Poverty Awareness in York Region

Ontarians forced into an election made their choices recently handing a majority government over the the Liberals despite scandal connected to the former Premier and his dealings. The other parties gambled that striking while the irons were hot on the issue would result in victory. They were wrong.

Firstly, the NDP leader who pushed for it, Andrea Horvath, miscalculated how Ontarians felt and would vote. She should have remained patient, allowed people to get to know her a little more (likely swayed by leadership polls) and allowed the Liberal leader to possibly self destruct herself or start creating her own legacy of public funding screw ups and they might have stood some chance to at least make gains. The Conservatives pretty much sealed their fate by backing the unpopular Hudak. Very poor decisions with much predictable outcomes.

So now there are some new faces in the Ontario parliament, and locally, after a Councilor showed her true colours, even 1st timers such as Newmarket / Aurora MPP Chris Ballard, who admitted to me before the election when I met with him he hadn't much on hands knowledge of the nuances of poverty issues but was interested to engage more about them - like about the P.A.C.C. organized York Region social audit report " Behind The Masks". At least he was truthful, and that's a plus in my books.

His extent of 'experience" in this area was knowing of an after-school care held in a co-op funded by the United Way and that men had lived under a bridge in Aurora last year. Hey, it's a starting point! And that's better already than the last guy, Frank Klees, who offered nothing at the "Square-tables on Poverty" we organized, and once said to me,

" Tom you and I can sit here all day and we're not going to agree"

Construction / development a local election issue

...It was his way or the highway and for that reason - and the fact that millionairess Belinda Stronach then M.P. for the area kept sending assistants to the talks instead of attending in person - it didn't last. She had also walked across the parliament floor during this time to the Liberals from the Conservatives, and in reflection, it seems about that time Klees stopped " cooperating". His idea of a 'solution:" was give everyone a job". Soon after the "Squaretable" died.

In one respect it is scary having a person in parliament representing us with little experience, but on the other hand, they perhaps can have more of an open mind about solutions and action and be willing to work "collaboratively', a buzz term used a lot but not practiced much. My experience with collaboration is they steal your ideas and then apply for the funds without you. Ha. Eloquent speeches make for good sound bites, but a gutsy, ethical representative is what I seek - and someone not afraid to like a good idea from anyone and share them in it's delivery.

Belinda's Place - Hurry before winter so women don't freeze!

Ballard's first action in parliament as I understand was to put forward a motion to have the York Region Chairman's position voted in - something I advocated for during the 5 months long transit strike - Canada's 2nd longest in history - where Chair Bill Fisch basically did nothing alongside Council, while people lost jobs, missed doctors appointments, school, surgeries, and went hungry.

Some still have not recovered, especially seniors who had jobs, now let go, as well as some young people who never got back on track for school. The Regional Councilors and Mayors of course are also to blame and should be punished at the ballot boxes for the fiasco, as well for wasting millions of dollars on a 7th Y.R. women's shelter while men die on the streets. 

YRMG won an award for our story but no changes for men.

Now they they giving him Character and man of the year awards.

Newmarket Mayor, Tony Van Bynen, for example used this issue - The false fact we have no women's shelters in Y.R. - to get reelected and used it for photo ops and sound bites at every turn - and still does. Backers conveniently added the word "single " after criticism. The reality is we have 7 shelters already dedicated to or shared with women - which stats actually indicate lower use in them as of 2012-13 and two winter ones as well that accept single women.

Tom speaks about homeless men / programs with CBC

It's also been commonly known for years, that women really needing a place in YR simply say they have been abuse victims and get shelter - not turned away - so no one was on the street where possible is the bottom line, and with the addition of a family shelter  now, we quite easily could simply have converted an existing shelter into one for "singles' over age 26 ( we have for under), but no, they had to build another, at now $9 million dollars and counting mausoleum - and bearing the name of the woman who was too busy to attend the Square Tables on Poverty and who not once showed up for Oct 17 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty events here - but somehow her name adorns this now to be Salvation Army run club.


S.A. may be "a Stalwart" in their world, but not in the world of the homeless according to the social audit that obviously wasn't used in making this decision - which often happens when boards are vacant of any grass roots input. Much simpler to have someone else run it now but keep the false perceptions of actual involvement up with her name etched on it. I say if she wants a legacy, pay for it, as she can certainly afford it. Why take the few funds available to Y.R.?

This quote is taken directly off the website for Belinda's Place; 


"Currently, there are NO beds allocated to homeless women in York Region." 


Which just emphasizes to me how this whole thing has been sold to the public.
7 of these 8 existing Y.R. shelters have beds for women.

Fairy Lake Park Newmarket

There are limited funds for housing and shelters, so it is vital any dollars available be directed to those most in need, and so when our social audit indicates we have mostly men living (and dying) in the streets but the politicians / media are able to instead convince people, without any concrete evidence other than skewed facts otherwise, such as the one they trotted out recently in the Era Banner by someone representing a shelter stating that 3,000 women sought shelters last year here. That's a lie. They are not persons, but CALLS, and if they call the wrong shelter or call back or are told to call somewhere else or to call back later to speak with another - as long as it doesn't result in a placement on any call - each  are counted as different 'people" not receiving shelter. So if someone calls 4 times before getting the the right person or department they are counted as 4 people. The same person can also return dozens of times a year but is counted as separate people. So that stat is a lie too.

