The Greater Vancouver Shelter Strategy (GVSS) is:

• A groundbreaking regional network of organizations responding together since 1998 to meet the needs of people who are homeless or at risk.
• A unique initiative, bringing together shelter providers, all levels of government, and other organizations working to address homelessness.
• Working toward a vision of accessible, high quality emergency shelter services as part of a continuum of housing and supports.

The Greater Vancouver Shelter Strategy achieves results in five key areas:

1. Co-operative planning – maintains a responsive, effective and accountable partnership.
2. Emerging issues management – identifies emerging issues and facilitates a coordinated response.
3. Communication – communicates service availability to the homeless and the larger community.
4. Sustainability – gathers evidence of need to support coordinated funding and service delivery.
5. Service development – promotes coordination and enhancement of services.

The GVSS upholds the following six core values:

• All people should have access to permanent, appropriate housing.
• When people become homeless, rapid re-housing is a priority.
• People should be able to be housed in their own communities.
• When required, people should have supports to maintain their housing.
• When needed, people should have access to temporary shelter that is safe and healthy.
• People using shelters deserve respect and dignity.

The GVSS works in accordance with the following four principles:

• Seeking to balance the continuum of housing.
• Collaboration among funders, service providers, and communities.
• Representation of diverse communities, perspectives and interests.
• Consensus decision-making.

The primary decision making body of the Greater Vancouver Shelter Strategy is the Committee of the Whole. It has an Executive and various other subcommittees and task groups, each of which operates in accordance with approved terms of reference that specify purpose, duties, composition, accountability and decision making method.

• Prepared the 2010-2012 Service Plan, with input from GVSS member agencies.
• Completed a fourth round of Including Homeless Voices, a groundbreaking process which generates timely, policy-relevant input from people who have personally experienced homelessness.
• Continued to support extreme weather response in 8 sub-regions, providing coordination of additional facilities made available during critical weather conditions (providing 2,622 bed nights of service in Metro Vancouver 2009-1-).
• Expanded membership to include Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society, First United Church, RainCity Housing and Support Society, MPA Society, and Salvation Army Gateway of Hope.

The following are examples of Greater Vancouver Shelter Strategy initiatives:

• Co-hosted a 3-day "Creating Housing Choice" forum with the Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness, and developed a Call to Action.
• Working with communities across the region to implement extreme weather response plans designed to prevent weather-related illness or death among homeless people, including those people who tend to not normally use shelters.
• Continuously updating and distributing shelter listings to enhance awareness of what shelter services exist and how to access them.
• Analyzing statistics on shelter service use and incidence of people being turned away.