Depending on the attitude of the city you are in, your personality and what kind of creative skills you have, you could also potentially make some "hold-over" money quickly by busking (street performance). I personally am really not a big fan of busking, but I've thought about what I would do if I suddenly needed some cash in pocket very quickly and the quickest (legal) way I can imagine getting cash in hand with no initial investment is day labor, street performance or panhandling. Seems like a long shot, but if you're a super good guitar player or something and Vancouver doesn't have strict laws about street performance, you might be able to make enough to keep you fed and housed until a freelance job pays out.