Real "Hidden Homeless"

I wonder what that stat would be for the men - but they don't publish that in the Era Banner do they? Perhaps that's why Deborah Kelly who presented the "hidden homeless stats" etc to council, used when they were looking for funds and approval for "Belinda's Place", and who did not print any of our Letters to the Editor against the shelter idea, has been quietly let go from the newspaper as Editor in Chief. I hope so, as you'd think the only grass roots group representing those in poverty would get a voice - descending or not to an Editor's personal aspirations or feelings. Good luck to you!

What isn't a lie is that York Region has only 26 full time beds dedicated to men, with more than 4 times that number ALREADY available to women, yet men make up more than 90% of our street homeless...

TOM out.

You know, I never understood the connection between Belinda Stronach and the proposed homeless single women over age 26 shelter (York Region already has 7 various shelters that take women in despite what's publicized including both Inns from the Cold), and now with the announcement  - simply handing the reigns over to the Salvation Army Religion to run it - I understand even less - being that it's all taxpayer and fund raised money that's paid the way thus far. Some almost $9 million approved so far I might add...and counting. So where's the big connection? How is it that the Belinda Stronach Foundation attached?

It also tells me their committee or board has no grass roots input whatsoever or are far removed from it - certainly none representing those in poverty because none of them would ever agree to a Salvation Army or any Church run shelter from past experience dealing with them, and as well, having any particular Christian based denomination religion outfit dish out care, instead of accountable professionals, is never wise and could be exclusive to certain religious women in need.

Now this woman is grass roots knowledgeable and stayed in shelters in Ontario recently,

York Region male's shelter day program

" The Ontario's civil service says it does not keep homeless records as other provinces, i.e. Population region by region, etc. Those records are strictly "what the municipalities collect" and the information isn't needed by the Province!

Yes, folks, what we have here is a willingness to belittle and obfuscate other people's lives. Fellow citizens, people anyone of us may have lived beside or shared a sand box with, is willing to kill me or you, by the slowest and most torturous method they can - homelessness!

Recently the provincial government split the portfolios for the women and children's shelters from the men's shelters. Why? The division of data makes it harder to know the whole truth, is one reason.

I saw a fifth building with Salvation Army's logo, and wonder how much money Ontario funnels to them, too. The other night I was able to speak with one of the male residents in the local men's shelter.  He told me he pays $640 a month for a room and board. He also said they shut down the detox section of the building, and he's worried they'll shut the whole shelter down." Poetryontv ( woman shelter user)


So whatever happened to accountable York Region Housing's Blue Doors Shelters running it?

And has its namesake Belinda ever even stepped foot in a S.A. shelter or any shelter? I doubt it. Same with everyone tripping over themselves to do fundraisers - and where are they btw for a men's shelter which meets a much higher threshold for actual immediate need according to our own social audit, Behind The Masks, which its reccomendations were endorsed in principle by Y.R. Council, but which was completely ignored by even building this shelter? There certainly was no problem referring to an official plan to change zoning for them.


Excerpts from the 2010 social audit, prior to the new women's shelter build decision:

Male in Newmarket, Behind The Masks, Y.R. Social Audit

I could go back even further to before they built the family shelter (btw they accept women too), which at the time, I reported they already had an existing building suitable to use, but the Region still tore it down citing a construction company report deeming it " too old" and that the foundation couldn't be fixed, yet the men's Porter Place Shelter, which is much older, was deemed fine? They then built a family shelter on the same property nearby. More $.

Even the local Y.R.M.G. media played into the misrepresentation publishing wording that lead people to believe there were no women's shelters in York Region (not true) whatsoever, by reprinting quotes claiming no women's shelter beds existed, or transitional housing, for any single women (also not true - youth shelters up to age 27 took single women as does Cross Links house all qualified single women).

Heck, the mayor of Newmarket ran the his election on it's coat tails quoting the misinformation at every opportunity he could, yet I noticed this past several International Days for the Eradication of Poverty events he couldn't make it - but could make a same day grand opening for a car dealership. At least he's open about what he is. I can almost respect that.

Homeless home eerily still in place after John Fletchers death

It's like everyone wants the glamour part of the slick websites, marketing campaigns, publicity and fundraisers, construction contracts, photo ops and election fodder but as it gets close to the nitty gritty of running this manufactured need ( majority need men still have only 26 full time beds in York Region shelters) it's dished off to someone else to run anyway - regardless what the people who will be using it think. Who need's the clients' input?

What happened to this being a special place with programs and the like designed by the Belinda's Place think tank..and what of all that wonderful collaboration talk we heard about as this was being sold on us all?

A former Newmarket Golden Gloves Boxer died still living here

Well, wear it proud York Region, because you bought it, and I guarantee you this mausoleum shrine you've built to worship whatever it is you blindly worship about Belinda Stronach, will be here long after she's gone for the winter...but..if there is a silver lining in all this - like York Region's housing, which doesn't mandate to provide for Y.R. residents first before those from outside the region, this new shelter will be the same - filled with women not from York Region. That my friends is their self declared 'hidden homeless", hidden out of town!
 

Here's a link to the video Behind, Behind The Masks, showing our politicians and workers are / were working towards making things better.Who knows, maybe they'll get on track yet!

Now we'll wait and see who 'champions" a shelter for men so they don't continue to have to be shipped out away from their families and support services if any and die young or homeless.. Although word up on the street is that Porter Place for Men, YR's only full time men's hostel, recently brought someone in who cares and is making a difference. Of course that's not anywhere near as trendy a sell as women's programs, nor is what is actually needed - which is affordable housing for all.

PACCMan out