Election Observations and Related Banter

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                 Above York Region's break down of spending. Below Queen of The Food Banks
The Poverty Free Ontario campaign kicked off across Ontario Sept 23 with a number of areas garnering media and MPP attention, a good start to a campaign tailor- made for this upcoming Oct 6 provincial election.That being said, the coverage in local papers was rather vague about what the actual launch / campaign is, leaving readers believing some wonderful poverty reduction headway has already been made here in York Region, which it has not.It also misrepresented my point as I agreed only that York Region needs to work more collaboratively and less in silos - not that a good job has been done as it reads.

In my travels over the summer, what I have found are numerous(mostly) men living on the streets, in forests, or on the fringes and on couches or rooms often immersed in dangerous environments around dangerous people, and with affordable vacancy availabilities so low it's pitting groups of young people and old alike against each other for anything affordable, wreaking havoc in  low income communities.In Edmonton of the 38 murders in 2011 an astounding 20 were people who had been in hostels or homeless! That is danger my friends...and we have the same atmosphere brewing here where these men deserve a safe affordable choice too. Isn't murder and assault abuse? These men have no abuse shelters to flee to..Being killed, assaulted or recruited on the street is their option for housing or shelter after their 6 weeks maximum shelter stays are up? And that's if they are lucky enough to get one of only 25 beds for single men in the entire York Region. Men make up 90% of our homeless yet soon less than 20% of all available shelter beds here. Having to defend from often deranged or dangerous types because of lack of choice, that's fair? Or check into a place where a fellow patron who may not like you is checking their weapon out when you're booted in the morning? An otherwise meek homeless person could be terrorized into doing crimes or joining gangs he or she would not normally under such conditions, or worse yet, killed. Statistically men are murdered and assaulted far more than any grouping including women and children. Men too need homes and safety nets to survive! But that's okay they're men... they can handle it...Right.

Yesterday I came across a guy who receives ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) as his financial support who must rent out a room in his 2 bedroom apartment to get by. This is typical because they don't give enough $ to afford your own apartment. When the "roomee" couldn't make rent (again), he had to scrounge to find it, and asked the guy to leave in order to get someone else who could pay. This was not the first time this scenario has played out for the single ODSPer. Generally the tenant hasn't paid because he can't and then will become homeless, which they HATE SHELTERS. At this point guys get desperate and did so here, returning with 5 men who forcibly made the owner wait outside whilst they destroyed his place and re-broke his already broken foot. His new "roomee" returned to the destruction just after they'd gone - dishes smashed, furniture wrecked, his bike(transportation) spokes all broken and tossed out the 2nd floor window. Upset, he grabbed a kitchen knife and went downstairs to warn these younger thugs not to come back. He was then charged.The 5 men were not arrested with the owner being too afraid to say anything.

I'm not going to say that if we had enough SAFE, affordable housing and some affective programs to help these men, that these crimes wouldn't have happened - or actually yes I am - if we did, we likely wouldn't have had this scenario play out, which fell short this time of any casualties. Not so lucky for the 20 homeless connected murdered this year in Edmonton.

I was astounded to hear that some of our York Region shelters - including Sandgate Woman's Shelter, Inn From The Cold and the Youth Shelters (single men and SINGLE women up to age 26) as well - allow guests to check weapons in and out when they leave. Our shelters allow a person to bring a gun as long as they check it in and get it when they get out..Wha-a-a-at!!? I wonder if the proposed new women's shelter will allow this practice? ...and where will these homeless women come from? Mark my words, like the subsidized housing here in York Region where we Ship people(mostly families) in from outside York Region currently, they'll have to do the same for in-the-works Belinda's Place Shelter, because frankly we don't have enough women homeless in YR to fill it, despite all the sound bites of false information (STATS BASED ON # OF PHONE CALLS, NOT BODIES) our local papers and politicians keep spouting. Good luck housing them after their 6 weeks are up though, since we have no housing for them, same as the men - although I heard there are transitional homes proposed for some single women as well. There is none for men in York Region whatsoever.I may sound like a broken record at times but I will keep on writing the facts because I despise bullshit...and should I continue to see and hear false or misleading stats or info in our media or from our politicians I will continue to point it out even when obvious...Like we need more affordable housing for all singles, all ages, all sexes....Speaking of stats the same Era Banner reported last Sunday that there was an "unexpected" drop in YR shelter use this year. Well here we go again, because it should have been expected with the opening of the new family shelter which should have (and obviously did) taken some of the load away from the women's various shelters resulting in less bodies per. 
There is absolutely no doubt that with the least amount of rentals stock to begin with IN CANADA (under 12%), that York Region is lacking (affordable) places for residents to live, and as the cost of living surpasses wage and income increases, the situation is being exasperated. Building affordable units should be built into the region's official plan but is not.. Why? Because they think it's easier (and cheaper) to build shelters that are only for temporary stays. Wrong.

Build affordable homes, not jails, to reduce crime, poverty, and homelessness.

