The South Vancouver Seniors Network (SVSN) Partners

The South Vancouver Seniors Network (SVSN) Community Service

The SVSN is a community networking service hosted by Marpole Oakridge Family Place (MOFP), launched in 2015 when MOFP initiated seniors’ services.

The SVSN operates as a relationship-based collaboration of non-profit organizations supporting seniors in Marpole, Oakridge and wider South Vancouver. Network partners cooperate to connect seniors with municipal, provincial and federal resources, with the aim of facilitating seamless referrals for seniors.

The MOFP identifies, initiates and supports partner connections and provides new introductions for organizations and individuals BC-wide.

Any organization, Canada-wide, or individual can join the Network with the proviso that services provided are directly relevant for Marpole, Oakridge and South Vancouver communities. For-profit services must be accessible for lower income seniors, inclusive, and may not use the Network to advertise.

Participation in the Network and in Network meetings is voluntary and there are no membership commitments or fees.

SVSN Partners websites are linked below.

SVSN Partners Monthly Lunch Gathering

The South Vancouver Seniors Network Partners gather once per month to connect and collaborate.

This lunch meeting is held on Zoom every last Wednesday of the month from 12:30pm – 1:30pm.

Monthly Gathering Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87242360140pwd=aTFqRW5VWlZvM0ZNKy9LdHErN1BvUT09

Meeting ID: 872 4236 0140
Passcode: 493905

“Many thanks for inviting me to the South Vancouver Seniors Network meeting. It is a fantastic platform for participants to address immediate concerns and set mid to long term goals for the aging community. I would love to be included in the regular newsletter and listen in the forthcoming webinar. There is so much more room for expanding senior citizens healthcare. “

Irene Lo

“Andrea, if ANYONE is going to be appreciated and celebrated, then it should be you and Grace!
You have been wonderfully creative and proactive in building community through a time where the pandemic created anxiety and isolation. Thank you for all you do.”

Adena, Family & Social Support Practitioner, Vancouver South Home Health Program

The History of the South Vancouver Seniors Network (SVSN)

The SVSN was imagined in 2015, two years after the Marpole community experienced a significant event impacting seniors – the 2013 flooding and closure of the neighbourhood organic seniors gathering place, Marpole Place at West 70th Avenue and Hudson Street. Marpole Place was also the home of the Marpole Oakridge Family Place (MOFP), at that time serving families with children from birth to six years old. MOFP had to seek new premises and the seniors’ programs also running at the venue were suddenly disbanded and crucial connections came under threat. Tracy Beshara, Executive Director of the Marpole Oakridge Family Place, convened an emergency community consultation of non-profit organizations active in Marpole and Oakridge and with their backing created a Seniors Outreach Coordinator role. In 2015, Andrea Krombein took on this role and work on the SVSN concept began, with non-profits serving seniors in Marpole and Oakridge being invited to join. The focus was on building interpersonal relationships to facilitate effective referrals and supports for seniors and to grow collaborative opportunities and information sharing.

During this time, Dr. Moira Stilwell, as the MLA for Vancouver-Langara, also brought together several meetings of non-profit organizations serving seniors in South Vancouver.

In early 2019, Michael Lee, MLA for Vancouver-Langara, offered his support and worked with Andrea Krombein to strengthen the SVSN as an umbrella network of community non-profit organizations serving seniors and caregivers in Marpole and Oakridge and expanding across South Vancouver.

The power of personal relationships between non-profits was evident in March 2020, when the Pandemic was declared, and the Food Bank centralized on Public Health orders, leaving Marpole seniors and vulnerable families without the neighbourhood-based Food Bank location at St. Augustine’s Anglican Church on Hudson Street. SVSN partners immediately connected and launched a coordinated response that would see seniors access food, medicines and communications during the early days of the Covid-19 emergency.

In April 2020, with the Covid-19 Pandemic underway, Andrea Krombein provided MLA Michael Lee with a proposal, the vision being to present a weekly online information webinar for seniors. Michael agreed and recommended Grace Hann, professional trainer and peer support lead with Jewish Seniors Alliance, to partner with Andrea Krombein to deliver the webinars. Grace and Andrea began to present a weekly online webinar, with Grace concentrating on facilitating engagement of the seniors who joined, and Andrea focusing on content provision, identifying topics and inviting speakers with an eye on currency and relevance for seniors.

The SVSN has no constitution, committee, or membership requirement. There are no obligations to belonging to the Network. It is entirely based on relationships, networking and collaboration, initiated by partners. There are also no fees and no formal funding for the Network. To ensure the goals of the SVSN are met, the SVSN hosts a monthly meeting for partners to share information and identify collaborative opportunities. Collaborations are partner driven. The working relationship between Langara College Gerontology students and the Abbeyfield Seniors Houses is one example of a partner collaboration and collaborations can be ongoing long-term or short-term. Partnership with the SVSN is open to all organizations and individuals, city wide, as long as services include the SVSN catchment area.

Currently, the South Vancouver Seniors Network has 32 partners, all non-profits serving seniors in South Vancouver and city-wide.