Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Closures of Group Homes
Is this really about closing group homes or is it that the non-profits are not providing what they are saying they are suppose to be doing and it is easier for the government to close them down then expose/prosecute them for abuse by neglect. I was told recently by three workers of group homes for adults that the government wasn't giving them enough money and they had to cut down on the purchase of food. But then that is what DERA kept saying BCH that is did not give it enough money to operate. At $100,000 per group home resident I find not having enough money for food hard to believe and they having to rely on food banks deployable. But then knowing how easy it is for E/Ds to be legally corrupt, I have to ask. Any comments, please direct them to me. audreylaferriere@yahoo.ca
Friday, September 24, 2010
City Council Thursday 23 September 2010
Short read given to City Counsel on Thursday about the need for better shelters and the change of the status quo.
To be most humanistic and cost effective we have to know what the HOUSING FIRST model really means. It does not mean to put a homeless person in a shelter or in a SRO or in a transition house or in a supportive unit and say that this is HOUSING FIRST and your new home. The homeless must be in a temporary well run shelter system first then they go directly to affordable self-contained market housing with off site supports, if necessary. Get rid of SROs, supportive housing, transition housing and even social housing.
There is a mountain of recent acadmic research to say that HOUSING FIRST is the most cost effective and humanistic way to proceed. See acadminc literate : Pathways New York.
Supportive Housing is best described as a hospic with 24 hour security ie. a minimum security prison.
Market affordable housing units have to be scattered in every housing complex; not ghettorized in one buildings or on one floor or in one section. If supports are necessary the resident can go offsite and access them. Those with deficits will not change unless they want to and there is no hard evidence to suggest that high cost supports (dedicated supportive housing) will change enough behavior long-term to warrant the method or cost.
By scattering housing in for-profit rental communities, we need no money to build more social housing.
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To be most humanistic and cost effective we have to know what the HOUSING FIRST model really means. It does not mean to put a homeless person in a shelter or in a SRO or in a transition house or in a supportive unit and say that this is HOUSING FIRST and your new home. The homeless must be in a temporary well run shelter system first then they go directly to affordable self-contained market housing with off site supports, if necessary. Get rid of SROs, supportive housing, transition housing and even social housing.
There is a mountain of recent acadmic research to say that HOUSING FIRST is the most cost effective and humanistic way to proceed. See acadminc literate : Pathways New York.
Supportive Housing is best described as a hospic with 24 hour security ie. a minimum security prison.
Market affordable housing units have to be scattered in every housing complex; not ghettorized in one buildings or on one floor or in one section. If supports are necessary the resident can go offsite and access them. Those with deficits will not change unless they want to and there is no hard evidence to suggest that high cost supports (dedicated supportive housing) will change enough behavior long-term to warrant the method or cost.
By scattering housing in for-profit rental communities, we need no money to build more social housing.
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Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Update
Nothing seems to be happening.
However, I am thinking about creating a movement for the humanitarism and priortization of social policy from an individualist point of view rather than a representative point of view.
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However, I am thinking about creating a movement for the humanitarism and priortization of social policy from an individualist point of view rather than a representative point of view.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House
Yesterday I attended with a new Canadian friend for a few minutes the Open House at the DTNH on East Hastings Street at Princess Street. The theme was food. Everyone in the NH was very healthy looking and they were eating finger foods. No near-hungry down-and-out people there. I picked up a nacho chip and dipped it into a green coloured dip. I think it was avocado. I was immediately chastised by one of DTNH employees who told me that my mode of eating nachos was not hygienic. Apparently, according to her you are suppose to spoon out dip to a separate plate rather than just dip the nacho in the dip bowl. I stared at this ignorant woman with disbelief who then advised me that she was a PAID employee as if had some authority and she continued on and on that my mode of eating a chip-and-dip was unhygienic. I suggested to her to remove the contaminated nachos and dip. She didn't. Her behaviour embarrassed me in front of my new Canadian friend, Ellen Woodsworth, Suzanne Anton, funders and others who were at the DTNH opening.
PS I checked with two of my Mexican friends last night who laughed at the instructions given to me as to how to eat a nacho. I was told that eating nachos was a sharing/community thing and Mexicans would never parcel out bits of dip to separate plates.
Addendum. On my way out I asked the E/D of the DTNH why there even was a neighbourhood house considering there seems to be at least one community center on every block in the DTES. I was told to take it up with the funders. Another addendum, why are there so many paid employees working in non-profits, whatever happened to volunteers and the residents helping each other. Maybe it has something to do with creating union wage/make work projects. Funders just give give give give only to say that they give give give give.
PS I checked with two of my Mexican friends last night who laughed at the instructions given to me as to how to eat a nacho. I was told that eating nachos was a sharing/community thing and Mexicans would never parcel out bits of dip to separate plates.
Addendum. On my way out I asked the E/D of the DTNH why there even was a neighbourhood house considering there seems to be at least one community center on every block in the DTES. I was told to take it up with the funders. Another addendum, why are there so many paid employees working in non-profits, whatever happened to volunteers and the residents helping each other. Maybe it has something to do with creating union wage/make work projects. Funders just give give give give only to say that they give give give give.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Sunrise-Soya and the VPD
I got written up in the Georgia Straight newspaper on Thursday regarding me being physically assaulted. You might want to read up about it. I do not have the time right now to comment about being beaten up over a eight cent tomatoe. When I went to the VPD police station a week ago Friday to ask it to take pictures of the bruising caused by its members it refused. So much about the police policing themselves.
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Thursday, September 9, 2010
Not well
I have not been visiting my blog in order to post as for the past month I have been lacking in energy. I have moments when my "activism" comes out (see http://downtowneastsideenquirer.blogspot.com)but I am trying to contain my ballistic incidents as I have no choice. I lost 40 pounds in two months, I sleep 12-14 hours a day, and I feel extremely weak. I am fortunate that three of my fuckup friends who know they are fucked up are now looking after the doggies so I can spend my time sleeping.
My next campaign will be http://araizapets.blogspot.com. It will be a campaign to change the Residential Tenanacy Act to legally allow pets in all rentals based on Ontario's rental legislation. If you support this, email me your name, contact address, phone number would be welcomed, and any comments. I will be sending updates to you and research on why pets are necessary especially for the well-being of empty nesters.
I really do not want to deal with the marxist control politics that is happening in the DTES. Groups go after a large population membership base and then do everything possible not to include those members in decision making by creating committees upon committees with the same core members in them.
When I feel better I will be continuing to look into the Society Act and how whimpy it is. The new proposed Act has to take into account not process but rather the need for a universal set of rules.
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My next campaign will be http://araizapets.blogspot.com. It will be a campaign to change the Residential Tenanacy Act to legally allow pets in all rentals based on Ontario's rental legislation. If you support this, email me your name, contact address, phone number would be welcomed, and any comments. I will be sending updates to you and research on why pets are necessary especially for the well-being of empty nesters.
I really do not want to deal with the marxist control politics that is happening in the DTES. Groups go after a large population membership base and then do everything possible not to include those members in decision making by creating committees upon committees with the same core members in them.
When I feel better I will be continuing to look into the Society Act and how whimpy it is. The new proposed Act has to take into account not process but rather the need for a universal set of rules.
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