Category Archives: Homeless

Homeless, Provincial

E-mail to MLA’s

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Dear John van Dongen; Mike de Jong:

I am currently preparing an article for the Homeless in Abbotsford Website on the current provincial governments actions/attitudes towards the growing number of people caught up in homelessness. The only quote I have come across on this matter is:

“The best way to help the homeless is make sure they have opportunity to find a job,” Dave Hayer, MLA for Surrey-Tynehead said the budget focuses on giving people opportunity to grow out of the lifestyle of living on the streets.

Would you say that this is an accurate statement of the Governments position and policy on the homeless? Would you agree with the statement? Is there any comments or points you wish to make with regard to the homeless and policy? Any questions you have about the homeless that I could answer for you?

Below are the address(es) to find the Homeless in Abbotsford site and its connected pages and links to other news websites on the World Wide Web. I include these in order that you have an opportunity to review and gain understanding of the background on homeless in abbotsford.

http://www.homeless-in-abbotsford.blogspot.com/
OR
www.geocities.com/homelessinabbotsford

Since the focus of the website is the homeless in Abbotsford I feel it is only fair to give the Abbotsford MLA’s an opportunity to comment. Please be advised that I am wont to use articles as a basis for Letters to the Editor for our local and national papers.

I thank you for your attention and look forward to reading your thoughts on this growing social problem and how to begin to address it.

Sincerely

James W Breckenridge

Homeless, Municipal

Letter to Editor March 5, 2006

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Real mayor sees Real streets

“She really understands this side of building a city. It’s more than increasing the tax base” Said Lloyd Craig, president of Coast Capital Savings, about Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts.
this comment was made with reference to the recent ‘Seeing is Believing” tour that Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (a national non-profit group) set up in Surrey for business leaders. “We saw things that in day-to-day living we tend to avoid because we don’t like mental illness. Here we are in a great country and you see how absoulutely desparate people can get”.

Perhaps if our Mayor, city council and business leaders were to talk to their Surrey counterparts Abbotsford could move from denial to seeking solutions to the poverty, hunger and homelessness currently (increasing) on the streets of Abbotsford.

Homeless, Municipal

“Seeing is Believing” tour

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“Seeing is Believing” tour

The following exerts are from an article in The Province on March 2, 2006:

Neatly dressed Surrey businessmen and poorly dressed street people met yesterday in a program designed to show the dark side of city life. “We saw things that in day-to-day living we tend to avoid because we don’t like poverty and mental illness”, said Lloyd Craig, president of Coast Capital Savings. “Here we are in a great country and you see how absolutely desperate people can get”.

The tour was set up by the Canadian Business for Social Responsibility, a national, non-profit group that believes solutions to poverty and hunger must involve business.

Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts said participants came away with a good understanding of the challenges. Craig said Watts support was very important “She really understands this side of building a city. It’s more than increasing the tax abase”.

Business men willing to open their eyes and see “poverty and mental illness”, recognize “how absolutely desperate people can get”. What next? Business people whom “just want to help out”? Next you will be claiming Canadian Business for Social Responsibility. What? Abbotsford remains uncaring, Only in Surrey you say? Pity.

More of a pity is that Surrey’s Mayor “understands this side of building a city. It’s more than just building a tax base”. Would that some of our local politicians would open their eyes and see. But then they would not be able to deny the homeless, the poor and the mentally ill that have been abandoned to live on the unforgiving, uncharitable streets of Abbotsford.

The politicians, business people and good citizens of Abbotsford, Seeing? Believing?

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put your hand and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing”. John 20:27

Homeless

letter to writer of Province article March 2, 2006 pg. A21

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Just a quick note to say I found your article in the March 2, 2006 Province of real interest. having had mental illness dump me onto the streets of Abbotsford fortunately my personal resources lasted until I had started back up the path to mental health) I have come to have more experience than I want with life on the streets. With a business background myself, I agree that business has an important role to play in this issue, beyond simply signing cheques.

The information about Canadian Business for Social Responsibility has me planning to research and contact this group after I send this missive off to you. I hope you do not mind but I have/will use quotes from your article for letters to the editor of our local paper and for an article I will write and post to the homeless web-site.

If we as a society are to make any progress in addressing this growing social issue we need more programs such as ‘Seeing is Believing” – and more articles in the press so that the public can at least5 get an idea of the size scope and complexity of the situation covered by the simple label ‘homeless’.