Mayor Siemens was recently treated to an unforgettable view of Abbotsford as he watched our community hurdling towards him at 200 km/h. And it was all for a great cause.
On July 11 the Cyrus Centre youth shelter held their annual “Leap of Faith” skydiving fundraiser. The Mayor attended the event to show his support and appreciation by jumping out of a plane for the very first time. Councillor Sidhu also contributed by raising $10,000 for Cyrus Centre.
This year’s Leap was particularly significant, as it also marked 20 years of Cyrus Centre providing shelter, support and services to young people experiencing homelessness in our community.
In Abbotsford we’re proud of all of our dedicated service providers and community partners who work with us to combat homelessness and addiction in our city. These are complex issues that require a coordinated response from multiple agencies at multiple levels.
Homelessness and addiction can happen to someone at any stage of their life, including adolescence. In Abbotsford there aren’t many organizations that focus on youth, which is why we value our longstanding partnership with Cyrus Centre.
We know supporting youth experiencing homelessness before they become adults is an important preventative measure, and over the years we have helped Cyrus Centre access grants to fund their efforts.
Over the past two years alone, through the federal Reaching Home grant, the City has helped fund improvements to Cyrus Centre including furniture, appliances, lockers, showers, flooring and security. Cyrus Centre was also able to upgrade their supportive housing and emergency shelter and purchase a van to transport clients especially during the wintertime, and increased staff supports allowed Cyrus Centre to serve and house 184 and 109 youths, respectively.
Last year, thanks to the federally and provincially-funded Strengthening Communities’ Services grant, we implemented the SWIFT Program, a joint partnership between the City, AbbyPD, the Ministry of Children and Family Development and Cyrus Centre aimed at bringing three levels of service and response together to support at-risk youth. The team was able to help homeless youth move into housing, locate youth who had been reported missing and help youth into detox or substance-use treatment.
The City has also helped Cyrus Centre offer rent subsidies by tapping into the Municipal and Regional District Tax Online Accommodations Platform, a fund drawn from the taxes collected on short-term rentals that can go towards affordable housing initiatives.
Cyrus Centre has long been a vital partner in our efforts to fight homelessness and addiction in our community. We congratulate them on 20 years of service in Abbotsford and look forward to continuing working with them to ensure that our at-risk youth have a safe place to call home.
Abbotsford City Council