OK. The City has concluded that homelessinabbotsford.com were correct, it is pointless to chase the homeless from place to place within the city. They have begun consultations to decide on a location for the homeless to camp. As long as all parties involved remember to THINK, be courteous, and willing to compromise they should be able to work it out. Still, while deciding on a location grants this group a breathing space and some stability in their day-to-day lives, it leaves them camping out. More important a decision on where these people may camp affects only a relative few of Abbotsford’s homeless and does not address many pressing issues nor does it address getting off the streets and into a more structured lifestyle. So, (for those who e-mail and pose these questions) what do I want to do, suggest be done or see done?

I want to open the Locus of Dawn. ??? It will be a 24-hour drop in centre for the homeless, the poor, the lonely and the volunteer. The mission statement of the centre is in its name:

Locus: n.
1: a locality; a place;
2: A center or focus of great activity or intense concentration
3: The set or configuration of all points that satisfy specific conditions

Dawn: n.
1: a first appearance; a beginning;
2: an opening time period;
3: the earliest period;

v.
1: become clear or enter one’s consciousness or emotions;
2: To begin to be perceived or understood;

For some it will be a place for people to come to begin their journey. These journeys could be to goals such as housing, employment or addiction treatment. For some it will be a place for it to enter their minds, and for it to become clear, that they need to make some changes. For the community and others involved, it is a place to begin to perceive and understand all the facets of homelessness, poverty and addiction. It will provide a focus for the great activities needed to begin to help people move from homeless to employment and society. As a separate locality the centre’s concentration will be on its particular mission – the homeless, there will be no other groups (youth, families etc.) to divert it from its single-minded focus and concentration on address the needs of the homeless community. Although those who have a need that the centre can meet as part of its daily services provided to the homeless community would be welcomed as long as it does not detract from the mission to meeting the needs of the homeless. The centre needs to have a varied set (or configuration) of points (services, knowledge, contacts, et al) satisfying specific conditions (for each differing destination).

What do I envision this centre providing? ***

• Coffee; a location for church groups who wish to serve food (lunches or evenings); to ensure that a supper of some sort is available daily; a place to collect and distribute clothing, bedding, etc. a place that interested groups can use to distribute to the homeless and poor
• mail boxes, telephones for phone access, industrial washers and dryers, shower facilities, washrooms, storage lockers, computer access, internet access, email addresses and access
• résumés, cover letters, job hunting help and support, dressing & grooming for job hunting and interviews, liaising with the business community to build bridges and a portfolio of work available, job referrals
• liaison and or out reach point for services available from governments, churches, community services, treatment facilities, recovery houses, addiction counselling
• coordinating point among all the stakeholders, mediation between various stakeholders, recruiting of groups to provide goods, services, food, support and volunteers
• leadership and advocacy on questions, problems, ideas and on issues in conflict.
  • housing issues: desperate need for more longer-term emergency shelter beds; transitional housing; subsidized housing; BC housing issues
  • liveable social assistance levels – $850.00; lobbying local MLAs John van Dongen and Mike de Jong on assistance levels, grants and funding for programs to address the needs to reduce homelessness.
  • working with our local MP Ed Fast to secure federal funding not just on the homeless issues but from funds for issues affecting the homeless such as employment, education, training, wage subsidies
• out reach to those who cannot seek out services, employment, housing, medical treatment, mental health help etc. on their own

***Heed: subject to revision without notice to incorporate any good ideas and suggestions.

This is only a beginning list of services and goals because it is my intention the centre always be a work-in-progress. That it be constantly experimenting, adjusting, adding and (were necessary) dropping offerings, always changing always flexible.

It is ambitious. More so because I see as part of the centre’s gestalt that it will need to show leadership on other pressing needs eg: the need for longer-term ‘emergency’ shelter or for reform of the provincial social ‘assistance’ system. (topics for future writings).

Based upon my own up close and personal experiences it is my considered opinion that a centre of this type is the most effective and efficient way to begin to address the many varies needs of the (extremely varied) homeless community. It will provide a focal point to co-ordinate and facilitate services. In the course of being homeless I have come into contact with many good people. To some of them it would provide an ideal job, their skills, education, experiences and personalities making them suitable to help accomplish the centre’s goals. For others the centre would be an anchor point for them to fan out from in reaching out to those on the streets not yet ready to come to the centre and start their journey off of the streets. Thus, when they are ready, someone is in contact and there to help and guide them in starting their journey, with the centre and its resources there to provide support and other needs. Still others feed and clothe the homeless. The centre would provide co-ordination with these people and groups to ensure that we maximize the benefits to the homeless from the food, bedding and clothing provided. The centre would also be reaching out to others to fill the gaps of the unmet needs.

It may be ambitious but … if we can bring the City council and staff, the Churches, the volunteers, the business community and the citizens of Abbotsford on board and get them involved, we can accomplish this. In addition, with the community solidly involved we can draw in the provincial and federal governments to do their part in addressing these needs.

It may not be easy; it may not be smooth or neat and tidy. It will require and demand vision, hard work, passion and stubbornness – but it can be done.

