Healing the Neighbourhood: An Article

Here is an article concerning the area in which Ian and I sort of live in (near by) - Downtown East.

It deals with the homeless situation in Toronto and how people living downtown are outraged with the homeless people.

I'm quite torn on this topic...I want to give the homeless attention and feel that something more can be done to improve their situation, but at the same time, I can't help but feel frustrated with them. Is it mental illness that has affected and their family that has abandoned them that they can no longer function in society? Or is it due to the many poor choices they have made a few too many times? Both? Do we help them? Or do we sweep them under some rug so we no longer have to see them?

I'd like to hear from you, regarding your opinion on what should be done with this situation.

Cheers,
Annie
WHAT WHO WHEN WHERE & WHY ?

ACTION 4
BALANCED COMMUNITIES DOWNTOWN EAST
c/o 237 Carlton Street Toronto, ON M5A 2L2
a4bcde@yahoo.com
July 20, 2004

SAVE US FROM THE SALVATION ARMY

Residents and property owners, neighbourhood and business associations, parents councils in Downtown East strongly oppose the conversion of the Jarvis/Shuter site to a huge Salvation Army compound. The plans are being presented to the community on July 21,2004 at the Harbour Light Open House between 6-8 p.m., and conveniently at a time when most residents, businesses, schools take their summer break. On their behalf, A4BSDE says:

NO to 100 units of transitional housing in an area where social housing dominates - whole streets, Berkley, Ontario, Shuter, Dundas, Sherbourne, Pembroke, George, Jarvis, Mutual, Dalhousie, Gerrard are filled with every possible facility for the destitute, the sick, the disadvantaged.

We say NO to "transiting' the homeless form the corner of Sherbourne/Queen to Jarvis/Shuter.

We say NO to bringing more addicts (100 beds) to the Moss Park area, the hub of drug use and drug dealing.

We say NO to the Salvation Army occupying every corner of our neighbourhood - Maxwell Meighen, Gateway, Harbour Lights, Banton Lodge, Richmond, River, while the vast majority of the people the Army serves are out of town and out of province.

We say NO to the Salvation Army creating another compound for federal offenders (53) at Sherbourne/Wellesley when the limit for a residential care facility is 10 residents.

We say NO to the Salvation Army locating their high risk facilities next to schools (Our Lady Of Lourdes, The Gabrielle Roy, Lord Duffrin,) community centres (John Innes, St. Jamestown, Regent Park) and parks ( Allan Gardens, Moss Park, St. James Park).

We say NO to new chapels and churches when so many congregations in the area cannot sustain themselves: St. James's Cathedral, Metropolitan Church, All Saints and for survival, enter into "unholy" alliances.

We say NO to the warehousing of problem populations - Seaton House, Maxwell Meighen Centre, Springboards, Street Havens, House Links, Fred Victors, Good Shepherds, St. Mary's, Covenant Houses, and countless nameless facilities located south of Bloor, east of Yonge north of King and west of River.

We say NO to creating ghettos for the undesirables - the poor, the sick, the abandoned. The responsibility to respond to their plight and the risk associated with their problems must be shared by all citizens, not just those who have no voice.

We say NO to creating another Regent Park or St. Jamestown by locating thousands of substandard single occupancy units, countless social housing facilities in Downtown East.

We say NO to Mayor Miller allocating taxpayer funded legal and planning resources to fight the laws the city institutes in defense of balanced neighbourhoods, as the current OMB appeal against the Salvation Army's Banton Lodge expansion demonstrates.

We Say YES to the media investigating the "poverty sector", its huge budgets and its continued failure to tackle the problems associated with the homeless and disadvantaged.

We say YES to accountability of elected officials, government bureaucracy and the charity sector.

We say YES to the assessment of the homeless sector (promised but undelivered), so effective measures can be put in place to address their wide range of problems.

We say YES to the Auditor General auditing the budgets allocated for the homeless - $120 million annually in Toronto alone; $8,5 million for Sojourn House - a refuge for refugees; SCIPI funding; $300,000 for coffee and blankets to illegal encampments.

We say YES to policies facilitating business investment, homeownership, creating jobs, and YES balancing this neighbourhood as other districts in the city were given that chance - Yorkville, Distillery, St Lawrence, Upper Jarvis, Church/Wellesley. No high risk operations are going there!

WE, IN DOWNTOWN EAST, SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

For more information, contact us at a4bcde@yahoo.com or info@gardendistrict.ca
Joice Guspie can be reached at 416 921-0857 andEva Curlanis-Bart at 416 367-0027
April 5, 2004Hon. Bill GrahamMPP Toronto Centre-Rosedale