DERAdvocacy (revised Tuesday 3:30 PM))

Now that DERAHousing is in receivership (I am not sure of the details) but I was told yesterday which I do not believe that the receiver-manager is throwing out DERAdvocacy from its offices at 12 East Hastings by the end of the month. I believe this maybe false information has come from Sabrina. To confirm if this is true or not please call the lawyer for BC Housing, James Coady 604-647-4105 jcoady@boughton.ca. Don't call anyone on the Board as all of them seem to know less than Sabrina about what is going on. Or you can try to call me Audrey 778-329-1250. The offices were renovated a few years ago at a cost of $40,000 so why would BC Housing want to throw out DERAdvocacy as DERAHousing has no need for the space.

If any of the tenants see unnecessary and costly work being done keep notes, form a group, post the information, let me know. We should all be documenting all unnecessay expenses and behavior as the money the receiver-manager is paying belongs to the public. And it is up to the public to make sure no one is creating unnecessay work. The receiver manager by a court order has a blank cheque to do whatever he wants. Kim did what he wanted without oversight and now the receiver manager is doing the same without oversight. It is time every member in the community becomes an interested auditor.

It was also relayed to me that BC Law Foundation is going to not fund the advocacy program any more. The contract expires in June 2010. The only way to save DERAdvocacy is if a few good men to get on the board and convince BC Law Foundation that from now on rules will be followed and transparency ensured. 604.688.2337 lfbc@tlfbc.org or jcumming@tlfbc.org

There are vacancies on the Board and everyone who lives in the DTES is member of DERAdvocacy and he can serve as a director. I remember Robyne Livingstone saying to me (he lives in Pendera) that DERAdvoacy does good every day. It has just been unfortunate that the existing Board has not done its legislated job due to lack of training and Kim's perferred way of accounting taking money from Paul to pay Peter was not the way to balance the books.

DERAdvocacy has a brand that the residents of the DTES recognize and it should not be lost. I do not want to see it lost. Members can also organize and petition the law foundation to keep DERAdvocacy run by the people in the DTES.
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