VANCOUVER -- An LGBTQ group has launched what it calls a "survival guide" for queer newcomers and students in Metro Vancouver.
According to the Sher Vancouver LGBTQ Friends Society, the free Destination YVR guide is designed to be a go-to resource for members of the LGBTQ community who have just arrived to the area and need help getting settled in.
The B.C. based non-profit organization offers support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer South Asians and their friends.
"The survival guide is packed with essential information with everything from government identification to housing," said Sher Vancouver founder Alex Sangha, in a news release.
The guide also has sections on how new community members can access various youth programs, support groups, free and low-cost counselling services and it offers other queer specific resources.
Sangha says the goal of the guide is to not only inform newcomers but to help reduce stress and anxiety that is often associated with relocating to another city, province or country.
The resource can be used by anyone who needs it but it's geared towards the queer community, he said.
"We felt this was important as many queer newcomers and students can often find themselves alienated, isolated and marginalized."
