Vancouverites are no strangers to homelessness on the Downtown Eastside.
The government has pumped taxpayer dollars into the creation of food banks, shelters, and transitional housing, however these bandaid solutions merely create dependence, a danger that drives individuals deeper into the poverty cycle rather than offering them an escape. I believe the solution lies in self-sufficiency, the product of social enterprises that collaborate with the homeless to promote the psychology of independence.
SOLEfood is a pioneer in social enterprising.
SOLEfood Farms is a pioneer in social enterprising, with hopes of fulfilling social and environmental goals. This company employs the marginalized – those living on the Downtown Eastside or in the inner city – to cultivate neighbourhood fruit and vegetable gardens. Partnerships with local restaurants, who buy the locally and organically grown produce, maintain the enterprise’s survival, but it’s the transformations of society that maintain the enterprise’s success.
I believe that a social enterprise does not have the goal of moneymaking for ITSELF. But the employment opportunities, the distributing of social tools (communication skills, team dynamics), and the dignity and confidence created in its employees guarantees the regeneration of THEIR financial health.
The following are the distinguishing characteristics of SEs that I have discovered: while businesses strive to earn profit, SEs strive to generate social change. While charities strive to aid those on the edges of society, SEs strive to integrate them back into society’s core.
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