SIGN WARS!!
I noticed when I first went out after signs were up that all the NDP signs in my area seemed knocked over or perhaps poorly placed but I had my doubts...next time out the Conservative signs seemed knocked over and after which I read something in the papers about this sign wrecking being a "crime"..and only mentioned Conservative signs..hmmm...then we had our own sign launch as well as POVERTY FREE ONTARIO signs and lawns signs went out...but I noticed the ones I placed at strategic locations are....Gone! Hmmm.. someone is afraid of poverty....I also found out that a certain party routinely break the sign placement laws by placing them too close to corners and bus shelters etc...I've noticed the blatant disregard every election...how come illegal sign placement is not a "crime"!?

This Video was made by..Disgruntled York Region Food Bank Volunteers who want to retire!
http://youtu.be/lC2y8vnVFkI

This Original Video Depicts problems low income kids face in York Region and Ontario
http://www.youtu.be/7FlNrLIInlk

Tom out!

Close The Food Banks

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YR Police have told Outreach workers not to give tents out to the homeless and slit holes in any they find in a new "policy" it would seem, trying to force people into unhealthy often dangerous environments against their wishes.
The Wild Flowers Cafe at 225 Main St S in Newmarket Ontario will house a combination Open Stage Fundraiser and Youth education award presentation Fri Sept 23 from 7PM - 9:30 PM. Musicians and singers/players welcome. Also featuring TP Entertainment presents..., Khryme Syndicate, Dulcimer Head, Fred Joly...more TBA. Proceeds to PACC.

With such a catchy heading I suppose you're expecting another well meaning but off-base rant from me about the evils of food banks and that we should close them...something the average person might not even fathom as a possibility..." How could we possibly exist without food-banks!?"... I can hear the incredulous cries now, but hey, this isn't even my idea...it came from a group of mostly, or almost seniors, who have been (wo)manning food banks as volunteers in York Region for the past 20 years, and are tired of watching people suffer the indignity of it for little food in the big scheme of things. People need much more than food banks can possibly provide, and healthier, and they know it, and face the frustration of that directly from people in dire need. So who knows better? Who better to have seen how demoralized and undignified the food bank system makes people feel than its volunteers? If they say it's wrong there must be a ring to it. So what does a group of frustrated food bank volunteers do about it? Why sing of course!

"50 Ways To Close The Food Banks" was spearheaded by York Region Food Networker, Yvonne Kelly, who approached the food bank volunteers originally to meet, but later evolving into their desire to do a sort of protest song designed to send a message to politicians and the public, that food banks are not an answer. They, in fact, were started as a temporary measure in the 1970's and were expected to last a few weeks but have now become ingrained as part of the food security network. This perception of it helping is terribly misguided.

The biggest downfall to food banks, besides the fact that they are perceived to solve the problem by some and are not a dignified means to receive a basic need or that locations can be hard to access, is the fact that most do not include any fresh or healthy foods and provide rations for only 3 day a month. Why bother? Just give them more money in whichever capacity that needs to be and let them buy food they actually like... themselves! Egads! They don't need a food depot and we especially don't need to maintain them in order to keep volunteers or donors happy. There's plenty of room on the shelter band wagons for anyone interested in that.

At any rate somehow I got pulled into the heap and agreed to make a video recording of the group - aptly named Freedom 95...The Table-Knacker Choir! Hopefully I can release it soon.


Homeless Need Homes, Jobs not Shelters

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"House of Hope" in final stages of renovations much done by paid homeless and at-risk workers. Volunteer tradesmen helped organize the crews.
A minimum wage worker working full time in Ontario makes $1,000 below the poverty line.
Former Golden Glove boxer John Fletcher lived here. He died in June homeless.
Ed sits on Fletch's former "couch" in his former "apartment" behind a donut shop in Newmarket.

What a disappointment our media here(York Region) is and predictable too. For that reason I have no excuse for setting up a formerly homeless person to be interviewed by the papers in hopes it might spark offers of work for him. I knew better if I was really honest with myself, but instead I delivered him to the slaughter. Have I finally become what I despise? Someone or something that uses the plights of others to further their own personal agendas?

Not that the article was that hard hitting on (sic)except that it humiliated him amongst his street friends. He had also asked that his former boss not be named, yet Chris Traber the Era Banner Reporter printed it anyway. In addition he wrote the story without even coming out personally to meet him, instead sending a photographer/videographer alone who informed me the story was already written. I controlled (asked) the questions put to him for the YRMG video, so it at least hit hard on some points - providing they didn't sensor, I mean edit it to death - instead of what this article turned into, which was a poster for propping up the shelters. We were very clear this was to be about next steps for the homeless and not another commercial for the local shelters. Thanks to our efforts last year in the media and beyond, the York Region shelters did well with donations and got extended to 7 days from 5 at Inn from the Cold, yet we've never heard a word from those running them ..I don't know maybe to say thanks or invite us to something?

YRMG Writer Traber had contacted me originally seeking a story and pic of homeless people and how they deal with insects etc in the summer living outdoors, but I wasn't going to work too hard on that storyline as I didn't feel it compelling enough to be asking someone to expose themselves publicly. I informed him that since the last article we set them up with (winter), some of those guys that were homeless we've now gotten jobs in some cases, places to live, given phone numbers through which they've been enabled, trained for work and on, and so asked can we not do a story that spoke about these things that PACC has been involved in? Real difference making via trying to get people back into the loop of life instead of focusing on shelters (again). THESE PEOPLE HATE LIVING IN THEM I(we) told the writer but that never got printed. Nothing against writing about shelters but this was not their time. Why not touch on assisting people out of them?

