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Yaletown residents go to war against winter homelessness shelter and also the “huge self-perpetuating social service industry”

December 13th, 2012 · 85 Comments

Just to give a flavour of what is happening out on the battleground, as Yaletown residents ramp up resistance to the winter shelter that has been opened in their neighbourhood — a memo from the inside, with recommended strategies to fight the war.
For those unfamiliar with the shelter situation: The province funds a number of permanent shelters throughout the region. As well, because of pressure from Vancouver council, it has also agreed to open temporary winter shelters the last four years. (Normally, shelters were only opening on the worst nights of the winter, staffed by volunteers, and with beds available only at night — no hanging out during the day.)
There are three other shelters operating as of yesterday: one on East 5th and Ontario, as this note makes mention of, another near Commercial, which I haven’t heard any comments on, and a third on Richards, also in Yaletown.
All of the locations this year are different from previous years. Last year, the Mount Pleasant shelter was somewhere near Mount St. Joseph Hospital, and there were two others in the Granville area. The year before, there was a shelter in Kitsilano, one in Mount Pleasant at the corner of Fraser and Broadway, one near Stanley Park, and one in the Granville area.
And now, to the memo.
EMERY BARNES PARK COMMUNITY ASSN.
UPDATE DEC. 12/12
 
Please tune into CKNW AM 980 this morning (Wednesday), at 8:45 a.m.. Sharon will be representing our group on the Bill Good Show, regarding the heat shelter.  
It is important that some of our group be listening, and willing to call in with comment, because we have found the calls that come in traditionally are very uneducated, still accusing us of  NIMBY even after our speaking to the saturation of social services in the area, and naïve people buying the city’s line that the shelter will not affect the area, and only be temporary, which we suspect is not true. We need some educated calls to reinforce our message.
 
Those of you unable to listen the show at that time, can check out the CKNW news vault on the web to hear it online.
 
THE NEXT PHASE OF OUR RESISTANCE TO VISION COUNCIL, REGARDING THE SEYMOUR ST. SHELTER.
As is obvious, our approach to the situation with the shelter changes with its opening, to one of wait and see, and report every incident that might impact the area and the park. Very often it is quiet outside the building, which is good news. It is all a matter of timing whether or not you experience outfall, as a few people have been upset by noise and loitering. Now it is up to everyone to scrutinize, and report any misbehavior at 911 for an incident report, and 311 to the city.
 
It would be good to drop in to say hello, and remind the workers that the neighbours are counting on them to take care of the block and the park. They evidently have a budget to hire their tenants to do the sweep work. We have had a disturbing letter come in from a resident of Space who could not get their attention to diffuse a scary situation at his entrance to the Space side gate. That points out why we must make sure the workers are responsive to their responsibilities outside the shelter, as we have been promised they would be by RainCity.
 
A call to 911 is the suggested response to trouble (the police told us to use it) It will register any complaint you might have, and will allow the police to take care of any problem, so there is no discomfort or risk to yourself.  We repeat: CALL 911 FOR ANY INFRACTION, NO MATTER HOW MINOR. IF YOU SEE LOITERING ON THE WALLS OR DOORWAYS OF ADJOINING BUILDINGS, OR SMOKING WITHIN 6 METERS OF THE DOORWAY, OR IF YOU EXPERIENCE ANY DISRESPECT FROM ANY SHELTER CLIENT THAT MAKES YOU FEEL UNSAFE, CALL.

What we have accomplished by our intense resistance to the location of the 1210 Seymour shelter:

A. WE have torn off the sheep’s clothing of the Vision Council, and exposed the undemocratic process in the creation of these shelters. Since 2008, everyone has experienced the same thing: Building in secret, then just before the shelter opens neighbours are told,  Emergency…. only spot we could find….. temporary……etc.
We have not received the city’s supposed reports regarding where the homeless are situated which we requested. We know there are homeless in Vancouver, but doubt the volume is such in our particular area, to justify that two of the four shelters in the City of Vancouver are within five blocks of each other in New Yaletown.
 
We did not see the depth and breadth of their supposed intensive search for location. Did they restrict themselves to edge of Yaletown, because the Business community did not want the shelters on a commercial street? (Actually a better location than residential, and where the homeless were most likely spending their time anyway.) We were told agents are sent out, and it is fair to assume that they returned delighted when they found an owner willing to rent to them, and looked no further.
 
 
B. The issue of misrepresentation, or spin put on data In last week’s Province article, and on the Simi Sera show on CKNW Jang has said he will not promise not to return to the same site ‘if it is still available”.  We suspect that it will be, as it is logical the developer will not redevelop until the other leases on his assembled property are up in three years, and we guess that this has likely has been discussed by the city upon renting for this year. The property owner has not responded to our calls, letter or emails for a meeting with us about his future plans, to dispel our misgivings.
 
Clr. Jang and Vision Council has to be pushed to look for an alternative site now to have on standby for next year. Winter comes every year, and there is no excuse to say that it is a last minute emergency bringing them back to 1210 Seymour St. That didn’t wash this year, and cannot wash next year when they can start looking now.
 
