Seniors' Entitlement Services

02/20/2024

Our program coordinator is leaving. If you are interested in being their replacement, the job opportunity is still open for a couple more days. This is a 20hr/week paid position, serving (primarily) low-income seniors, operating out of a vibrant local community service organization, Quadra Village Community Centre.

Senior Entitlement Coordinator More InformationThe role of the Senior Entitlement Coordinator is to coordinate, oversee, and implement all aspects of the Seniors Entitlement Service (SES)Reports to: Executive DirectorQVCC is committed to employment equity and inclusion. We strongly encourage applica...

01/18/2024

Kudos to the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Capital Region Housing Corp for their proposed financially-viable way to secure more low-cost rental housing in our region. Affordable rental housing tops the need's list for many local seniors.

The Capital Regional District is responding to the desperate need for affordable housing in our community.

01/10/2024

Looking at our 2023 SES data. We served 435 local seniors (over 80% were low-income) last year. Biggest issue was income (not surprising given we exist within a money talks society). Income impacts everything; what options are available: housing, legal, health care...

12/18/2023

The sorry state of low-income rental housing, for seniors in B.C. A chart from recent United Way of BC report. Only 19 more/new seniors subsidized housing units over the last 5 year period (2017-22)!

11/20/2023

On displacement.... A tragedy for many low-income senior renters is that, when displaced (eg evicted or renovicted), they lose their community connections, friends, supports... where they live. Gone. Maybe never to be made again, before they die. (graph via First United in Vancouver).

10/03/2023

Volunteer with us!

10/03/2023

Thank you to our friends at UVic Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health for letting their community know about our volunteering opportunity!

Sharing this local volunteer opportunity for :

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Seniors' Entitlement Services provides trained volunteer advocates to support older adults, 55 and up, living in the Greater Victoria region. Advocates help low-income older adults maintain their independence.

Seniors’ Entitlement Services (SES) include problem solving, system navigation, assistance with applications and forms, information & referral services, and support to address elder abuse and/or unexpected hardships. SES services are free and confidential. In 2022, the SES program served 450 older adults.

SES is looking for more . SES volunteers provide direct, hands-on, support to clients. SES volunteer advocates operate as a team and community-of-practice. The work is challenging and engaging. Good communication skills are essential. Training is provided. Volunteers commit 2-3 hours per week to SES; either in-person (at Quadra Village Community Centre, where the SES program is based) and/or virtually.

Contact Ben Ziegler, SES program coordinator, [email protected], 250-388-7696 ext. 230, to learn more and/or request a volunteer application form.

08/28/2023

Seniors seeking low-cost dental services is something we are very familiar with at SES. Good reporting re: the politics/$ issues around dental services in BC, with a shout-out to Victoria Cool Aid Society!

A 16-year freeze on payments is taking toll on people on income and disability assistance.

07/26/2023

Volunteer with us! We could use one or two more advocates in our program. Interesting and challenging opportunity. Position details (via Volunteer Victoria website): https://victoria.volunteerattract.com/report.php?ListType=Volunteer_PositionsKey&ID=1482&MenuItemID=20

06/07/2023

The challenges of staying in your own neighbourhood, as faced by low-income Chinese seniors in Downtown Vancouver... .

After multiple revisions and rejections, a divisive development is still seeking city approval.

04/19/2023

Carolina Ibarra, CEO of Pacifica Housing, articulates a key reason the current approach to RGI (rent geared to income) housing supply falls short, and is actually worsening. A systemic challenge, that organizations like SES are left with trying to pick up the pieces.

“Exemptions made at buildings under agreement to increase rates on turnover to make up for increasing costs while subsidies remain stagnant. The message is, increase rents to cover costs or do what you you need to do. Retaining affordability isn’t a priority.”