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.

It is hard to believe but the actions of the city just get worse and worse: stupider and lacking in any consideration for people or consequences. Their actions in regards to the residents of the Fraser Valley Inn deserve only contempt.

As I write this (Saturday July 16, 2005, afternoon) I have no clear understanding of exactly what is happening or will happen with the residents of the Fraser Valley Inn. And anyone who reads the Friday Times story (July15) and then the Saturday News NO story (July 16) can only be as confused as I and the residents of the Inn are. I spoke to several of the residents earlier today (Saturday) and all they know is that apparently the are being tossed out into the streets (evicted is to kind a word for the way they are being treated) this weekend.

I am not about to argue that something does not need to be done about the Inn – it clearly does. And if the city needs to use health provisions to get action, fine. Going after the owners is an excellent idea. But their actions in dealing with the residents are unacceptable, even indefensible. No matter the label you apply to the residents of the Inn ( the Times “low-income” in many ways the kindest; a local restaurant owner quoted in the Times calling the Inn a brothel, which would label the residents ******, a comment I will not dignify by actually spelling out said label), they are residents of Abbotsford. Our fellow citizens who deserve to be treated with consideration.

But instead of making a clear statement on the situation spokespeople duck the issue and the Mayor refuses comment to the Times. Failing the duty of care owed to these citizens. Much more important is the fact that it is clear that it is the actions of the city that are causing the residents of the Inn to need to relocate. But rather than accept responsibility for its actions and deal with the consequences of the course the city is following, they deny responsibility and bury their head in the sand. As for the residents being rendered homeless….. why, there is no homelessness problem in Abbotsford – just ask the city, council or the mayor.

So what do I think is owed? Consideration. The city should have been up front and clear what was occurring. Or, if the city did not know what was happening, found out and told those affected. Acceptance of the consequences for its actions. Residents pay rent at the beginning of the month and it appears they will lose half a months rent, a financial catastrophe for them. They are owed compensation. The city can then go after the owners for reimbursement. They are due aid in dealing with any problems that arise with the Social Assistance bureaucracy from this mandated move. They are truly due the city finding them new housing. Perhaps being required to find housing will serve to drive home to city hall, council and the mayor how their actions on low-cost and subsidized housing have made it all but impossible for those who fall on hard times to find a safe, clean affordable place to live while they get back on their feet and move back into “mainstream” society. This is the very minimum the city owes its ( and our fellow) citizens,

Consideration of the consequences of its actions, acceptance of responsibility for the consequences of its actions and doing what is needed to remedy those consequences. This city administration? This council? This Mayor? The chance of this happening brings to mind the expression “A snowballs chance in Hell”.

It seems clear that we need to replace the mayor, council and senior city staff with people of character, some brains, thoughtfulness, compassion and an eye for where the city should be heading into the future. Then we can begin to into a grand city and superb community to live in. Rather than the laughing stock of the Fraser Valley it has become.

Post Script: I came across this, originally a letter to the editor. The update is that the majority of the residents of the Fraser Valley Inn were unable to find other accommodations. They are currently homeless and denied any welfare on the grounds that being homeless prevents them from job searching (as noted homelessness did not prevent me from finding gainful employment) so that even the $185 is denied them. The final Paragraph, in light of the actions the city is currently taking to cleanse Abbotsford of the homeless is even truer today.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke

I suspect that when called upon to explain their current actions with regard to their persecution of your fellow citizens unfortunate enough to suffer the travail of homelessness, the Mayor, Councilors, city Staff and Police will all claim “we were just trying to cleanse – oops, clean up – the homeless situation”. In their zeal and drive to exterminate –oops eliminate – the homeless from the streets of Abbotsford they seem indifferent to the consequences of their actions. Whether those actions cause suffering for the homeless OR the other taxpayers of the city. They seem to have forgotten the words of Herman Melville “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects”.

I do have a suggestion concerning cleaning up the city’s homeless. Since it is sensible, pragmatic and would accomplish something positive, I doubt the intolerant tyrants attempting to purge the homeless from the streets would be interested in these suggestions. Let us use a small fraction of the funds and resources being wasted on this futile, but dogmatic, effort to ‘disappear’ the homeless. Let’s truly clean up the homeless. As I have written about on this site, bathing and laundry are major problems for the homeless. If you think about it this lack of bathing and laundry availability are major barriers to employment to a group of people have enough barriers to finding jobs. The city has facilities at which the homeless could get clean, such as the Recreation Centers. These facilities are set up to use photo ID cards which would permit the city to avoid any abuses of the privilege and would also permit limits on the timing and length of visits. Rather than waste resources on senseless, malicious attempts to cleanse the city of homeless this would help to clean up the homeless.

All punning aside, this form of cleaning up homelessness has the potential to accomplish more than merely shuffling the homeless around and around the city. Think about what affect appearance has on how people are treated – especially when looking for work. I know I always feel better, both physically and physiologically, when I am freshly bathed – don’t you? Cleanliness leads to feeling better about yourself, which is the road to increased self-esteem and self-respect. These are the foundation supports required for the homeless to start to get back into the game of life, to take charge of their lives. Thus giving them hope to find work and homes. Yes I know that giving them a chance to be clean is not going to lead all the homeless off the streets. The point I have tried repeatedly to make is that Based on my up close and personal experiences what is required in dealing with homelessness, hunger and poverty is flexibility and a willingness to use many different approaches. Each approach may only affect some of those in need of help, but many programs and approaches together would have a chance to lead to significant reductions of the homeless population. We are dealing with people which means some will choose not to be helped, to make changes or any effort to change. That is reality. Reality is also that at least this proposed approach will accomplish something and has the potential to lead to many varied benifits. Unlike the current policies of both denying there is a large homeless population and chasing this nonexistent (denial is a favourite mindset) population from point to point in the city.

I suppose that the question is what kind of society or city are we? Do we really want to have an uncaring society where people are judged to be disposable? What is the character of the citizens of Abbotsford? Is it mean, self-centered, greedy and heartless? Or is it caring, supportive, courteous and helping? It is inevitable that we will find out. As your actions contribute to the outcome as to the spirit of our city, keep in mind the words of Demosthenes:

You cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man’s actions are, such must be his spirit.