Call For National Disaster Relief for Homelessness [Canada] FWD (fwd)
Leslie Schentag (wy497@victoria.tc.ca)
Sat, 10 Oct 1998 14:29:38 -0700 (PDT)
Could you please send this through your networks.
Are you aware that here in Vicoria, they are in the process of shutting
down 2 shelters that house addicts and alcoholics.
The story appeared in The Victoria Times Colonist, Thursday Octorber 8,
1998 on page B1.
SOCIAL SERVICES.
SHELTER SHUTDOWN SPARKS CALL FOR EMERGENCY PROVINCIAL AID.
By Louise Dickson
Times Colonist Staff.
The closing of two Victoria dfacilities for addicts and alcoholics is
creating an emergency, Rev. Al Tysick of the Open Door told a meeting of
Victoria's social service community Wednesday.
Twenty people slept on the street Tuesday night, Tysick told the meeting
of social workers, outreach workers, and ex-addicts who gathered at
Victoria city hall at noon.
"When people are in a crisis situation and there's no place to,
sometimes suicide is the only alternative. We need to get your support and
really pressure the government to pay for this emergency."
The group formed a community-based coalition to deal with the closing of
Pemberton House and Gateway.
Gateway, an overnight facility wher the intoxicated can sleep, was
closed on Friday. Pemberton House, a 20-bed detoxification facility, has
stopped taking patients while Capital Health investigators check on
complaints of health and safety.
Dave Stewart, manager of the Upper Room soup kitchen, who coordinated
the meeting with Tysick, said 16 to 20 beds are needed immediately.
Stewart
said he was sending a letter to the provincial government asking for an
emergency response fund of $15,000.
"That's why we need an emergency-based based board of directors so the
public would know there is a responsible body handling the money.
Tysick says he does not know why the facilities have been closed.
"There are some personnel and safety issues. I understand it is not a
union matter," said Tysick.
Tysick and Stewart discussed various options open to them at thjis time,
including renting rooms at at local motels. Both the Salvation Army and
the YW-YMCA offered to room people sleeping the street.
People on the street are already in crisis, said Rose henry, a street
outreach worker with the Prostitute Empowerment Education Recovery
Services (PEERS).
"(The cclosing of the two facilities) angered me so much. I'm going to be
out there tonight and what the hellam I supposed to say to people who say
they need a place."
Henry, who deals with intravenous drug users, said the women and men she
sees are really frustrated because they want to get off the street and
seek medical attention to go through withdrawal.
"I could send them to a hospital, but my clients are not treated with
the best of care."
Maria Hoover of the Victoria Native Friendship Center said closing the
facility has shocked the street community.
"Something has to be done because we're going to start losing(the
people). I'm sure you'll hear of death if something isn't done."
I won't make any comments at this time.
Leslie
"When Freedom Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Be Free"
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 03:00:23 -0400
From: Tom Boland <wgcp@earthlink.net>
To: HPN@aspin.asu.edu
Subject: Call For National Disaster Relief for Homelessness [Canada] FWD
FWD CC Replies to TDRC's "Cathy Crowe" <crowe@web.net>
Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
c/o 168 Bathurst St.
Toronto, ON
M5V 2R4
September 29, 1998
Dear Friends,
The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee is asking you to endorse our
call to have all levels of government declare homelessness a NATIONAL
DISASTER, which requires immediate, emergency, humanitarian relief.
We are a group made up of housing experts, academics, business people,
health care workers, social workers, anti-poverty activists, and the
faith community. We have worked with homeless people, studied
homelessness, and have watched the homeless crisis worsen daily. We
have bandaged the injuries caused by being homeless and have attended
the funerals of many homeless people.
We have asked ourselves these questions: Why is this crisis not dealt
with like the ice storm in Eastern Canada, or like the flooding in
Manitoba? Why are governments not responding to the hundreds of
homeless people's deaths? Why are they ignoring the threat of diseases
such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDs, and hepatitis which are related to
people's homelessness? Why is it that common sense doesn't dictate that
this is one of the largest and most serious national disasters that
Canada has ever faced?
Our answer has been to come together and to draw up a call for Disaster
Relief. The most basic human rights of a section of our community are
being violated. We cannot sit idly by and let this misery and death
continue - the time now is to act. We need massive and immediate
government intervention.
We appeal to you to endorse our call for action, join our committee,
and/or to set up your own committee and send out a similar call.
Attached is a form we are asking you to sign. Please send it back to us
as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Cathy Crowe, on behalf of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
Note: Members of the committee are listed at the end of the two page
State of Emergency Declaration
Call For National Disaster Relief for Homelessness
(please print) I (name) ___________________________, on behalf of
(organization if applicable)________________________________endorse
the call made by the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee to have all
levels of government declare homelessness a national disaster and to
respond with immediate short and long term humanitarian relief.
Signed by ______________________________
Address ______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Phone ______________________________
Fax ______________________________
Email ______________________________
SEND TO: Toronto Disaster Relief Committee c/o Cathy Crowe,
Fax: 416-703-6190 or crowe@web.net or
mail to 168 Bathurst St. Toronto, ON, M5V 2R4
Committee contacts:
Cathy Crowe, 416-703-8482 (117)
Beric German, 416-964-2459
END FORWARD
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