Have you ever had a friend or family member who had trouble finding affordable housing? A loved one who had drug or alcohol addiction issues? A close friend who had difficulty dealing with job loss?
These were part of a questionnaire local resident and childcare worker Andrea Duncan handed out to Squamish council members on March 1, when she asked them to proclaim March as Community Social Services Awareness Month.
"The questionnaire is for your personal reflection only and asks you to think about how our many services have touched your life, or the lives of those you know, and the importance of these services to the quality of life in our community," she said.
"We know that every community and many families and individuals in B.C. rely on the many services we provide."
Community social services include group homes for people with developmental disabilities, support for families and youth in need, care for children, support for victims of violence, help for those with substance abuse issues, a range of services for women, counselling and support for immigrant families and many more.
"Here in Squamish there are several organizations devoted to community services," Duncan said. "We have Sea to Sky Community Services, Howe Sound Women's Centre, Helping Hands Society, Squamish Youth Centre and several more."
Despite the diversity of services available and the number of people who rely on them in times of need, Duncan said community services are often kept "out of sight, out of mind."
"We are working to shine light on community social services," Duncan said.
"Despite their importance to individuals, families and communities, the community social services we all rely on are often misunderstood and marginalized, or even invisible."
She said that's often because the services relate to the times and areas in life where people face problems and challenges - times people often prefer to forget.
Community Social Services Awareness Month is a province-wide effort to raise awareness about the vital role of community social services by taking the message out to local communities.
Duncan said the main goals of designating March as Community Social Services Awareness Month are to increase awareness about the value of community services, to change and expand perceptions about the people who use them and to build greater public support.
"Community social services matter because they help ensure that people don't fall through the cracks when they have a special need or when they are facing a crisis in their lives," Duncan said.
Council members were supportive of the presentation and the motion to designate March as Community Social Services Awareness Month was carried unanimously.
To date, 27 municipal councils across British Columbia have proclaimed March as Community Social Services Awareness Month, or recognized community social service workers in some fashion.