I mentioned to the writer and photographer that a former local golden glove boxer John Fletcher who lived on the streets had died in June homeless, and that his story would make a great piece about a former champion boxer who became an alcoholic and who'd had a wife and 3 kids and a house which he gave her when he moved to the streets. He was well known and lived behind the Tim Horton's Plaza at Davis and Leslie where his stuff still lies - his can for cigarette butts untouched and filled with water and his bench and green tarp makeshift tent still in place. The street guys tell me no one goes there anymore since he died, his home left intact as a tribute to his memory almost, his presence eerily looming. He was dead 6 days before they found him. This was a story! I offered the photographer to go right across the street from where we were to take some shots of his former "home" but he declined - instead opting for the beer store "money shot" of our hapless victim toting recycled cans he collects for money while unemployed. As Old John Fletcher would say, " It's 60/40 for the good guys."

Even the quote attributed to me does not even resemble what I said regarding contract work - my quote should have read, " What ever happened to people getting a job with a company and that was their job, instead of constantly having to work around contracts which can end at anytime. People need full time sustainable work." as the photoed subject person had lost his contract job (PACC got him it, also left out of the article) after 7 months - but making barely minimum wage and then not qualifying for EI makes one vulnerable to homelessness. This could have been their other focus, but no, it was determined to follow it's script to the end, homeless person be damned.

The facts are wrong too - first they quote provincial election candidate Christina Bisanz as apparently having " first hand experience" from her volunteer work at Belinda's Place - a women's shelter that is not even open yet! - and then claims we have no shelter beds for single women in York Region whatsoever and that we turned away 500 last year from getting shelter. Funny, an earlier issue of the same Era-Banner stated that it was 220 women, but nevertheless what they leave out is the fact that its not 500 or even 220 at all, in fact the same person(s) calling an abuse shelter mistakenly and who then gets referred to a youth shelter or a family shelter etc would still get counted as someone refused shelter in these stats. In addition, the same people calling numerous times throughout the year are treated as different people artificially skewing the numbers. Mark my words the women they get will be shipped here from outside York Region. The same article had stated over 1200 men were refused. No shelter calls for them. They want homes not shelters anyway.

Ms. Bisanz also seems unaware York Region has INN From The Cold as well as OUT of the Cold which both house single women, and the youth shelters for single women up to 26 years also count I would think? Most others are picked up by the various women's abuse or family shelter categories, leaving the men -with a mere 25 full time bed in the entire York Region - by far the most in need. No mention of that in the article or from publicity seeking Bisanz. No quotes from happy shelter dwellers either, just all the owners and 'volunteers".

The article finishes with a bang quoting Frank Klees that poverty needs real attention and stating that it is "definitely an issue for the election." Who is he kidding? He did nothing to contribute to the square-table on poverty but spout " just give them a job", and has sat face to face with myself and many others looking for ways for people to get out from the misery of poverty - from those in wheel-chairs, to those with (mental)health issues, low income workers, single parents, cancer survivors and on we brought before him ,yet MPP Klees' only concession was to agree it would be hard to live on the income one gets from welfare while supporting the humiliating use of food stamps to assist. This would be his solution. Of course no word back from his camp yet on their thoughts on the Poverty Free Ontario Platform. His " just give them a job" solution doesn't even guarantee one from poverty here anymore. That's how far we've digressed.

Nope, and the York Region Media Group article couldn't have bothered to mention PACC and detail some of efforts we've made in the community perhaps or maybe mention the fact we hosted and organized the region's 1st ever social audit in history as well as co-authored the report (Behind The Masks) or that we organized the 1st ever anti-poverty "protest", or some bone for us. We've never had a story focus of any kind, yet served them award winners on a plate and even while offering real proof of making a difference still no fluffy story about us like everyone else gets ...yet still we plod on... with no government funding... and meantime the article listed organizations pretending to offer non-existing counselling and "housing support" and who received several hundred of thousands of dollars recently to place people into nowhere - as there is no affordable housing available!..while leaving source PACC's contact info out of it! Thanks! Geez, we could open the " House of Hope" with affordable units and in-house REAL supports with job skills training for only $50,000, and then sustained it by running it as having also a built-in business with some newly trained paid workers living there...had I been able to get some attention to a story on it and maybe a fundraiser ...I've asked about it but nothing to date ...and yet the Hoedown gets 6 weeks of promos everywhere you turn!...or money from the Region. Ha.

But it was I who gambled that man's integrity, and for that I'm no better than the newspaper people. Shame on me. Perhaps I've lost my way and am not fit to lead anymore.

PACC will be hosting an evening of open Stage Entertainment and handing out a $1,000 youth education award on Friday Sept 23 at Wild Flowers Cafe om Newmarkets (225) Main St South. Proceeds to PACC. 7 pm - 9:30 pm. Voluntary cover charge. Entertainers welcome. Feature Acts include Bestov Elvis, Singer/composer/guitarist Fred Joly, Rapper Sensations Khryme Syndicate!

