Ancillary to what is happening at DERA, two events should be noted. Although I was very vocal in the community about DERA and its non-compliance to the rule of law since the summer of 2009, Julie Rogers was re-elected to the Board of Directors of the PIVOT Legal Society. The only qualification that Julie had for the PIVOT Board of Directors was her directorship with DERA. And then if that was not bad enough, Pat McSherry was elected recenty to the Board of Directors of the Carnegie Centre. Pat McSherry is a director of DERA and her contribution to any discussion at any board meeting was "wait until a problem happens." The function of a Board is to make sure that problems do not happen. Not only was Pat a director she was also the Secretary. Because of her laziness she allowed a hired employee to look after her legislated duties (see Society Act). Pat was elected a few weeks ago to the Carnegie Board so everyone knew in the DTES that she was a party to the destruction of DERAH and still she was elected. Both Julie and Pat as well as every director of DERA/DERAH should be barred from ever being a member of any Board. Both should be held $accountable for what they did and in this case did not do. This just shows what type of Boards the decision makers and funders listen to. If there was even a whisper that a Board was or had members that were dysfunctional, funders should run. But then funders are just employees so why should they care.
.
Showing posts with label Carnegie Centre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carnegie Centre. Show all posts
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Verbal Discourse
The only thing certain about Ladner wanting to wait for a permanent solution to street homelessness are the deaths occurring in the DTES weekly.
In the first mayoral debate Ladner referred to Philip Mangano, the US czar of homelessness, that "housing first" was the way to go. When I spoke to Philip and when I told him that the City has a deliberate written policy not to do more shelters he was perplexed and he asked him what was the City going to do with the homeless in the meantime. I told Ladner this and at the next debate he said that the City's Housing Director, Cameron Gray, was the "expert" and Cameron said that we need permanent solutions. Of course Cameron would say that as he is an employee.
As for Robertson, he is doing the same thing as City Council has always done is listen to the wrong people and not use common sense. There is no reason for anyone to be living on the streets. Putting a mat on the floor at Storyeum is negligible in cost so why is he even considering opening additional buildings such as community centers. Such a plan is nothing more than a logistic nightmare. We do not need portable shelters all over the City. We need shelters that can stablize people and not move them each morning to the street and then to another shelter.
In the first mayoral debate Ladner referred to Philip Mangano, the US czar of homelessness, that "housing first" was the way to go. When I spoke to Philip and when I told him that the City has a deliberate written policy not to do more shelters he was perplexed and he asked him what was the City going to do with the homeless in the meantime. I told Ladner this and at the next debate he said that the City's Housing Director, Cameron Gray, was the "expert" and Cameron said that we need permanent solutions. Of course Cameron would say that as he is an employee.
As for Robertson, he is doing the same thing as City Council has always done is listen to the wrong people and not use common sense. There is no reason for anyone to be living on the streets. Putting a mat on the floor at Storyeum is negligible in cost so why is he even considering opening additional buildings such as community centers. Such a plan is nothing more than a logistic nightmare. We do not need portable shelters all over the City. We need shelters that can stablize people and not move them each morning to the street and then to another shelter.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Municipal Election 2008
audreylaferriere@yahoo.ca
http://storyeum.googlepages.com
At a community relations meeting June 25 2008 at the Carnegie Centre after asking when was the Carnegie going to do an action in support of making City-owned 142 Water (old Storyeum location) a minimalist shelter and 24-hour community center, I was told that Carnegie had other priorities and mandates and funders telling them what to do. For close to two years I have been waiting for some kind of definite action from Carnegie and now this. Carnegie is suppose to be the "voice of the DTES" and it had already sent two letters of support to City Hall. I went ballistic and knew that I had to do something: I am sure Carnegie thought I would because of lack of community support disappear. The Carnegie is of the opinion that the street residents of the DTES should stay on the street until "real" housing is built. What a terrible price for the street homeless to pay. After that meeting I decided to run as an Independant for the 2008 City Council and make 142 Water the main focus of my pending campaign. What can be more important than making sure the street homeless have a safe dry place to sleep at night.
