Poverty Awareness in York Region

John Taylor and myself Int Day for Eradication of Poverty - I approached him in 2010 on low income home ownership. He showed no interest at the time.  I was surprised to get a call from Era Banner about "Taylor's' initiative.

  Era Banner scribe Chris Traber and I have an odd understanding between each other. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a friendship or even a relationship of any sort, but I guess at times we offer each other something each finds valuable. Still, I respect that he continues to call when I've sometimes criticized stories he's written, as well as the paper itself, but still he allows a bone every now and then for P.A.C.C., unlike it seems many other areas in our local mainstream media family. And besides, he does write the odd effective piece, even if he does slightly misquote me on occasion. Ha. His recent article regarding affordable owned housing options is one of those. Aside from him quoting me as saying the region would qualify potential home owners( it's actually the developer who sets that up) there were only a few other minor discrepancies in what he wrote this time.

I raised the idea of owned condos for low income earners, contained in Y.R.'s social audit , with the Newmarket Mayor - not with the Town of Newmarket as reported by Era - Banners Reporter Chris Traber

   For Traber it's been pretty good though I think. The first time we hooked up, P.A.C.C. offered up some great participants in a series on poverty he wrote called "Below the Line" I believe, and it won a (national?) community newspapers press award with that series or so I read about later after the awards presentations and dinner.  Thing was, I wasn't completely pleased with the focus of that series or the way some people's lives were exposed, as giving their names has always been part of the deal. But I learned an early lesson - that being they don't really care about you or your cause - it's just another story to them.  So I try to protect that now (before sacrificing lambs) by being more protective and aware of people's integrity and dignity within a story and trying to safeguard what's revealed accordingly. I also try to advise people not to say too much (like I tend to!) as reporters will pick bullet points and quotes that relate to their story - and not necessarily your subject's focus of need. The more you say the more disjointed your 'quotes". Now I always ask first off about a story's directed focus before going further.

2011 Fairy Lake, Newmarket - that's not two rocks.

   I was certainly not completely pleased after I served up a homeless father and son on a plate for him - mind you they'd requested it in desperation - for a story resulting with the homeless duo then being thrust out into the public limelight with unrealistic bestowed upon expectations. I had wanted its focus to be on the fact that they needed an affordable place to live together - after which they could concentrate on even thinking about a job - and that our system's shelters keep homeless families apart when their kids reach 18.   

The "kid' asked me then, "I don't want to be the kid that doesn't shower, and where would I do my homework?" as he and his father then lived on the streets - or forest rather - and yes, it was winter.

                                 "Just Get A Job!"

   At the time I'd attempted to get Chris to focus on the critical lack of affordable places to live for single adults (as they were now considered by our social safety net system as opposed to a family) in York Region and that expecting people to work before they have a stable place to lay their heads down was just not feasible.

Homeless dad sits in "living room" of friend who died homeless in 2011

   The results of the story brought a bigger reaction to any they'd (Era Banner) ever done on poverty Chris later revealed when contacting me for a follow up, but it's a shame essential points got missed whilst the attention swirled. There was no real focus on housing in the articles nor on the lack of real men's programs or their instilled revolving streets-to-shelter-to-streets system, and secondly it painted a rosy picture of the twosome's future after invoking an unprecedented outpouring of emotional responses from people wanting to help them out. It was touching, no doubt, but much like food bank donating mentality, these were are not dignified solutions, but rather feel-good gestures that help only short term. People felt moved to do something but didn't know what, so it was a perfect time to tell them, and instead they heard about the wonderful so called job offers etc, when what they really needed to hear about the need for immediate longer term help from our safety-net system for guys in their position. But for the Era-Banner and Chris Traber  it was presented as another happy ending. The photos were great too, with the two smiling alongside piles of reader-donated winter wear,  tents, and food - as they were then living outdoor in winter!  I tried to explain to Chris - through all that love and offers, at the end, they still don't have a place to live together - the reason they were homeless to begin with - and until they get a home cannot follow up anything really so write about that I'd urged.