Powerful PACC Production....Pictorial Reminder


Tom out

PACC for a Poverty Free Ontario

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Poverty Action for Change Coalition's Vice Chair Kristine Carbis outside PFO launch
Professor Marvin Novick and Peter Clutterbuck at a recent Poverty Free Ontario introduction
PACC Chair & PFO booster Tom Pearson with social assistance review Commissioner Sheikh

Tom-A-Talk
A Poverty Action For Change - PACC - Blog Report
Well the summer started with a bang until the sky started falling. First I lost my phone for a week, and many contacts permanently, when a Viva bus inadvertently ran over my cell phone…it’s a long story... I did resist reaching to grab for it despite a few seconds window and my cheap Scottish instincts rooting me on. Suffice to say, inconvenience would be an understatement as I try to conduct business mostly on this phone. At any rate I got another after shelling out way too much $ while also deciding to check out a new provider which has since suspended my service twice as I struggled to set up payments with them…it didn’t help that my bank paid the wrong account…Imagine not having a phone though? Many don’t and PACC has been distributing phone numbers to those without phones since March thereby enabling at-risk families and homeless individuals into homes, jobs, keep consistent contact for appointments with doctors and social workers etc, and take and receive messages 24/7. Next my computer went wonky so I wasn’t receiving emails for 2-3 weeks...imagine not having access to email or internet ever? Many don’t.
I travel the York Region transit system often and have noticed that in their quest to save money YRT have quietly (again) begun to cut service to isolated areas often containing low income residents, such as Newmarket’s route 53 bus to Bathurst St. which now stops running northbound from Yonge St around 8:30 pm, so kids working jobs to further their educations, and parents struggling to survive better hope they work 9-5 hours locally to allow them time for shopping, appointments or activities after they get home. Too bad that even if they get a job at the big local mall to pay for a bus pass there is no bus now for them to get home like there was previously as the mall closes at 9:00 pm ... and since the town raised taxi rates last year during the recession (poor people without cars mostly take cabs), giving away an hours pay from a part time job just to get home doesn’t make any sense either, when you may only get a 3 or 4 hour shift and may have to pay a babysitter. It’s bad enough this service runs every hour most times, but stopping service to these areas at such an early hour to a location that’s a 50 minute summertime walk to a grocery store or high school, is hurting people’s ability to survive and further isolates and marginalizes people. This bus service doesn’t even start early enough to get someone to work by 7 or 7:30 am need be – locally! – and connections often leave one waiting a half hour or an hour leading to some local trips taking two hours to travel a 15 minute vehicle ride while hourly only service from Fairy Lake / Main Street Newmarket stops at 8:30 pm. Ridiculous. So much for the new downtown renovations being for everyone to enjoy.
I was never more frustrated than the other day. As I struggled to make an appointment on a very hot afternoon my bus pulled in as my connecting bus was in the bay waiting already. "Great!” I thought, “Perfect timing!” But, alas, there was no spot for my bus to pull in right away and as it waited it circled the building once again before finally docking just as my connecting bus pulled out....running just once an hour! These are the reasons their YRT ridership is low on these local routes – terrible service (although increased Viva usage on main routes has helped skew the stats)! ......Keeping with the transit talk the local high-school claims the same neighbourhood is .1 km out of busing range – therefore making those kids walk or pay for transit at $80 per month - oh, and incidentally, of course increase YRT ridership with this ‘arrangement”. How people are expected to rise up out of circumstances when they are burdened with not even being able to consistently travel to work or school is a travesty and frankly a mystery as to why we’ve got this “system”. Many just quit…life or school.
In 2010, PACC in cooperation with the YRDSB, assisted some of these kids expected to walk by supplying free back-packs. PACC identified several areas where students are burdened with lengthy high school walks from isolated low and mixed income neighbourhoods. PACC Vice- Chair Kristine Carbis is currently negotiating another PACC to School program now for 2011. It’s not a bus but the wheels are turning!
I point these things out because it seems no one else (media) does. We always get a pretty picture painted it seems in our local media of all our regional run stuff here in good old York Region, and we’re told how we need all these beautiful new shelters when what we really need is more affordable housing for everyone, and especially singles, since we boast the lowest rental availability rates in the entire country! It is often men here who mostly (90%) end up truly homeless and living on the streets and who ironically have the least amount of shelter beds available to them - while being expected to ward off violent assaults, "druggies", disease, winter conditions, find jobs, housing, and access the system with few supports - unlike all other categories for people we create to decide who is more worthy of helping out…and god only help these men should they have missed a child support payment somewhere through it all because they’ll likely be denied financial assistance, or be jailed, or suffer a loss of their drivers licenses should they own one despite any circumstances. Circumstances we often help create and then exasperate in our rush to 'make someone pay".
Some of those connected with the Poverty Free Ontario campaign from across the province attended in person and on the phone last Friday, along with social service review Commissioners Francis Lankin and Munir Sheikh. Lead by PFO's Peter Clutterbuck the meeting was set up in order to express PFO’s mission, to influence the Commissioners and to make some asks such as would they make short-term recommendations prior to the election?... which I asked for... and which they politely turned down citing the need to remain non-partisan in an election year. My hope was to also have the Commissioners create a sense of urgency, in short supply with all these government bodies it seems, and I informed the Commissioners that York Region - with winter coming and only 25 full time beds for men in a population of 1.1 million (Y.R.) - could benefit from a resident influencing statement from them acknowledging the vastness and importance of this real problem (poverty) - believing such a statement may assist people to decide who to vote for - but t’was not to be… although the meeting was very productive, as I believe we assisted the Commissioners through providing clear, concise ideas and 1st hand testimonials, and as well garnered their interest to receive more statistical and practical information for their peruse to assist towards recommendations of change. Commissioner Lankin particularly liked the framing of a term put forward by PFO’s Professor Marvin Novick when he said during his time to address – “People need to be able to earn their way out of poverty” but I’d take that one step further, based on my experience and from our own PACC hosted (ISARC) social audit, and say that “People WANT to earn their way out of poverty.”
Other PFO target points included unveiling the plan to virtually eliminate poverty in Ontario – like some Scandinavian and Nordic countries have accomplished with much fewer resources. Reducing poverty to 4%, as opposed to the over 10% we have now, meets this goal and the plan outlines how this can be accomplished through various adjustments including minimum wage and social service increases and carry-over benefits that cover low income workers. If you’d like to be more informed about the Poverty Free Ontario campaign or see how you can become involved click on through! A “reverse” election campaign with lawn signs will commence this Sept 15 via a province wide release for those interested! Order PFO signs and buttons through your local organizations or PFO for 25 cents a piece or through me at $1 each to help PACC survive. Signs run $2.42 per unit with metal legs for18” x 12” footers. Larger lawn signs available as well.
Speaking of survival, I received a call from a very perturbed long time PACC mom struggling to keep a roof over her head as she wrestles with red tape, income woes, rent arrears, and being refused help from welfare for making too much money - even though her total work income including child support is less than $1,000 per month. Complicating her case seems to be having two teenagers, one who just graduated high-school and is now 18, which seems to always freeze our social safety-net “system”. Usually everyone gets denied any benefits regardless of situation these days, perhaps to weed out the weak, and then has to fight for basic rights to survive. This stressed out mom is also in the middle of horrific work conditions, dictated by an empowered abusive female supervisor who seems to have a cozy after-hours relationship with male management to the point where the workers are afraid to say anything in fear of losing their jobs - as one long time employee did for speaking up. Meantime, the unchecked supervisor gains even more strength to wreak havoc with abusive conduct towards her subordinates, while complaints about her are met with threats on their jobs or a reduction of hours.
A doctor’s note explaining this PACCers medical condition asking for retraining (desk) and a move to a later start time have been ignored as well she tells me and ultimately they will use her “tardiness” against her despite the Doc's letters. As I listened to her plight and the desperation she feels regarding the degrading conditions in her work place, I advised her to take videos and contact the labour board. I began to realize that this is why and how things get started - with someone who’s just had enough and has nothing left to lose. I asked about a union. While some of their shop is unionized, some workers in this large company are not, and the caller wondered about starting one? She's shared in the past that she has always spoken up for peoples rights, even in her native Guyana before coming to Canada and having kids here, and that she will fight for her rights and the rights of her co-workers and her fired friend – who by all accounts was a well liked supervisor when let go for frivolous reasons. Her co-workers are interested to start one as well but afraid of being fired. I promised her I’d spread the word to help her start a union in her workplace, and so this is what I’ve done here!
Here’s a fun original video with some important messages as Bumbling Brit Reporter Thompson Williams is still Stuck In Canada Day 49
Tom Out!

