The Uplifting Group: "homelessness occurs by losing jobs and unaffordable housing"

Macarthy Whyzel, a fourth year Douglas College (Coquitlam) Criminology student, is founder of The Uplifting Group. The group’s goal is to support TriCities people struggling with homelessness. Volunteers provide food, clothing, wellness checks and act as liaisons between the unhoused community and large organizations. The last official TriCities homeless count in 2022 was 160, but Macarthy estimates that number has doubled.

Nancy Furness – Local Journalism Initiative

As a child, Macarthy’s parents took the family to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to deliver food. According to Macarthy, “They wanted to instill in my brother and I at a really young age that these are folks that ought to be looked after and supported in any way we can”. Macarthy continued this work by hosting an annual Hallowe’en haunted house, raising approximately $20,000 in donations. After witnessing the positive impact of the proceeds, Macarthy started The Uplifting Group to provide year-round support to the TriCities unhoused community. He hopes in future to make the group a full-time endeavour.

The Uplifting Group partners with Low Entropy Foundation and Immigrant Link Society to provide food and services. Macarthy says, “We are a week-day outreach program, we’re there to support folks who struggle with homelessness in the TriCities Tuesdays through Fridays. At the bare minimum, we feed folks”. His group also provides socks, blankets, tarps, tents, jackets, and more. He says, “In the wintertime, it’s all about keeping people warm”. Pre-emptive wellness checks, watching out for signs of overdose, and bridging the gap between the unhoused community and service organizations are also part of the work.

The unhoused population is about 300 according to Macarthy. The population is halved in winter and is mainly divided between the 3020 Gordon tent encampment and a rotating local shelter. Macarthy says shelter access occurs from December to April, “However that doesn’t happen 365 days of the year like it should”.

In Macarthy’s experience homelessness often occurs because people lose their jobs and can no longer afford the rent or due to addiction resulting from extreme childhood trauma. “Three cities, one shelter, it’s not adequate”, says Macarthy of the need for more resources and facilities. In the meantime, for some folks he says, “A tent provides a place to stay dry, someplace to call home, and some form of security as well”.