Category Archives: Homeless

Business, Homeless, Issues, Municipal, Politics

Vote With Your Pocketbook

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From the beginning of the ADBA’s ‘it is a good idea in someone else’s backyard’ reaction to Abbotsford Community Services proposal to use Housing First principles to begin to reduce the number of homeless on the streets of Abbotsford, people have spoken to me of not only no longer making the effort to shop downtown, but of not shopping downtown Abbotsford period.

They have also been urging family and friends to not shop downtown Abbotsford businesses; some have even spoken of publicly calling for a boycott of downtown businesses.

Given that the ADBA is using ‘bad for business’ as part of the rational for their NIMBYism there is….justice….involved in imposing a cost for their behaviour.

I did caution that they needed to remember that not all businesses or residents in downtown Abbotsford oppose the ACS housing proposal; pointing out that some have stated their opposition to the ADBA position while others have written thoughtful, compassionate letters in support of the housing ACS wants to build.

This past week several people speaking of calling for a boycott of downtown businesses responded that ‘you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette’ to justify harming the supportive businesses in their zeal to penalize those opposing this badly needed housing.

When I pointed out the ethical holes in that behaviour they stuck to ‘you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette’, challenging me to come up with a solution that would let people boycott the businesses that oppose the ACS proposal, but that would protect the businesses that support the ACS proposal..

Hmmmm. Interesting challenge, how do you go about separating wheat (those who support housing) from the chaff (the NIMBY faction)?

Two options came to mind as I considered how to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The anti-housing downtown businesses have the petition to signify where they stand; clearly those who support housing need a poster, such as above, that they can display to signify their support of the ACS housing proposal.

Another option, although there is nothing preventing both options being used together, is for those who support the ACS housing proposal to email the editor at Abbotsford Today which would permit the posting of a list of downtown businesses who support the ACS housing proposal.

These options would provide information to permit citizens to impose negative economic consequences on those downtown businesses opposing housing for the homeless and permitting citizens to shop those downtown businesses who support reducing the numbers of homeless on the streets of Abbotsford.

These options would also shine a light into the black hole of the ADBA, revealing just which businesses/businessmen are responsible for the ADBA NIMBY stance. Information that may prove quite enlightening.

Homeless, Issues, Municipal, Politics

Portent?

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I found myself standing on Gladys Avenue pondering the reappearance of a radar unit that displays the speed you are driving beside a sign showing the posted speed limit.

 Folk lore contains many signs said to predict future occurances such as the native peoples woolly bear caterpillar….

 

…….. or this ditty from our British roots:

 Onion skins very thin

Mild winter coming in;

Onion skins thick and tough

Coming winter cold and rough

The last appearance of the radar unit on Gladys Avenue in this location foreshadowed the City of Abbotsford’s incursion and pillaging of the homeless camp on Gladys.

I suppose it was foolish to hope that given the unmitigated fiasco of the recent assault by the city on the homeless camping on Gladys, a fiasco beamed around the world by the Global uplink truck and wonderfully enhancing Abbotsford’s growing worldwide reputation as lackwits of the first order, that council would finally have reached a point were they would face the reality of homelessness in Abbotsford rather than continuing to insist that homelessness in Abbotsford conform to what they want it to be.

I admit to my wishful thinking and acknowledge that if city council were at last ready to stop doing the same pointless behaviours over and over and begin to address the reality of homelessness, council would have rezoned the Abbotsford Community Services property and allowed construction of first stage housing to commence.

The passage of time and the occurrence of events will, if we pay attention, teach us whether the radar unit is a sign of an imminent return to Gladys Avenue by city forces to once again set upon the homeless, or not.

Unfortunately, city council seem incapable of learning from the passage of time and the occurrence of events, remaining mired in repeating – over and over and over – actions and behaviours experience has demonstrated – time after time after time – to be pointless and ineffective.

Someone needs to explain to Council that that the adage is “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again” the adage is NOT “If at first you don’t succeed, keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome.”

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.   Albert Einstein

behaviour, Homeless, Issues, Municipal, Politics

Commission or Omission?

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“Fraser Valley Inn, Station Pub, Duke of Dublin Irish Pub, Liquor Depot, drug dealers…”

“And your point is?”

“They are all around the location where Abbotsford Community Services want to build the 20 units of first stage housing.”

“And your point is?”

“The existence of sources of alcohol and drugs means you cannot build the proposed first stage housing behind ACS.”

“Wrong. Easy access to alcohol and drugs is needed in order for first stage housing to accomplish its purpose.”

Housing First  is an alternative to a system of emergency shelter/transitional housing progressions. Rather than moving homeless individuals through different “levels” of housing, known as the Continuum of Care, whereby each level moves them closer to “independent housing” (for example: from the streets to a public shelter, and from a public shelter to treatment (if needed), to a transitional housing program, and from there to their own apartment in the community) Housing First moves the homeless from the streets or homeless shelters directly into their own housing. 

 This approach is based on the concept that the first and primary need of the homeless is to obtain stable housing, and that other issues that may affect the homeless can and should be addressed once housing is obtained.

Housing First is endorsed as a “best practice” for governments and service-agencies to use in their fight to end chronic homelessness. Consequently Housing First is used in many Canadian ten year plans to end homelessness.

Housing First is used in those Canadian plans, and in Europe, because of the effectiveness demonstrated in achieving significant reductions in homelessness across the United States where Housing First was developed by Pathways to Housing, Inc., of New York City for which they won the 2005 American Psychiatric Association Gold Achievement Award in the category of community-based programs.   

The most important thing to remember in addressing homelessness, substance use, mental illness et al is that it is about/involves human beings.

Which means messy, aggravating, infuriating, ass backwards, counter intuitive, no nice neat easy solution, no ‘solution’, many solutions  – as many solutions as individuals, unpredictability and so on…….’a dog’s breakfast’.

Housing first has demonstrated that contrary (humans involved = contrary content) to logical expectations, housing people under housing first principles does not simply enable them to continue their behaviour but results in them making positive decisions and seeking help in taking back control of their lives faster than they otherwise would have.

The question is not whether council should rezone the site Abbotsford Community Services will use for first stage housing but why council has not already rezoned the property?

Raising the troubling question: whether the citing of the easy access to alcohol and drugs is a result of a Machiavellian attempt to hoodwink citizens into (wrongly, falsely) opposing the downtown location (commission) or is a result of ignorance and closed minds (omission).