PACC Crashes Party... er meeting ...Making Ends Meet in York Region

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A snapshot look at York Region's breakdown as presented in Feb 2011
PACC has literally put homeless and at risk persons to paid work at the "House of Hope", an affordable housing prospect attached to built-in supports initiatives already running and now "hoping" to raise funds to open doors in Sept 2011
Men's shelter bed are critically low in York Region yet there are still no plans to help them
York Region was exposed as having little affordable housing affecting our vulnerable in winter
Newly announced Newmarket/Aurora provincial NDP candidate Robin Wardlaw at a recent " Do The Math" meeting

I'd received an e-mail regarding a presentation of a new collaborative initiative being put forward by the Human Services Planning Board called, "Making Ends Meet in York Region" and had decided to check it out... only to discover...I wasn't expected! Yikes! Likely the message had come from another group PACC stays in the loop with called the Forum for Children, Youth and their Families in York Region, and meant sent to me as information about the upcoming launch of this initiative but not as an invite, per say, to the presentation... C' est la vie! Surprise! I'm staying now...(awkward silence)! I guess it was one way to forge closer ties! Ha!

It did give me a chance to meet with the York Region presenter to mention some "solutions" directly to as well as meet Kirsten Eastwood Executive Director of the Women's Centre of York Region, Janice Chu Director of Community Investment United Way York Region and Dino Basso York Region's Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and Administration among some. Introductions were quickly made around the table and the presentation commenced - of which a copy on " memory stick" was made available in the "kits" everyone received to assist in launching, " Making Ends Meet" in York Region.

