Karen Berrisford - Squamish Helping Hands Society

Squamish Helping Hands Society (SHHS) is an amazing Social Service organization. I was fortunate to join SHHS in 2021. I came to work for Squamish Helping Hands during COVID. I was keen to work for and within Squamish, a town that had been my home since 1995. I came from a business background, working in the retail sector for over 30 years as: Store Manager, Project Manager. My experience is diverse: managing Store openings, software implementations, green building programs, executing marketing campaigns and managing a staff of over 100. By nature, I am driven to support people, improve process/efficiencies, guided by data. I look to make the community a better place with compassion and empathy. I love to see staff grow and develop new skills I relish in their successes.

Working at SHHS is immensely satisfying and challenging. We have a dedicated team of driven dedicated managers and staff who put everything into their work, it is difficult work, sometimes physically and emotionally. We are all driven by a common goal to ensure shelter, food security and wellness in a dignified and supportive way. This work requires: advocacy, collaboration with many local agencies, stamina and sometimes stubbornness. The financial resources are limited, we constantly find ways to work smarter, evaluate priorities, it is one of the most dynamic business environments I have worked in.

SHHS is dedicated to supporting people in our community, through our work we aim to inspire hope and independence. Our Vision is to work towards a safe and healthy community for all. We do this by supporting and serving Squamish's vulnerable and homeless population.

Health and Wellness:

We operate a primary Care Clinic: providing access to doctors, with over 800 appointments in 2023 and 300 patients served. A wellness program for Pain Management that provides access to: the Pain BC “Making Sense of Pain” course, a counsellor, physio, yoga and massage therapists. We operate the Overdose Prevention Site for Vancouver Coastal Health, it is open daily from 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm.

Shelter:

At Under One Roof , we operate the Emergency Shelter & Extreme Weather Shelter for the homeless and manage 38 transitional housing units. Services are available 22 hours per day and 7 days per week, year round. Providing 4638 bed-night stays in 2023.

Food Security:

We provide 2 hot meals per day to anyone who needs a warm meal and coffee and pastry each morning. We coordinate and provide the food rescue program collecting food from the local groceries to stock and support the Food Bank. The SHHS kitchen: made 37,800 healthy lunches last year to support the School Lunch program, ensuring access to food for all students. The kitchen runs the Meals on Wheel program delivering 2 hot meals per week to those with mobility challenges, nearly 3000 meals delivered last year.

Outreach:

Our community outreach program supports the homeless, Under One Roof residents and vulnerable population to move forward on wellness, housing, personal, financial, psycho-social goals. We aim to build capacity and empower individuals.