Get a Cash Advance on Your Welfare Cheque

A woman on the Downtown Eastside -- actually she is a "trans" something or other, a man dressed as a woman -- told me that at Pigeon Park Savings people can get a cash advance on their welfare cheque. On the Tuesday before welfare Wednesday, you can get a $20 advance. But you have to be an established customer in good standing, she said.

Another Downtown Eastsider who lives at the Cobalt Hotel has since confirmed the existance of the $20 cash advance. He said his friend gets it every month.

Pigeon Park Savings is operated by VanCity at Hastings and Columbia on the Downtown Eastside. I guess they know their customer base and they're meeting their needs.

Pigeon Park Savings: What's your Number?

Pigeon Park Savings, part of VanCity, has been sending letters to Downtown Eastsiders with dormant accounts, reminding them that they are being charged an annual fee of $20 per year for such accounts.  

They instruct people to: "Please call us to review your options...."

But when you look for a phone number on the letter, there isn't one.