The idea, I think, was that in order to maximize participation levels, numerous organizational Chairs and E.D.'s endorse "Making Ends Meet" in advance of asking agencies to participate in this data collecting/solutions based exercise, which by design, receives input from agencies and community groups which is then entered into their computers. This "data" is compiled, deduced, and calculated, hopefully spitting out focused solutions in the end! Sound simple? Complicated? It does sound like more of that " collaborative" talk - with an electronic twist - that was the buzz lingo of last week....before that it was 'silos". Of course under the right setting and circumstances, and starting with such an impressive list of endorsing organizational heads, this may actually prove a useful exercise and anyway I figure if Y.R.'s newish Commissioner Adelina Urbanski backs it then it's likely well planned, as the Commish has proved efficient and forward thinking during her short tenure thus far.

I inquired as to why they chose the before tax amount of income to decide the " low income cut-off" threshold for it's purposes and not the after tax amount, and Mr. Basso was quick to point out that a difference of $2,000 per year could be deemed a significant amount to some. He's very right. Off the stats sheet provided with the Making Ends Meet launch kits I read that a single person in York Region would be considered at the low-income cut-off mark when making $19, 144 per year - wherein someone receiving social assistance could be receiving about $11,000 less than that. Tough to do in York Region or anywhere, but of course those rates are set out by the provincial government and out of the Region of York's control - yet available GTA pooled, and other funds can be used to assist we feel.

These millions of dollars in returning "pooling dollars" were revenues successfully lobbied back to the Region from Toronto some years ago by numerous " collaborating" organizations on the guise they were needed for our own social service costs, yet Y.R. has consistently used major portions of it to pay down debt and pay infrastructure costs instead. Not really fair to those lobbying groups and residents I'd say. This part IS a regional (council) responsibility and when I see the immaculate lawns of these magnificent structures we house our government workers in, one has to wonder about our society's priorities when pretty lawns trump giving someone food and shelter with dignity. An alien visiting earth would be confused methinks, but this is our societal "norm".

From the Making Ends Meet literature I read that in addition to having one of if not the lowest rental housing stock availability rates per capita in all Canada (with only 12% of all available housing stock as such), in 2006, 57.3% of low and "moderate income residents" had post secondary education certificates, diplomas or degrees, that the majority of of low and moderate income earners also worked during the year, and that 35% of moderate income residents spent between 30-50% of their earnings on housing - 71% of low income residents did the same. This means having an education in York Region does not necessarily mean you will be out of poverty. This data backs a recent U.K. study that also showed having an education or a job does not guarantee one can live above the poverty line, but the available local jobs / pay rates and conditions do. So a job is no guarantee against living in poverty in other words.One is actually considered "at risk" of becoming homeless when you pay more than 30% or your income on housing costs. Gulp.

At any rate I raised desire for quicker action, citing homeless men in our forests in winter as an example of obvious needed changes that don't need "data" or further 'study", and as well pointed to Behind the Masks - testimonials from those marginalized by income - York Region's first ever social audit and one the Region has adopted already, as containing many suggested "solutions", conveying my hopes that it was / would be consulted as well. The Region looks to receive input from as many organizations( in York Region) as possible and is asking participating agencies and organizations to start promoting it by displaying their "Statement of Endorsement" certificates in-house also included in the "kits". Each participating organization then inputs specific data and ideas on easy to use computer entry-ware!

Ready set....go!

Deadline for submitting solutions is October 6 2011.

Watch for the Official Making Ends Meet in York Region Launch June 21 in Markham.

....And it was nice to have been able to meet everyone that I did, although somewhat haphazardly, and was great to chat a little with the Women's Centre of York Region's Executive Director to throw some thoughts to her about the House of Hope/men's centre idea and as well mentioned our pilot PACC /TALK 2 ONE " project wherein we distribute free phone numbers /24/7 message service" for at risk and homeless persons - as some women in need would benefit by being able to leave a "safe" contact number where they can be left private messages either by workers, jobs, or housing providers where only they have access to their messages. This is a service I hope to convince the Region to pick up, as it will assist numerous people across many sectors and can be used to collect important data. I also spoke a little about how we've been placing persons at risk and others into jobs and training some others to be skilled, which the E.D. told me the Women's Centre was starting to look at similar ideas with more private enterprise involvement, offering to share any experiences she's had already. Hmm... maybe there's something to this 'collaborating " thingy after all!
I do know our "Do the Math" collaborative group was interested too and looking to learn more
about "Making Ends Meet in York Region."

Meantime PACC's Vice-Chair Kristine Carbis was able to attend the East Gwillumbury Accessibility Council input meeting, where she heard they await a report being tabled by Charles Beer, who was one of the Rapporteurs of the PACC hosted, ISARC guided social audit "Behind The Masks", and which also featured Speaker David Lepofski who's famous for having audio announcements on public transportation made mandatory under the law. Not bad action from an organization that refuses government funding. Lepofski finished with this,

"Know the three rules of advocacy. 1) Know exactly what you want 2) scream as loud as you can 3) scream until you get it!" Ha!