http://storyeum.googlepages.com
At a community relations meeting June 25 2008 at the Carnegie Centre after asking when was the Carnegie going to do an action in support of making City-owned 142 Water (old Storyeum location) a minimalist shelter and 24-hour community center, I was told that Carnegie had other priorities and mandates and funders telling them what to do. For close to two years I have been waiting for some kind of definite action from Carnegie and now this. Carnegie is suppose to be the "voice of the DTES" and it had already sent two letters of support to City Hall. I went ballistic and knew that I had to do something: I am sure Carnegie thought I would because of lack of community support disappear. The Carnegie is of the opinion that the street residents of the DTES should stay on the street until "real" housing is built. What a terrible price for the street homeless to pay. After that meeting I decided to run as an Independant for the 2008 City Council and make 142 Water the main focus of my pending campaign. What can be more important than making sure the street homeless have a safe dry place to sleep at night.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Carnegie: Deserving Poor v. Undeserving Poor
Yesterday I addressed the Board at Carnegie reminding them that it is getting cold outside and the street homeless problem is still there. I was told to bring up my concern in next months committee meeting. I became ballistic.
I have been attempting to get Carnegie to take a lead in MAKE STORYEUM A SHELTER for a year now and the only things that Carnegie has done are kindergaten activities like going on a treasurer hunt to Victoria looking for money for housing and dressing up as fishes. At no time did the CCAP refer to MAKE STORYEUM A SHELTER in any of its actions.
The establishment wanting to keep the status quo as it is could not have conspired with a better organization than the Carnegie Centre.
I am sick of this binary outlook in the DTES: deserving poor v. undeserving poor. The non-deserving poor deserve to be without shelter. The worst group for following this doctrine are those that are the deserving poor who for the most part were at one time undeserving.
Carnegie should have been devoting its time and resources to getting shelter for those on the street and not believe that a few hundred people (Citywide Coalition) will change the governments refusal to fund adequate affordable housing. It isn't going to happen so we need shelters to house the increasing number of economic refugees.
There is a ready made solution to street homelessness in Vancouver and that is STORYEUM. It is owned by the City and it has been vacant since November 2006 at which time I did attend at City Council and spoke to this (Jean Swanson was in the audience) and yet no one had the vision to do anything about it.
What is happening now: the members of the Strathcona BIA are double iron gating its properties so that even a doorway is no longer available for the street homeless to rest at night. Just look at all the service providers who also have double gated their entrances. The service providers should be fighting for shelters not paying for bars.
For each life lost on the streets of Vancouver during 2007-2008, the Carnegie Centre has to take most of the blame. A recent report by Gerry Fox stated that the DTES has 10 deaths a week which is 5X the amount in other Vancouver neighbourhoods. Such a high death rate is attributable to inadequate housing, inadequate food, inadequate health care, addictions, distress, etc.
Judy Graves of the City told me that shelters are not the answer as shelters are expensive. How can sleeping on the floor in a vacant building be expensive. It is far less expensive than having the homeless depend on hospitalization and jail to keep warm.
I have been attempting to get Carnegie to take a lead in MAKE STORYEUM A SHELTER for a year now and the only things that Carnegie has done are kindergaten activities like going on a treasurer hunt to Victoria looking for money for housing and dressing up as fishes. At no time did the CCAP refer to MAKE STORYEUM A SHELTER in any of its actions.
The establishment wanting to keep the status quo as it is could not have conspired with a better organization than the Carnegie Centre.
I am sick of this binary outlook in the DTES: deserving poor v. undeserving poor. The non-deserving poor deserve to be without shelter. The worst group for following this doctrine are those that are the deserving poor who for the most part were at one time undeserving.
Carnegie should have been devoting its time and resources to getting shelter for those on the street and not believe that a few hundred people (Citywide Coalition) will change the governments refusal to fund adequate affordable housing. It isn't going to happen so we need shelters to house the increasing number of economic refugees.
There is a ready made solution to street homelessness in Vancouver and that is STORYEUM. It is owned by the City and it has been vacant since November 2006 at which time I did attend at City Council and spoke to this (Jean Swanson was in the audience) and yet no one had the vision to do anything about it.
What is happening now: the members of the Strathcona BIA are double iron gating its properties so that even a doorway is no longer available for the street homeless to rest at night. Just look at all the service providers who also have double gated their entrances. The service providers should be fighting for shelters not paying for bars.
For each life lost on the streets of Vancouver during 2007-2008, the Carnegie Centre has to take most of the blame. A recent report by Gerry Fox stated that the DTES has 10 deaths a week which is 5X the amount in other Vancouver neighbourhoods. Such a high death rate is attributable to inadequate housing, inadequate food, inadequate health care, addictions, distress, etc.
Judy Graves of the City told me that shelters are not the answer as shelters are expensive. How can sleeping on the floor in a vacant building be expensive. It is far less expensive than having the homeless depend on hospitalization and jail to keep warm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)