   Offers of a room for the kid alone in another town, or for both in an obscure out of town rural location where they'd not be able to work or school, or of so-called job offers - one being a solar lights installation course you had to pay to take, but was represented in the article as a job offer - another offer required the dad to be bonded for which he was not able to be and another for a job starting months away with a fourth "job offer" - supposedly from a Tim Horton's of which I was never given a contact name for. So really he had no offers but now instantly, the dad would look to be unwilling to work if he wasn't immediately, his face a familiar sight now from the articles written - and the son too for not opting for room in another town away from his dad for free for awhile. Nice, but not solutions for a desperate family clinging to any shred of togetherness left.
   In the end I was able to 1st get the dad a room to rent and then an almost full time job - enough for a room only type- income. The kid was not able to stay in the rental room as the only one was "allowed", but he sneaked him in on occasion for awhile. I did manage some memorable docu-style video footage in parts though that I feel covered most of the ground I mentioned here - and they have received hundreds of viewings to date.

Writer Chris Traber, left,  visits a homeless camp with Tom Pearson in 2011

   Slowly since, over the past two years now, the streets have hardened and swallowed up this kid. His once vibrant and hopeful eyes now replaced with bitterness and the cloud of substance. His frustrated and ailing father, after initially succeeding and loving his new life with his job cleaning buildings with the hopes of obtaining a home for his son, increasingly slipped to drink again as he anguished over the boy's now ingrained habit of hanging amongst younger shelter dwellers, and in alleys he'd hoped to keep him out of.

   So when Chris called this time I asked what the focus was and it was for my opinion as P.A.C.C. chair on the models for owned affordable housing that Newmarket Regional Councilor John Taylor had co-chaired, I just shook my head in dismay. At first I felt a little embarrassed, not even knowing about such a symposium and then hearing one of the very developers I'd spoke to them about, Michel Labbe of Options for Homes which had apparently been developing successful models of mixed income condos, was part of their presentation. It irked me that not only was P.A.C.C. or the social audit getting any mention in this "innovative idea" but seemingly did not rate an even an invite for input as the Region's Grassroots voice for those in low income positions. Time and time again this region makes the mistake of leaving out the grassroots voice of these issues who can help shape systems that work and are more dignified and realistic.

                                     Above Video PACC's Multicultural Road Hockey Program

    I attended a Canada-wide poverty conference a few years back in Montreal where I heard that the best programs that actually worked were the ones that had grassroots origins. Who betters knows what a community needs than the people in those communities they asked? A presenter cited a poor neighbourhood (possibly St Dennis) in Montreal, where within its boundaries lay a warehouse where Cirque Du Soleil made their stage sets. Working from that, they approached the Cirque people about a work program for locals which turned into great careers for some building show sets, enabled hope for the community and provided good jobs close to their homes

   Here at home, one needs only to look at P.A.C.C.'s influence and model in helping form Operation Sparrow which places kids into mainstream activities - without parents going through embarrassing face to face meetings, eliminating any unneeded private info sharing, and included transportation options for all the kids - all P.A.C.C. influences - which I personally chaired the non- profit for 4 years, and PACCer co-chair Kristine Carbis also sat for several years on the board. Anyone who applied then will tell you that program was designed as the best and most dignified of any out there - bar none.Or our road hockey program free to all kids and now running 10 years!

   When I'd discussed the idea of owned mixed housing condos in York Region with Michel Labbe the Executive from non-profit group "options for Homes I'd communicated with about presenting here if I could arrange it he told me at that time the problem was getting the regional governments to part with the land for it. Labbe was one of the presenters at the 'affordable housing symposium" Taylor hosted.