And speaking of advocacy, Robin Wardlaw, formerly known as Rev Wardlaw of Trinity United Church, has been officially nominated as the provincial NDP candidate for the Newmarket / Aurora riding for the upcoming fall election. I know Robin well from attending some of PACC's various initiatives as a socially conscious pastor including for the Put Food in the Budget campaign, as well a supporter for years of the Oct 17, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty held at Newmarket's Fairy Lake Park, and as a Reverend also worked with me to get a homeless father and son situated (see video) as he's always been a vocal supporter for people's rights, especially the vulnerable. Robin Wardlaw is most certainly a man of good character and I believe a man of principles - something rare in politics these days I find.
God only knows. Oops, sorry Rev..er Robin..old habit! Not that habit! There I go again! Doh!

Well..folks..That's it! Watch for the next action from Poverty Free Ontario including lawn signs..coming soon to an electoral district near you! Next PFO meeting June 20

Next PACC meeting Wed June 22 - TBA time/place

Now..Enjoy Part 2 of Homeless in York Region

Tom out!





Working Poor, the new "sexy"

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Aurora Public Library home of June 7th's York Region Poverty Free Ontario presentation
York Region draws modest turnout to a stellar presentation
Hey..the fresh coffee was great and fair trade product
Dennis Bailey, Legal Clinic of YR Director (above left) engages YR Councillor John Taylor at Poverty Free Ontario presentation held at the Aurora Public Library. Poverty Free Ontario has a mission to eradicate, not reduce, poverty.


Poverty Free Ontario Presenter Professeur Marvin Novick engages afterward PACC's Deedra dropped in and high fived me..okay maybe it was a slap! Ha!

Someone asked me at a fundraiser for Edward and Damian, what it was that I had meant in a video where I'd said volunteering at a homeless shelter was "sexy". The two guys' names I refer to were a once homeless father and son who had found themselves by circumstance homeless and living in the forest in winter. The system seemingly deemed them not a fit, but as a result of publicity we generated about their plight through mainstream (York Region Media Group) media and PACC channel on You Tube, received a tremendous outpouring of public support for them and the friends from the street they'd leave behind. The media coverage brought much needed attention to the lack of shelters and programs for men in York Region at the time, the absurd rules within the system and the fact that affordable housing - homes - for these guys, or at least transitional housing, was needed to give a chance to succeed or "step out". Surely we could do better for our own than this had been the outcry!

Getting back to 'sexy". What I meant was that many "do-gooders"(god bless them), as "good" as they are, would mostly rather be known amongst their friends and peers for ' helping the poor" by volunteering at an Inn From the Cold, than for advocating for those they purportedly want to "help"per say. If people truly wanted to "help" they'd lobby to get their fellow human beings more money from social services so as to help them afford to get a place to live, buy their own food with dignity and able them to compete for a life.... and they'd help lobby our government to encourage and support step-out opportunities to help these sons and daughters and fathers and sons survive, and encourage them to provide some safe and affordable homes to actually live in after their 6 weeks maximum shelter stay is up. I used to say compete, we needed to try and help people marginalized by circumstance by providing all the tools needed to compete I'd say, but now it's down to survive. That type of help just isn't as sexy it seems with the Jones' though, especially if they live next door to the Nimby's, however it's people's dignity that is sacrificed, and as those numbers grow so too do the mental health crisis costs. So why not try and reduce this mainstream-onians? Not sexy enough? Grab me another blanket please.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states " Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of ALL members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace.......

Why the sexy talk? Because I believe it's the same formula the provincial poverty reduction strategy will be taking in this election year, judging by all pre-indications. Last round for them, their "sexy" was tackling poverty through the heart strings by focusing on woman and children, while 90% of our homeless are men. 44 year old males have been the median age for those newly becoming homeless for over 10 years running now, but who cares about facts? Facts get in the way of a good thing for some.

York Region, Ontario, Canada has only 25 full time shelter beds for men in a population base of 1 million. Women and some children make up the bulk of the available spaces through various categories ( family, abused women, youth, women's) with 2 more shelters for women in the works including some more transitional housing, meantime the Sandgate Women's Shelter in Georgina and located on the beach is somehow annually booked in advance by returning attendees during summer season so I'm informed. How they know in advance they are going to be abused (again) during a certain month I don't know, but this has been common knowledge for some time (from an inside worker) and yet we keep getting fed this line about the tremendous "need" for shelters. These types of abuses and misuse of the system leave an unwanted black-eye of another kind, and leads to misguided use of our scarce resources for housing and programs in York Region.

What we actually "need" in York Region - spelled out in the YR Social Audit " Behind The Masks" - are more affordable places to live for singles ( male and female) and (older) couples without children as well as transitional housing for men - or a men' s centre with programs similar to those the women have already, as written about in a recent YRMG article.

Poverty Reduction Strategy
The next strategy of poverty reduction attempted by the current provincial government and lead by Minister Laurel Broten will be focused on the working poor is my prediction, with a cross over housing benefit open to low income earners or perhaps property owners - but ultimately packaged along with some other goodies- I'm sure on the backs of the sexy "working poor". Much sexier than "bums on welfare" don't you think? Of course no-one says focusing on something isn't good, just not at the expense of others, which is what we'll see is my prediction.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 25 states that " (pre-amble) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate to the health and well being of himself(herself) and of his (her) family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood beyond his or her control."