No, it will be done.

FIAT

This is from a letter written to Fred Johns the editor of www.somethingcool.ca

Eviction. That is why street hope is totally closing down its location. Apparently the manager of the building got surrounding business people to call in and complain to the police about what was going on. That way there was reason for eviction. Now, this is only second hand but it makes sense and I trust the source such that I would pass it on to you as fact.

Dave had been planning to change his focus more to getting out into the streets and into the faces and lives of those who need help. Build a relationship, help them deal with the system and when they were ready get them into treatment. Actually he still is planning to do this as not having a building will not affect his plans. He is starting his course for volunteers (10 weeks) next week. But it affects other groups who were using the Street Hope location to help feed the hungry and those who were to take over for the group behind street hope on Thursday and Friday. As more local church groups had become aware of the need for evening food (especially during the winter cold and wet) some had started using street hope to serve food – and for some to share the word. There now is no location to use in the evenings. No place to get in out of the weather, dry out and warm up, get some food, touch base with others, get news on where any special
breakfasts or such were to be served.

I am not totally sure what the effect total effect will be on me. I do know that I am going to have some hunger as a result. I had started training for a job weeks ago, but the cash flow always lags, at work there is no way to make the Sally Ann or other places for food so I was very dependent on Street Hope for food four days a week. I could manage to purchase something the other three but there was no way to afford to feed myself seven days a week. So I expect the closing of street hope to lead to a lot of empty bellies and hungry people. I also expect it to cause a lot of cold dirty people as street hope passed out bedding, sleeping bags, clean socks, footwear, clothes and outerwear. You know, the kind of things that help keep people who live homeless alive at this time of year.

Those types of services are gone. No longer available. Hopefully, before the
end of February and eviction day something will be worked out. As I said
more local church groups have become aware of the need for some kind of food
in the evenings. There is one that uses the church bus to bring hot soup and sandwiches to the homeless or the hungry poor as well. They also have some
clothes and bedding. But the nice thing about street hope was you could get in out of the weather, warm up and enjoy your food a little more.

The answer to the question as to effect or making up services is “I have no
idea”. In the short term I expect things not to go well, but with more local
church groups involved and starting to co-ordinate (at least about street hope through dave) and them being considering this action not very
Christian the long term outcomes could be beneficial. But when you are homeless “short term pain for long term gain” is a nice concept – but with your pain levels already overflowing your really do not need any more. Part of the situation is that currently there is a major push on by the city (on behalf of the downtown merchants association) to drive the homeless out of downtown. As I have written (oops, may have held that one unposted for an emergency – IV antibiotics, lack of lucid argument). Anyway I consider it pointless. But it has driven some people out of this area. You could see the effects at street hope in few people in the evening – travelling very far in the night and weather is not done by the homeless. So some homeless had already started to have problems getting to these charity services. Instead of being constructive (co-ordinate the churches efforts and that of others, a few programs aimed at getting them into rehab, or coordinating programs and resources available to help people like me, looking for work in making local connections or numerous other little actions) abbotsford has chosen to be destructive in following a ‘persecution’ course of action. As I advocate I believe that being constructive would actually accomplish a few things, and if the city can afford to waste all those dollars on its current
course accomplishing nothing but dispersing the homeless to new neighbourhoods I think there is funds available (or funds to be save and used) for
actually getting something out of the money spent,

I need to end and rest. Hoping the above is semi lucid and rational (reality seems much more real today)

I enjoyed the letter of Rodney Gibson and the points he raised. He very concisely expressed many of the points I find so frustrating about this City’s administration and politicians. “There is no reason why issues time and time again get put on the back burner to be dealt with in the future.” Since July of 2005 the city’s refrain has been that social problems would be addressed when the Social Planner reported on what needed to be done. And what did the citizens get? Not action or ideas, just more stalling via more study and committees. With pressing major social issues those responsible ducked their responsibilities.

I would like to add that I think a Major need in this City is for some Leadership. Currently the city just drifts along rudderless, scrambling to avoid addressing pressing issues. “It’s a city.” “The future is now here in Abbotsford.” When I speak of Leadership I am not speaking about an office or position (which should be obvious with regards to this administration and politicians) but about the capacity and ability to lead. Leadership is about providing direction, about ideas and vision, about providing inspiration to the city in tackling its problems, about having a clue and a willingness to seek out solutions to problems one is facing. It is not about denial, denial, denial – which is what we currently get.

Leadership is about taking ownership of ones responsibilities. Leadership is about taking control of the problems, issues and challenges facing Abbotsford and solving them, not leaving them to fester and grow. One only needs to look at how the current administration and politicians have procrastinated on what Mr. Gibson calls “the issues that really are hurting Abbotsford – addiction and homelessness” to see the total lack of thinking, ideas and leadership. While I agree, “You need big thinkers in a big city” I would like to add a rider to Mr. Gibson’s statement. To make the changes and implement the big thoughts and ideas that this City so badly needs, we need to get something that a big city also needs badly – Leadership.

James W Breckenridge
Abbotsford