Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Dawn to Dawn society, which helps the homeless, is hiring a part-time coordinator for its CARE-A-VAn project.

The CARE-A-VAN is a mobile health care clinic initiative of Dawn to Dawn providing accessible low barrier and welcoming services to homeless people and those at risk – people who can’t or typically won’t go to fixed-site clinics.

Helen Boyd, a Dawn to Dawn board member and originator of the Care-A-Van program, will be stepping down from her position on the board to take the contract position. The position is one quarter time covering about 10 hours per week.

“Helen was the creator, inspiration, and driving force behind the Care-A-Van project, and has built up a volunteer group of 22 medical professionals and drivers that keep the van on the road three days a week providing medical attention to those in need,” said Diane Collins, Dawn to Dawn chair.

“The job of coordinator has simply become too much to expect a volunteer to handle, so we decided to create this contract position and will be seeking future funding to support an even more fully funded position” she added.

Collins noted that the contract will cover about half of the time Boyd typically puts in and she will continue to volunteer the rest.

The quartet time position pays $18,500 per year reflecting the requirement that the Coordinator be an experienced RN.

Under the terms of the contract, Boyd will have to cover all expenses related to the coordination, management, and future development of the Care-A-Van program.

Dawn to Dawn: Action on Homelessness Society is a registered non-profit charitable society in the Comox Valley.

The organization believes that each person in the Valley should have access to an array of coordinated health, housing and occupancy support services. It is the society’s adopted mandate to create housing and service options for the homeless which maximize their self-sufficiency and quality of life.

Dawn to Dawn presently provides housing for 14 persons who were homeless or at immediate risk of becoming homeless and runs the CARE-A-VAN project.

For more information on Dawn to Dawn and the Care-A-Van program, visit www.dawntodawn.org.
© Comox Valley Echo 2010