First-ever Calgary Pop-Up Care Village helps the homeless
Maria Derman sleeps at the Mustard Seed Shelter.
Tuesday afternoon, she was at Olympic Plaza attending the first-ever Calgary Pop-Up Care Village (C-PUCV), where she was getting her nails done by students from MC College.
If you met her on the street, you’d be hard-pressed to know Derman was homeless.
“Because I don't dress like it. I dress the way I dress. People come up to me, ‘Can you help me with some spare change?’ I go, 'You know what? I'm homeless, too.' (They say), 'Oh, I'm sorry.' No, no, don't be sorry. This is how it is,” said Derman.
“I did have housing, but when they put up your rent, what are you going to pay? Are you going to pay your rent, or are you going to buy food?"
Derman is one of hundreds of unhoused Calgarians attending C-PUCV, which offered help for those affected by homelessness and addiction, and offered immediate access to basic services ranging from health care to haircuts.
Maria Derman was at Olympic Plaza attending the first ever Calgary Pop-Up Care Village, where she was getting her nails done by students from MC College.
C-PUCV is modelled after LavaMae’s Pop-Up Care Village in the San Francisco Bay Area.
More than simply an information fair, the event is designed to be a festival including activities and entertainment.
Bill Zheng, a first-year nursing student at the University of Calgary, co-ordinated C-PUCV for BeTheChangeYYC.
He says they hope to bridge the gap between unhoused Calgarians and the wider community.
“They don't just want food, they don't just want shelter. They're also human beings who want other stuff that we also enjoy,” said Zheng.
“We're coming to the same level, and we're communicating on the same spectrum. We can be like, 'Hey, how's it going? Do you need anything? We'll get you the stuff that you need. And you are essentially a guest here.'”
If you met her on the street, you’d be hard-pressed to know Maria Derman was homeless.
Daniel Doucet sleeps under a bridge on the outskirts of downtown.
He picked up some free pizza, loaded his backpack with a few water bottles and some sunscreen, then spent time getting advice from Safeworks and 811 staff.
He says events like C-PUCV are important because they show that Calgarians actually see the homeless population as real people.
“Well, I think sometimes people are afraid because there's a stigma attached to a lot of homeless. You know, we're viewed in certain ways and some of us are there because of circumstance of life," said Doucet.
“When I'm panhandling, the most important thing is not always getting money, it’s people actually looking and smiling. That makes the world, you know, that acknowledgment.”
Diana Campbell and Jen Howarth of Hearts for Humanity.
Most days, the team from the tiny charity Hearts for Humanity hand out food and clothing to men and women sleeping rough outside the downtown core.
Tuesday, they were at C-PUCV distributing food, toiletries and harm-reduction devices like naloxone kits.
Diana Campbell, one of the team's organizers, says an event like C-PUCV was long overdue.
“I think we should do it more often, because I feel like there's such a need. (Unhoused Calgarians) need to know what's out there, what resources we have and who's out there helping," said Campbell.
"Homelessness is getting worse, and we definitely need more people to be helping us in different ways.
“These people are all humans, and they want to feel good about themselves. Sometimes we have really nice clothes like suits and dresses, and they take them and they feel good. It's important. It's about the humanity.”
Organizers of C-PUCV say the event was so successful, they're already planning a second one to be held in 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Thieves use stolen forklift to rip cash machine out of U.K. bank
Police in the U.K. are searching for a group of suspects seen on video using a forklift to steal a cash machine from a bank.
'There was a lot of black smoke': Crane operator sounds alarm while trapped during highrise fire in Halifax
A tower crane operator alerted emergency crews after noticing a fire on a construction site in Halifax Tuesday morning.