Category Archives: Issues

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).

Consider, Homeless, Issues, Municipal

The Homeless Two-step

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If it wasn’t so pathetic, watching the city’s ‘shock and awe’ closing of the homeless camp on Gladys avenue and the outcome would have been hilarious.

The expression on Mayor Banman’s face when the answer to the question he and council have been ignoring: “if you close the camp, where are the homeless suppose to go?” turned out to be 100 meters along Gladys back to the spot the city had spread with chicken feces must have been quite a sight to behold.

Ignoring reality does not change reality.

Although Abbotsford’s mayor and council appear convinced that if they keep doing the same thing over and over and over, year after year, decade after decade, they will eventually get a result they will like.

I have watched a decade of mayors and councils chase the homeless from camp to camp around and around and around and around Abbotsford. Mayors and councils apparently unable to grasp the simple concept that if the homeless have no option but to camp, the homeless will camp no matter how often the city forces them to move.

When asked by the media where the homeless were suppose to go Mayor Banman stated they were working with local agencies on that.

EXCEPT the local agency that has a funding agreement in place with BC Housing under which Abbotsford Community Services will receive funding to construct 20 units of first stage housing (using the Housing First model); the agreement provides additional funding for services to support the residents.

Pathways to Housing, Inc., of New York City, a program that created the Housing First model won the 2005 American Psychiatric Association Gold Achievement Award in the category of community-based programs.

Considering the reductions in chronic homelessness achieved in the United States using the Housing First approach, that countries in Europe are also using Housing First principles to reduce their chronic homelessness, Abbotsford’s use of chicken feces against the homeless and the spectacular fizzle of the ‘closing’ of the homeless camp across from the Salvation Army…….using Housing First to reduce homelessness in Abbotsford would seem to be so much of a ‘no brainer’, it should be right up council’s alley.

Instead we have the city muttering about ‘Right Location’ to excuse their failure to have rezoned the property proposed for ACS’s first stage housing.

Under Housing First principles the property ACS proposes to use, while it may not be the ‘Right Location’ [politically correct speak for NIMBY], is the Best location – in my opinion and the opinion of others who have advised council for years that Housing First is a best practice that has proven effective in reducing homelessness around the world.

Unfortunately, rather than re-zoning the ACS property, council remains committed to chasing the homeless from spot to spot around Abbotsford; apparently believing that if they chase the homeless long enough and hard enough, council will get a different outcome at some point.

Speaking of being committed, Albert Einstein defined Insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Come to think of it…….unsoundness of mind would certainly explain council’s decisions, actions and behaviours over the past decade.

Post Script:

I am sure that the new tenant at the camp on Gladys across from the Salvation Army is very appreciative of the city making the previous tenants move and the job done removing the debris and making the camp habitable.

behaviour, Consider, Homeless, Issues, Municipal, Politics

End Nigh for Gladys Camp?

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It was not a sign post……

 

 

 

 

 

 

….or a complicated system of divination………

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

………that leads me to predict the end is near for the homeless camp on Gladys Avenue across from the Salvation Army.

It was the appearance of the radar trailer unit that shows drivers their speed….

……..on Gladys Avenue in front of the house adjacent to the Salvation Army on Saturday [September 7, 2013] that foreshadows the intention of the mayor and city council to remove the homeless and their camp from Gladys.

 

 

From the moment the media descended on Abbotsford in response to the City’s crazed decision to weaponize and deploy chicken feces against the homeless, the mantra of those who wanted the camp in anyone else’s neighbourhood has been concern for the safety of the homeless vis-à-vis traffic.

A concern manifested when the city turned gun shy [chicken?] about dealing with such a public, media exposed camp.

As if prior to the camp the homeless were not crossing from one side of Gladys to the other.

Indeed, one could argue that the presence of the camp and the public awareness of the camp’s existence makes crossing the road in that section of Gladys safer than it has ever been or will be after the camp is gone.

What would you care to wager that once the camp is gone the expressions of concern about the homeless getting struck by traffic will be gone as well?

The most dangerous aspect of crossing Gladys is that it is a road in Abbotsford: poor or no lighting, meandering and/or invisible lane markings, pavement that threatens to toss your vehicle off the road and vehicle swallowing puddles; which makes mayor and council the leading threat to the homeless from traffic.

Whether on Monday, or a day shortly thereafter, the health department should be appearing at the camp, with the camp being declared a health hazard and the city ‘forced’ to close it for health reasons.

Other than all the dithering, the use of the wringing of hands over the safety of the homeless in traffic, the involvement of health inspectors and not using chicken feces what has changed since Abbotsford’s Day of International Infamy?

Admittedly, we now know the worth of an apology from Mayor Banman and council, giving us the measure of mayor and council.

I am not saying or in any way advocating that the homeless camp on Gladys should be left there.

While the use of chicken feces is unacceptable……

 

 

 

 

 

 

……the camp on Gladys is not much more acceptable, on a number of levels and for numerous reasons, than the use of chicken feces was.

 

The issue with what will occur with the camp on Gladys lies in the question of: what has changed?

 

 

When asked at the time of Mayor Banman’s [as of this point in time] non-apology what form I wanted the apology to take, I stated the city needed a changes in behaviour, attitudes, knowledge and understanding to achieve positive outcomes rather than continuing untold more years of negative consequences and harm to the homeless.

The city can have and use all the nice protocols it wants; have ‘concern for the risk posed to the homeless by traffic’; the use of health inspectors and health concerns; use all the politically correct language and buzzwords it wants; the bottom line remains: were are the homeless suppose to go? The Twilight zone? Down the rabbit hole to Wonderland?

Stripped down to its reality the city is back, however gently and slowly at this point, engaged once more in the futility of pointlessly chasing the homeless around Abbotsford from camp to camp.

