Lift Community Services is celebrating 40 years of service in the qathet region.
The organization was founded by a group of three local women who wanted to increase work opportunities for women, said Kim Markel, director of programs for Lift. The organization was known as Powell River Employment Program (PREP) Society, growing out of Work Opportunities for Women.
Markel said they expanded into employment supports such as gender equity, workshops on mental health supports, parenting groups, and more.
“One of the interesting things I found out is that PREP was responsible for creating the first recycling program in the community, in 1991,” said Markel.
Eventually, qathet Regional District took over this function.
Jessica Colasanto, Lift community support programs manager, said within three years, the employment services program expanded to be open to everyone and that’s when the name was switched to CareerLink, which moved into the space that program now occupies on Marine Avenue close to the Westview Ferry Terminal. The program is now known as WorkBC, contracted through the provincial government.
“That is a substantial one that we have renewed over the years,” said Colasanto. “The original staff back in the 1980s realized they were actually really good at writing grants and getting government money to pull into the community to create employment opportunities.
“That expanded into other opportunities such as the Inland Lake Trail. PREP originally got the funding for it and then worked with the Model Community Project to implement the project.”
Colasanto said the organization worked on other projects, such as Hens in the Hood. She said in 2011, PREP received funding to undertake the project, getting permission from city council to have 10 pilot sites in town to raise chickens. In 2013, the city bylaw was changed so people could actually raise a number of chickens within city limits, she added.
The organization was also forward-thinking. Colasanto said in 1984, PREP wanted to be involved in low-income housing, which it didn’t get until 2019, “but we got there.”
Extensive programming
Markel said Lift is often mindful that community members don’t always have a robust awareness of the extent of the programs Lift currently offers.
“We are offering about 15 different programs in the community, including employment services, immigrant or newcomer services, family support services, literacy outreach, food security, the Community Resource Centre, shelter and housing options, different health programs like our eye clinic or complex care homes, and our social enterprise coffee shop in the library,” said Markel.
Recovery from substance use is also an important spectrum of work that Lift undertakes. Colasanto said the organization is trying to fill in gaps to help keep people alive before they can access a bed in a recovery centre.
Markel said the iOAT clinic for safe drug supply run by Lift is an example of how involvement in the community and collaboration with community partners has led to the initiation and sustainment of meaningful programs.
“One of Lift’s legacies is really around that collaboration,” said Markel. “We work closely on many projects with Vancouver Coastal Health, with Tla’amin Nation, and with the province that bring forward issues they have identified, and they engage in meaningful conversations with us.”
Colasanto said an interesting collaboration Lift has is with Miklat Recovery Society, where Miklat will sometimes contact Lift and say they have a candidate who might actually be a good employee.
“Our organization is a great stepping stone,” said Colasanto.
Lift also wants to work with vulnerable youth in the community and provide them life skills and work skills to really help them get their feet underneath them as they enter adulthood, she added.
Lift has been actively involved in providing shelter for people who are homeless. Colasanto said around 2016, Lift began seeking out funding for an emergency response shelter. The program began at the community’s Salvation Army facility and later moved to the Community Resource Centre.
The shelter moved to the old Lutheran church at Alberni Street and Ontario Avenue and finally settled in its current location on Joyce Avenue. Colasanto said it is convenient to have the facility in close proximity to the resource centre, which has recently been designated as an emergency weather shelter when conditions meet certain standards for freezing or storminess.
Colasanto said the size of the shelter facility is not ideal and efforts are being made to find a suitable location in the community that provides more space.
In terms of recognition of the 40th anniversary, Lift has organized some events. An 80s dance party was held on March 9. The theme was developed because of the inception of the organization in the 1980s. The dance party served as a fundraiser for Powell River Action Centre Food Bank.
Upcoming event
Later this year, on June 15, there will be a community information fair at Willingdon Beach, where there will be various booths highlighting Lift programs and services, along with representation from other community service providers. It will be a family-oriented event.
“We’re inviting anyone who is interested in knowing more about Lift and our partner organizations to come out and join us that day,” said Markel.
Lift has about 115 full- and part-time employees, spread over the various programs it offers, making the organization a significant employer in the community. A senior leadership team is informed by a board of directors because Lift is a nonprofit.
Markel said Lift also runs community advisory groups for some of its programs. This involves community members bringing forward ideas. She said management also listens to its staff to find out what they might notice as being missing links.
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