Message from Jonathan Meadows, President, Board of Directors and Karen O’Shannacery, Executive Director
January 4, 2011

On the Anniversary of Lookout’s first opening

The 60’s/70’s were the times of significant social justice movements and desire for change.

Google the internet for January 1971 and one can discover that:

• Vietnam War was becoming increasingly unpopular
• Idi Amin took the Ugandan presidency after coup
• George Harrison released My Sweet Lord
• Charles Manson and family were found guilty 
• Apollo 14 lifted off for the 3rd lunar landing
• All in the Family premiered on CBS
• Coco Chanel died
• Fiddler on the Roof was the #1 movie
• Greenpeace began in Kitsilano
• Trudeau attended Commonwealth Conference in Singapore
• 200 poor people marched on Vancouver’s City Hall

Less easily found is the fact that a small overnight hostel opened on January 4, 1971 and Lookout was officially born – formed by a small group of idealistic and energetic young people intent on helping homeless people who had no housing options find a warm place to sleep. 

Skid Row (as Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside was then known) was home to mostly older men, many of whom worked in the resource industries (e.g. mining, logging); many locals were chronic alcoholics and heroin addicts.  The homeless by and large went unserved, and though not frequent, it was not unusual for people to die in the streets.  There was also a growing number of homeless because SRO hotels were closing or lost to fires that decimated the unsprinklered roominghouses that were the largest source of affordable housing in the province.  Many of the old buildings had been poorly maintained and were easily lost to the 1960’s large scale urban renewal projects such as RayCam.   

Lookout began with a Federal Government grant under a youth initiative program to establish a 3-bed night-time only shelter located at the Patricia Hotel, with street patrols on the lookout for shelterless folk.  The average age of the homeless served was 65.  It was quickly learned that in addition to needing help to locate accommodation, most required aid in sorting out their problems, accessing services, financial assistance and/or treatment.  Rapidly services were extended to 24 hours.   At the time it was believed that this work would be a temporary band-aid and that permanent housing solutions for the community would be forthcoming.  Forty years later and Lookout is still waiting for a National Housing Strategy and the right for everyone to have a home.  But as in 1971, Lookout seized opportunities to create solutions for people who had been disenfranchised.

Today Lookout provides emergency shelter, outreach services, transitional and permanent supportive housing  at 16 different sites in four municipalities – Downtown and Central Vancouver, North Shore, Burnaby and New Westminster.   Lookout operates 4 emergency shelters with 181 permanent beds as well as two extreme weather shelters on the coldest winter nights:  North Shore with 20 mats and Burnaby with 27 mats.  168 units of transitional housing are provided in 6 buildings with another 458 units of permanent housing in 12 sites.  Soon to be added is First Place which will be the largest of our buildings with 129 units when current construction is complete.  In addition to shelter and housing Lookout operates the LivingRoom Drop In, an activity centre for DTES residents living with mental illness, with 2,274 members.  Lookout’s Outreach reached 2,483 individuals in 4 communities last year alone and is returning to using patrols that were so needed to bridge people to shelter and housing in 1971. 

It’s a long way from 1971 but despite the massive growth, Lookout’s idealism and mandate remains the same - to be the “safety net” which provides minimal barrier housing and a range of services to destitute and low income adult men and women who have few, if any, housing options and who demonstrate an inability to meet their own needs.

During this fortieth year, we intend to celebrate – recognizing the staff – both current and past – that have made Lookout so successful at meeting people’s needs and being on the cutting edge of services to marginalized people.  We acknowledge our many friends and colleagues who through the years, working in partnership, have helped Lookout evolve and contribute to Lookout providing excellent services.  We will celebrate with the people who rely on us for services and housing.  We will use the opportunity to educate people about the issues of the homeless and solutions and, of equal importance, we intend to look within to recognize and reaffirm the values and goals that underlie our common purpose and mandate.

Congratulations Lookout!