LOOKOUT HOUSING AND HEALTH SOCIETY
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Mission Statement
Lookout believes that everyone is entitled to appropriate housing that is safe and affordable. Our Mandate: "We are a ‘social safety-net’ that provides housing and a range of support services to adults with low or no income who have few if any, housing or support options. Because they have challenges in meeting needs and goals, we place minimal barriers between them and our services." Our Mission: “We respectfully provide caring non-judgmental, non-sectarian, flexible services. Through advocacy, support and minimal barriers we reduce harm to people who have a diversity of challenges. We assist them to regain and maintain stability and achieve a greater quality of life.” Our Vision is “To help transform the lives of people with few, if an, housing options. To go beyond traditional solutions to homelessness by fostering growth and change, providing innovative services and building collaborative partnerships.”
About This Cause
Lookout Housing and Health Society (Lookout) was founded in 1971 to meet the needs of a growing number of homeless adults in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Through innovative foresight and determination, Lookout services now extend to 16 municipalities across Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island, including shelters, supportive housing, sober living residences, outreach and a variety of health services that reach almost 3000 vulnerable individuals daily. Many of Lookout's housing and community services are available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Our purpose is to provide trauma-informed, non-judgmental, non-sectarian services to adults and seniors who cope with a wide variety of challenges including: housing supports, poverty, mental health, substance use, trauma, chronic illness (including HIV/Aids, Hep C), mobility challenges and legal issues. We offer innovative services in partnership with BC Housing, the local health authorities, municipalities, government agencies, the private sector and non-profit organizations. Since merging with Mood Disorders Association of BC (MDABC) in 2017, Lookout has increased its clinical care services for guests and tenants challenged with mental health or addictions, brain injuries, and guest-focused counselling and wellness programs. In 2021 Lookout added the Art Studios to its MDABC programs, offering an innovative program that uses art as a medium to address mental health challenges and build community. Lookout Housing and Health Society is a registered charity in good standing. Lookout is currently accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA). COA is designed to build industry best practices by streamlining service delivery and applying COA accreditation standards throughout all our programs. More information about COA can be found at http://coanet.org/standards/standards-for-canadian-organisations/. Lookout is known for its caring, integrated support services. Our expertise in working with vulnerable people with complex barriers to housing, health and support services puts us in an ideal situation to help people in the greatest need. This includes an over-representation of Indigenous peoples and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community who have faced historic and systemic challenges. Many of our programs are made possible by donations received from the community. This support helps us to develop programs that help people move toward better social integration, greater stability and improved wellness. Our life skills programs offered by peers lead to knowledge sharing with positive outcomes. Where gaps in the service model exist, Lookout and our community partners will make efforts to fill these gaps. This would not be possible without the support of foundations and the community at-large. Throughout Lookout’s portfolio, individuals who are ready to move forward have access to a broad spectrum of housing options and health supports. Lookout’s regional approach to housing expedites people in obtaining appropriate homes. Lookout prides itself on a positive flow of tenants through its housing continuum from outreach, to shelter, to transitional housing, to supportive housing and market housing when achievable.