By allowing such conditions currently such as providing our lowest income residents with an income that is $11,000 below the poverty line and that within the make-up of our "system" asks our own to use unhealthy sources for food - like food banks - and by not providing these above listed rights but instead CHOOSING to spend our country's wealth on tax breaks, military " needs", and any other cost - my goodness, are we not in breach of this declaration now!?

Edward was able to get off the streets and into a place to live and into a job through our and your assisting efforts and donations, and now so too has his son gotten off the streets. For some others however, without the helping hand we and you gave, and who may be enjoying summer weather now, come October will again looking to spend some winter time in and out of living outdoors - which is criminal to do to an animal in this country - but not apparently our residents!

There is no investment better this province and country can make than giving back dignity, and in turn strength, to her own.

Recent POVERTY FREE ONTARIO article from YRMG

Enjoy part 1 of the documentary on Damian and Edwards plight!



TP Out!

Vote for a Poverty Free Ontario

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York Regioner's recently attended a Put the Food in the Budget campaign rally in Toronto

MM-mm-marginalized! New Seasonal Multicultural Mexican Fajita keeps workers happy too!

Social Planning Council of YR meets recently with PACC in attendance to keep things honest! Ha

York University Professeur Marvin Novick addresses at the Poverty Free Ontario launch

I read an article today in the Toronto Sun about the Campbell's Soup Company of how they are helping end hunger by selling a 'special"nutritious soup called "Nourish", and donating 25 cents from each can sold towards supposedly ending world hunger, then also donating one can for every can sold to Food Banks Canada. MMM - m-marginalized! Or as Nancy Roman, spokesperson for the important sounding United Nations World Food Program said,

" When children start the day hungry, they can focus on little else, including their schoolwork."

Aw, how nice...touching in fact..I can just see all those kids lining up in droves to eat a can of "Nourish" soup for breakfast. Right. Somehow I don't think this will be a "Hey Mikey, he likes it!" moment. How about just doling the $ right into their parents' hands so they can purchase fresh food themselves that their kids may actually eat? Dignity needs no middleman as our PACC Vice- Chair Kristine Carbis once panned. Uncanny. Pun semi-intended. Okay fully.

I say this knowing our provincial government's assigned poverty reduction taskmaster, er mistress rather, Minister Laurel Broten, recently had a photo-op with the Campbell's company president extolling the virtues of reducing poverty through "these types of partnerships". It's time they officially married methinks. This is how our government chooses to attack poverty? By leaving it to private organizations to provide charity - and we assume tax breaks - in lieu of taking on the responsibility of ending poverty themselves, erstwhile entrenching food-banks as a viable source for nutrition - which they are not. Where we live they dole out 3 days rations a month, with many people choosing to forgo this option as too much of an expense / trip or as too stigmatizing. While Nordic countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Netherlands can virtually eliminate poverty, we here in rich Ontario (Canada) cannot afford to take care of our own it would seem. Don't buy into the excuses. Ask your provincial election candidates to publicly support real changes for families and singles through initiatives like the $ 100 Healthy Food Supplement ... Watch for further updates.

Or for those wishing to address the much "sexier" issues of the 'working poor"(my prediction on the government's next strategy focus, through housing benefits etc and initiatives focused to low income workers) please attend the upcoming movie screening of " Poor No More" on June 2nd at the R Hill Library 1 Atkinson St or June 9th in Newmarket at 7pm at Crosslands Church at 47 Millard Ave W in Newmarket which examines the "working poor" issues in Canada and visits Sweden to showcase that / how poverty eradication can be done. Email kima@yrfn.ca to attend a screening.
Eradicating poverty, as opposed to reducing poverty, is also part of the mission of new Poverty Free Ontario.

We also look towards announcing some new soups ourselves - including mental- health minestrone, vagabond vegetable, cream of crop, Broten broth, and much much more!
Watch for our new Marinated Mediterranean SALAD IN A CAN as well!
MM-mm - multicultural good!!Ha! Can it already!

Here are some more cool dates and events upcoming:

Since I missed Toronto's, June 6 in Hamilton is an invite for attending the forum for "Playing for "Keep's" an invite to decide what gets done with facilities etc after the upcoming 2012 and 2015 games here.

The Social Planning Network of Ontario in cooperation with the Social Planning Council of York Region and the Human Services Planning Board of York Region presents - Human Dignity for All - Working for a Poverty Free Ontario - at the Aurora Public Library 15145 Yonge St 9AM - 12 noon on Tues June 7th with presenters SPNO's Peter Clutterbuck and Professeur Marvyn Novick.
www.povertyfreeontario.ca

ISARC religious leaders forum. By invite only.This should be good, as I never pictured myself as a religious leader, but by virtue of PACC hosting and myself co-authoring the YR ISARC directed social audit, I guess somehow I sneaked in through the back door.
http://isarc.ca/religiousleadersforumJune10.html

..And finally if you haven't yet and live in York Region or work regionally please check out this important survey part of a Trillium Foundation and York University in partnership with the York Region Community Foundation project asking for direct input for change.

I leave you with this inspirational musical pictorial inspired by Y.R.'s first ever social audit
Behind The Masks... testimonials from those marginalized by income

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