surrounding neighbourhood.

15 charged in PNE riots

Ukraine President Zelenskyy to visit Canada this week: sources

Ukraine President Zelenskyy to visit Canada this week: sources
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to visit Canada this week after stops at the United Nations and the White House. This would be Zelenskyy's first trip to Canada since Russia began its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, although the leader delivered a virtual address to Parliament the next month.  

Ukraine President Zelenskyy to visit Canada this week: sources

B.C. Sikhs ask for protection after Trudeau links Nijjar killing to India

B.C. Sikhs ask for protection after Trudeau links Nijjar killing to India
Trudeau's announcement is spurring calls from B.C.'s Sikh community to better protect its members. British Columbia Premier David Eby is also among those expressing concern. He said Monday he had received a briefing from Canada's spy agency about the "assassination" of Nijjar and was "deeply disturbed" by what he was told.

B.C. Sikhs ask for protection after Trudeau links Nijjar killing to India

B.C. launches 'one-stop shop' for provincial permits needed to build homes

B.C. launches 'one-stop shop' for provincial permits needed to build homes
British Columbia's government is aiming to speed up the construction of new homes and secondary suites by releasing new guides and programs to help streamline the process. Premier David Eby says the new Single Housing Application Service, first promised in January, gives builders a clear understanding of the provincial permits needed to build a house so they don't have to navigate the "maze of the provincial government" on their own. 

B.C. launches 'one-stop shop' for provincial permits needed to build homes