Another Week

I apologize again for not writing. It is just that I have so little energy that I can't seem to do anything. I have so many things go through my mind but yet I have a writer's block. I am sure it will pass. There is so many things happening ...
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Why governance is failing

I keep thinking about why democracy is failing and it always goes back to non-profits/societies. Non-profits are where the politicians learn their trade. And that is why good people do not want to participate in non-profits or higher levels of governing. Once you realize that a non-profit is or has the potential of being corrupt you do not want to be part of it. It is too draining both emotionally and financially unless of course you are the one controlling the non-profit or gaining some reward from being part of it: like group love and affection. When those that are taught how easy it is to do not to do the right thing and then they can filter their way into higher government positions like city hall, the provincial and federal governments, there is no hope. It is a true conspiracy of silence. Have you ever heard of one non-profit being critical of another non-profit. Need I say more. I remember asking a MLA about the failure of DERA to give me its membership ship list and he agreed that DERA was right and he knew I was a director. This was a man who rose through the ranks of non-profits. The purpose of a membership list is so that other members can communicate with each other so that there is some measure of fair exchange of ideas and for checks and balances. Refusing to allow members access to a membership list is the worst thing any organization can do. It is the members that run a non-profit not a hired employee (executive-director). Do not think funders are going to protect as they themselves are mostly non-profits.
THE REASON WHY THE BYLAWS OF SOCIETIES HAVE TO BE UNIVERSAL IS BECAUSE SOCIETIES ARE A PLACE WHERE GOVERNANCE HAPPENS AND IT HAS TO BE THE SAME SO ALL UNDERSTAND IT IS A PLACE TO LEARN AND PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT OK AT LOW HIERARCHICAL SCALE. ALL GOVERNMENTS -- CITY, PROVINCIAL, FEDERAL ARE ALL SOCIETIES FORMED FOR THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND THUS ALL SOCIETIES HAVE TO HAVE THE SAME GOVERNANCE RULES. WHAT IS BEING PROPOED THAT THE NEW SOCIETY ACT 2012 CONTAIN A PROVISION THAT TO MET THE PUBLIC INTEREST CRITERIA THAT ONLY ONE DIRECTOR BE ALL THAT IS NEEDED. THIS ALSO MEANS THAT A SOCIETY ONLY HAS TO HAVE ONE MEMBER.THE ACT WILL ALSO GIVE BOARDS TOO MUCH POWER SO THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO OFFER INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC OR EVEN THEIR OWN MEMBERS. THIS IS TOTALLY BIZARRE. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE 26,000 CELLS WHICH COULD BORDER ON TERRORISM WHICH WOULD BE LAWFUL. DONATED AND TAXPAYER MONEY WILL BE DIRECTED TO AND PAID ON ON THE WHIM OF ONE PERSON. POWER CORRUPTS AND ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY.

Not well.

I have been extremely under the weather these past weeks and it seems to be getting worse. I hope in my absence guest bloggers from the City will submit posts so they can be posted here.

I received an email from the Association of Neighbourhood Houses stating the the DTES Neighbourhood House is not of its Association and that the DTES Neighbourhood House is independent. I wonder if the funders of the DTES Neighbourhood House are aware of this salient fact.

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

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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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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