RE: Jay Teichroeb’s comments, Saturday February 25, 2006

I you wonder why nothing is being accomplished in helping the homeless get off the streets, find homes and work OR why I get so frustrated with the pointless waste of taxpayers money to “not accomplish anything” I bring to your attention the words of Mr. Teichroeb, the city’s ‘spin doctor’: “…issue a 48-hour notice. That notice requires the person to vacate the area within two days”. I draw to Mr. Teichroeb’attention my words “… people have nowhere else to go”. Perhaps Mr. Teichroeb would care to explain to me, to the homeless and ro the public what good giving a warning does for people who are where they are because they have “nowhere else to go”. And again Mr. Teichroeb “If that person does not move”. They are homeless, where are they suppose to move?

One must admire the ‘spin’ and use of euphemism in Mr. Teichroeb’s explanation of the city’s actions as “clean up the site”. “Clean up”, confiscate, steal the words may change the results are the same. To deprive the people whose belongings were “cleaned up” by the city of shelter and bedding at a time when temperatures were falling, putting their health and perhaps their lives at risk. To me totally irresponsible and unacceptable behaviour.

Oh! Excuse me. I forgot all about the ‘resource pamphlet’. I would comment on the pamphlet but in asking about the claimed pamphlet among those I know who have been victims of city “clean ups” all I received were puzzled looks and denials of ever have seen or heard of the claimed pamphlet. If someone would care to e-mail or forward me a copy of said purported pamphlet I would be only to happy to review it and comment on the ‘alleged assistance’. ( I will save any comments on my experiences with ‘alleged assistance’ for the pamphlet review – to avoid this letter becoming a novel.)

I challenge Mr. Teichroeb to gain a little expertise in this area by living on the $510 per month, which is the amount one gets on social assistance. If he finds he cannot jump over all the barriers social services raise, find shelter (cannot find a place for $325 in Abbotsford? then you get $0; no shelter=no shelter allowance) and live (you get, in theory, $185 for personal expenses [food, laundry, personal hygiene, transportation etc.] this month – but no shelter = $0 next month), I would be glad to help him adjust to life jon the street as a homeless person. Of course he can make full use of the ‘resource pamphlet’ in searching for help ton get off the streets.

Just for 3 months. Perhaps the News would be willing to act as judge/referee in this matter – perhaps even giving people a weekly report on how Mr. Teichroeb is progressing (surviving?). Giving the public an opportunity for an unique view of life on the streets of their city. Then Mr. Teichroeb: you, I the public and your bosses can have a very interesting conversation. Hopefully leading to new and sensible policies that actually accomplish something.

The Mayor should resign. OR the city manager and any other city bureaucrats responsible for these actions should be fired and replaced with people having common sense and compassion. It is one thing to harass the Homeless to the point of persecuting them, it is totally unacceptable to take actions that put their lives at risk. On Thursday February 16, 2006 the city began to steal the tents, bedding, clothing and other possessions of the Homeless – throwing the property of the Homeless into the garbage. In a despicable act they hired people in recovery at Kinghaven to perform the theft under the watchful eyes of city workers. They left the Homeless nothing. Nothing to survive the clear, wind, sub-zero temperature nights with. Uncaring that that their actions in this weather put the health and lives of the Homeless at risk. And Please, the reason so many Homeless are in tents is that the available shelter beds can hold no more than a few percent of the city’s Homeless. Those interested can find information on the reality of the Homeless in Abbotsford at www.geocities.com/homelessinabbotsford.

The city just left these people, these citizens there, exposed to the freezing winds and facing a night of sub-zero temperatures. Ignoring the fact that in having rendered the Homeless even more Homeless they had a moral obligation to find them shelter for at least that night. In a true twist of IRONY one of these Homeless became Homeless last summer because of the actions of the city government and its denial of any responsibility for the consequences of its actions. Over half of the people thrown onto the streets by the city’s actions at the Fraser Valley Inn are still Homeless – unable to find other living quarters for a price they can pay. But here to the city ignored the consequences of its actions and denied any responsibility for helping these people find other lodgings.

Barely into the new year of 2006 and the city once again is ignoring the consequences of its actions, denying any responsibility. It is our city government. If it will behave responsibly then the citizens must force it to behave responsibility. Or accept our complicity and responsibility for the actions taken in our names. I myself cannot accept such such contemptible behaviour which is why I say: Resignations or Firings.