   I subsequently mentioned this and the idea verbally to John Taylor during that 2010 social audit as he participated in the politicians portion, and again in November 2011 during the "Poverty Free Ontario" launch from The York Region Food Network and at least once to Mayor Van Bynen - but not to the town of Newmarket as Chris Traber wrote that I'd said. Neither party responded at the time at all nor showed any interest in pursuing it. The idea for affordable owned condos in a mixed income community that includes qualifying those who would not other wise qualify for a mortgage through the nonprofit developers was then inked into the social audit - which by the way I speak of is of course"Behind the Masks" testimonials from those marginalized by income a comprehensive, in depth cross section look, at York Region's low income issues, which took months to prepare a ( I co-authored it) report from the data, after which the Regional Council adopted its recommendations as representative of the Region to the Ontario government.

    I assumed if Regional Council read it and believed in it, as they endorsed it, and that we'd hear from them to discuss some of the mentioned solutions and ideas but other than a few obscure path crossings P.A.C.C. has pretty much been left out of any processes since. Whatever happened to all that fancy " collaboration" talk we heard so much about with fanfare last year? Oh, that's right, I had to crash that event too to hear that message Ha. No problem, plod on we go.

   But for Taylor to act as "lead" in this innovative idea ( that I personally first raised with him and Newmarket Mayor Tony Van Bynen in 2010 and which its literally contained as my quote contained on page 64 of the 2010 York Region ONLY EVER Social Audit - Behind the Masks testimonials from those marginalized by income - that they both endorsed as regional council members.
  Here's is a quote from my recommendations in the social audit report as received by the Region in 2012 under


"Social housing is not the only solution. New housing that includes rental town homes and apartments and low income ownership models can also be pursued and included in any town / regional planning. A developer offering low income condo units mixed regular cost units approached me with this idea, yet to date, I can't seem to garner any interest from politicians or land owners. They recently successfully launched a similar model in Ottawa, making a percentage of units available to those who would not normally qualify financially for ownership.With developers who are willing to take this kind of approach, innovative solutions such as these can be implemented. Should the regional or municipal governments have an interest, a presentation can be arranged."Tom Pearson

  Obviously it was eventually. But without us..

 I suggest Councilor Taylor and company actually read that audit as it contains some more solutions - like the Talk2one messaging system for homeless people putting them in homes and jobs - another service we first introduced here once including Taylor's Neighbourhood Network / Habitat for Humanity attached dad - having brought the company reps here to present twice, but there was no interest they had said. I pitched the idea to the Region of York too not just via deputation of the social audit entry to council, but personally recommended it to Commissioner Adelina Urbanski during a meeting with her after the Comissioner had newly arrived to the post as PACC had been offering the service on a limited basis and were trying to get them on-board. Now, as I understand, Talk2One is to be launched via the regionally funded " Housing Help Program".I Heard about that through the grapevine too.
  One of my biggest fears of helping collaborate on the social audit, was that there was no guarantee that people opening up to strangers would have an affect and they partcipated because they believed in us. I don't want that unspoken promise to be broken to them, and to that end will be launching a documentary soon to commemorate the social audit. It contains live excerpts from participants including politicians, workers, and those with lived experience including powerful testimonials.

  To date, we hear little on any of the great ideas and initiatives contained in the Y.R. Social Audit and when we do it's second hand - like when Reporter Traber calling me to ask what I thought of "Taylors idea". Ha.

  I'll invite Councilor Taylor to Oct 17 International Day for The Eradication of Poverty at a forum to discuss this idea and other audit contained ideas that they have yet to discover, but I'll tell you what, we weren't paid one penny for the hundreds of hours PACCERS put out into helping produce York Region's social audit and frankly the people represented expect action , not lip service, and so do we.  Our time is valuable.

   Next time out there will be a consultants fee if they want our help, as frankly we're tired of being treated with disrespect, when our track record of community diligence and success suggests we should be valued and listened to.

You can work with us, or work against us all, it's your choice.

Tom Pearson