Wild Ginger Writing

Everyone should get a gift on Christmas, but for some people that’s simply not a reality.

The city’s homeless are often the most alone during the giving season, but one Vancouver organization has been trying to change that for the past nine years.

“The thing that everyone on the planet wants is a sense of belonging,” said Jennie Keeran, founder of Homeless Partners. “It’s a basic human need for everyone and when people, especially homeless people, feel like someone cares for them, it helps them to make better decisions and move forward in their lives.”

Homeless Partners have volunteers who speak with homeless people around the city to collect their stories and ask them to create their Christmas wish lists. Then they put those stories on their website and allow strangers to buy these people the gift they want.

Since it started in 2005 the organization has handed out 6,700 gifts to homeless people around the Lower Mainland, but now they want to grow even bigger.

Keeran needs to raise $10,000 to improve their website and expand it to allow volunteers in other cities to easily organize their own version of Homeless Partners.

Local web designer Kenny Grant and a group of programmers have volunteered their expertise to Homeless Partners to help the organization code and create a new website.

“I work near the Downtown Eastside and there’s so many homeless people around here and I wanted to help out,” Grant said. “So I thought, you know, with my background and connections there’s got to be some way I can help Jennie [Keeran] out.”

Grant is making good on that sentiment with a 72-hour code-a-thon with his team from Nov. 22 to Nov. 25 to fully rejuvenate the website, but they need some help to fund the new software and hardware needed.

“There’s an old adage that says, ‘An enemy is someone whose story you do not know,’” Keeran said. “This is a way for the community to connect.”

Details on the drive can be found at homelesspartners.com/fundraiser.

(Story written for Metro News: http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/853840/homeless-partners-needs-help-to-help-others-during-christmas/#)

UPDATE: I received an email from Homeless Partners and they have raised the $10,000 needed! Expect a new and improved website soon. So be sure to check how you can help in your city!