Hundreds of Calgarians flocked to a downtown park on Friday to attend a single-day gathering aimed at helping the city’s most vulnerable. Event organizers describe the Calgary Pop-up Care Village as a festival for those experiencing systemic vulnerabilities like homelessness, addiction, mental health issues, poverty and language and cultural barriers. The event serves as a one-stop-shop for attendees, giving them access to things like checkups from a doctor, razors, shaving cream, toothpaste and toothbrushes, clothing, haircuts, massages, manicures, food and employment services – all in a judgement-free environment. “This is a safe space for people to come. They don’t have to worry about survival needs, they can access different resources here – but most importantly, they’re able to talk to our volunteers,” said organizer Bill Zheng. “We have over 100 people today, most of them youth who want to get involved in their community.” Zheng says the focus of the annual event has shifted over the years to become more about engaging youth in the community in an ethical way that isn’t patronizing or tokenistic. “The volunteers are seeing so much impact of this one-day festival that they want to keep coming back,” he said. CTV News spoke with Paul, an unhoused attendee, as he sat down for a haircut. “It’s amazing, to be honest,” he said. “It’s one of the things to help you feel human again. Walking around dishevelled doesn’t feel good.” Paul said he became homeless just a week ago. “I was a successful person, I had a nice car, I had an apartment downtown. Sometimes life has a way of humbling you,” he said. “It happened really quick.” “I think it’s hard – especially in today’s economy,” added volunteer Julia Paiva, a student from MC College, as she cut Paul’s hair. “Anything can switch overnight.” Paul said he found the event helpful. “It’s good to let people know that there’s resources they might not otherwise be able to find.” Another attendee, Don, spoke with CTV News as he snacked on a burger. “There are quite a few homeless people out there – and it’s quite a struggle,” he said. “It’s really nice being here and seeing that there’s a lot of support in the community.” Don said he was happy the pop-up had live music and art displays. “Music and art are central in any community, right?” he said. “It’s really nice to see.” The Calgary Pop-up Care Village first launched in 2022 and has been held every year since. This year, it was held at Central Memorial Park from 10 am. – 4 p.m.
