Our Community Priorities:
Protect Culturally Appropriate Services
Rooted in the value of tikkun olam, or repairing the world, Jewish non-profits in British Columbia provide much-needed support to community members and broader society.
However, the need remains high, with one-in-six Jewish children living in poverty, and since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, 61 percent of community members report struggling with mental health.
Recommendations:
- Provide stable funding for organizations providing mental health support for groups that face barriers to accessing broader services.
- Recognize the importance of culturally appropriate food security programs by supporting the infrastructure and human capacity of food banks that serve racialized, ethnocultural, and religious communities.
- Empower the housing non-profit sector to create affordable rental homes for people, including families, seniors, and persons with disabilities, by reopening the Community Housing Fund and restoring aging rental stock by providing capital renewal funding.
- Lower costs and explore innovative solutions for at-home care, helping seniors age in place, and expanding investment in long-term care.
Questions for candidates:
- How will you ensure that British Columbians from diverse racialized, ethnocultural, and religious communities can access culturally appropriate mental health services when they need them?
- What will you do to strengthen the capacity of culturally appropriate food banks that are seeing an increased demand for services while facing budgetary pressures
- What will you do to help non-profit housing providers build new affordable homes and preserve existing affordable housing for families, seniors, and people with disabilities?
- How will you make it easier and more affordable for seniors to receive care at home and age in place, while also ensuring sufficient long-term care is available for those who need it?