It is not just that mayor and council have no ideas or strategies to address homelessness, but that mayor and council are actively refusing strategies demonstrated effective in reducing homelessness.

Given the wilful ignorance and callus disregard for the homeless in the mayor and council’s return to business as usual in its behaviours and actions towards the homeless and the atrocious behaviour of the mayor and council’s in evading the rezoning to permit Abbotsford Community Services to provide twenty units of first stage housing to the homeless……

……the use of chicken feces by city staff against the homeless is looking less and less offensive……

……while the behaviour of mayor and council is looking more and more offensive.

behaviour, Issues, Municipal, Politics

No Apology Intended

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A citizen of Abbotsford who had some ideas and questions about dealing with homelessness tracked me to converse. Included in the conversing was Mayor Banman’s apology to the homeless.

I pointed out that saying “Sorry” did nothing but acknowledge the City had harmed the homeless; that a true apology required the mayor and council to change the behaviours and attitudes that led the city to weaponize and deploy chicken feces against the homeless.

Noting that mayors and councils of Abbotsford have a well established history of saying “Oops, Sorry”, tossing around some politically correct statements – then returning to the same behaviours and attitudes that led to the City being forced by media scrutiny to say “Sorry”.

If Mayor Banman and council had any real intent to apologize, the property Abbotsford Community Services wants to use for first stage housing would already be rezoned and construction begun.

Instead we have Mayor Banman’s stated opposition to the ACS proposal and the silence of council on the housing project; a project that would be a positive step in changing behaviour from pointless, to behaviours proven to lead to sobriety, housing and wellness for homeless.

“I think Abbotsford Community Services and the ADBA and residents need to get together in one room and talk about their positions and come to a compromise,” said Banman.

Exactly where does Mayor Banman see room for compromise?

ACS either complies with the terms of their agreement with BC Housing and Abbotsford City Council rezones the property OR Abbotsford does not get needed first stage housing AND loses $millions$ of dollars of funding from the provincial government.

Given mayor and council’s demonstrated lack of backbone on matters that do not involve development or the waste of million’s of taxpayer dollars, why would those among the ADBA and residents who support a mythical and unspecified ‘Right Location’ somewhere, anywhere, Not In Their Back Yard compromise?

The mayor said “smart” developers work with neighbours to address concerns.

Such as happened with the 26 story Mahogany at Mill Lake?

Where the rezoning was voted down, but then snuck back before council (while one of the councillors opposed to the development was out of town) and approved. Interesting definitions Mayor Banman has for “smart” and “working with neighbours”.

“It would make council’s decision a lot easier.”

I see. It is not about reality (there are homeless in Abbotsford) or facts (first stage housing has proven to be a first step to sobriety, housing and wellness) or the needs of the City and its citizens (we need to use what has proven effective elsewhere in addressing homelessness and associated health issues) or ending council’s policy of worsening the problem.

It is about the easy way out. How very………nice for the mayor and council.

Abbotsford Mayor Bruce Banman said the community division and polarized nature of the debate over the project is counterproductive.

NIMBYism is always divisive, polarizing and counterproductive.

Or at least it is in leadership vacuums such as the one created by the mayor and council’s choice of the path of least resistance, a path abundant with missed opportunities.

If we want outcomes other than the pointless and often negative consequences that flow from council’s wilful denial of reality, we have to get out of our comfortable mental ruts, stop doing what we are doing and blaze a trail going where there is no path.

We need to choose the path that leads us where we need to go. Not to where we want to go, but to where we need to go.

Citizens need to instruct Mayor Banman and city council – email, phone call, letter or face to face – that enough is enough that it is far past time to put an effective strategy in place and as a first step to rezone the Abbotsford Community Services property – Now.

Citizens also need to instruct mayor and council to adopt a rational strategy for managing  the challenges and problems of homelessness until resources are in place and beginning to offset the consequences of years of counterproductive behaviour by mayors and councils.

Homeless, Issues, Life, Municipal, This is so Stupid

‘Right Location’

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There is no ‘Right location’; I would even be leery of suggesting that a ‘best location’ exists.

There are good locations and bad locations; locations that have good points and bad points, strengths and weaknesses, advantages and drawbacks.

But a ‘Right location’ for Abbotsford Community Services proposed first stage housing does not exist, and to pursue the ‘Right location’ is to chase a mirage.

The only actual existence the ‘Right location’ has is in the context of the ‘Right location’ being a location anywhere Not In My Back Yard.

“I am not against [insert name of project under discussion] it is just this is not the ‘Right location’ for __________, sounds so much more politically correct and so much less egocentric than NIMBY.

It has been repeatedly stated that Abbotsford has a critical need for the proposed housing and that those who oppose the ACS proposal are not against this type of housing in the ‘Right location’ – said  ‘Right location’ being in somebody else’s back yard.

Which is why no doubt it has not been stated where this mythical ‘Right location’ is. Given the people in the stated ‘Right location’ would find (and support) that the proposed location behind ACS was the ‘Right location’

The truth is that if you choose any location in Abbotsford for the proposed housing, I can give you ten solid reasons that the location is not the ‘Right location’.

Abbotsford has a critical need for first stage housing – assuming the city and citizens want to pursue an approach to reducing the number of homeless on the streets that has been demonstrated to be effective.

An assumption I freely admit has a high probability of being wrong given the reaction by city council and citizens to the ACS proposal.

A reaction which provides no evidence of any desire to stop chasing the homeless around Abbotsford until……………what??….the homeless fall down a rabbit hole and join Alice in Wonderland?

An outcome which, sadly, is no more insane than council’s chasing of the homeless around Abbotsford year after year after year after year…………in the hope that this time something different will occur and the homeless will……….disappear?.