C. At this point, the fight clearly becomes political, challenging the Vision Council on its practices, and also questioning the efficacy and safety of current shelter policies. With the shelter just open a few days, we are already receiving some complaints of intimidation by shelter tenants toward our residents, and the workers inside not responding to a request for help.
 
My area of expertise in the fight has been, and will continue to be, to point out the total unacceptability of the 1210 Seymour site for the HEAT shelter based on my previous experience having fought against it being used for Social Services before. Erich Hershen and I have created lots of waves, and will continue to do so: to the point that Clr. Jang made a point about a professional media blitz against them. The reality is, the story is newsworthy, because the city has not acted with integrity.
 
 Now we need people who can question the misuse of Government power, and question the methodology and value of such shelters, to step up to lead us.  People with a vested interest in challenging the existing council, should be interested in taking up this challenge. THIS GOES BEYOND THE MEMBERSHIP OF OUR LITTLE ASSOCIATION. WHO DO YOU KNOW WHO WILL STEP IN TO TAKE THIS TO THE NEXT LEVEL, WITH OUR SUPPORT?
 
Plus questioning the city about their platitudes – studies they say they have done to prove there is homeless “in our area” such that it necessitated 2 shelters out of the four in the whole city, placed within 5 blocks of each other in New Yaletown. (The shelter at 21st and E 5th says some tenants there have arrived by cab. Hard to believe, but supporting the suspicion of importing tenants from farther away in the city, not close by.)

A few things that can be done immediately
1/Someone to request the studies from them under the Freedom of Information Act.” The homeless are located all over the whole of Vancouver South, and we want to know from where they are bringing them to us. Definitely there are some homeless in old Yaletown, but when questioned I have been told many of those wouldn’t go into a shelter, not feeling safe there.
2/Something else to be done: we need book learning about best placement principles from schools of urban planning, and social work, and /or bylaws in other cities anywhere in the western world, that support the best placement principles quoted in our last press release, which of course the papers never pickup.

3/We need to question everything they claim about the effectiveness of the shelters operation: how many homeless are still on the street, who won’t come in: The claim that supervisors in the shelters are trained in special techniques to treat the homeless: (When I went in, I found two former street youth in charge, who definitely know many of the clients, and have instructions of who to call if it gets out of hand. However, we don’t know what else they are trained to do to encourage the street people into permanent homes.)

Many communities are in an uproar over affordable (some of it supportive?) housing being thrust oversized in their neighbourhoods. (Dunbar is a good example of being angry.)  Of course we know that zoning must change in Vancouver to accommodate growth, but it must be done in consultation with the community: Not just calling a meeting to tell the citizens what you are going to do, but to hear the citizens, and not just to hear – an empty exercise, but to LISTEN. I have also gotten a phone call from tenants in supportive housing, saying behaviour inside them is out of control, with residents being accosted, and it not being a well supervised, safe situation. This is housing for which the tenants pay a share, and not a shelter. What a rabbit hole.
We need someone with some social service background, who doesn’t have a conflict of interest, to question on our part the whole continuum of services to the homeless, and not accept pat answers. There seems to be a huge self perpetuating social service industry, with multi millions of dollars being spent, most of it effectively we are sure, but some of it to be questioned for efficacy. Is warehousing of homeless for 5 months, as is happening here, for a cost of minimally $2,200 per month per bed, the most effective way of helping? ($400,000 operating costs divided by 40 equals $10,000 operating costs per bed for the 5 months, plus a share of the remodeling costs done by the city, guestimating that it had to cost much more than $40,000 to refit the garage for human habitation, but minimally amortizing a share of that figure $1,000.00 per bed, or $200. per bed a month 5 months.  Who can determine the absolute, actual cost of all this?
Is there a disability pension received by the homeless? I know it is hard for them to receive it, when having no address. Who has information on this?  Is there a better way that all this societal investment should be used to better serve both the homeless, and also respect the efforts of the tax paying citizens to create a comfortable urban neighbourhood? How do you treat the cause, rather than the symptom?
Lastly, we have to all get REALLY involved in the next civic election in two years, and make sure it is not a solid Vision council.  Currently, Clr. George Affleck is very sensible, and Adrienne Carr is open to facts, whereas the rest are a solid party line, with the admirable mandate of ending homelessness as their first priority, but with no consultation and setting up guidelines with the communities they impact, and with no consideration of the former mandate under the previous administration, which had drawn us to live downtown – LIVEABILITY in a diverse neighbourhood. In the case of the Seymour Street Shelter location, it has tipped the block from a diverse residential street, into a Social Services enclave.
Someone mentioned we are invited to a meeting in early January. Who has this information? I have missed it. In the meantime, drop in to see the shelter. They have invited us to do so. I did this before they had many residents. It is all one big space, just like in the Metro News picture with a maze of mattresses on the floor. I can’t imagine sleeping in such close quarters, or if sleep is possible with no curfews, a TV area planned for one corner, people chatting at tables, and, supported by sound we have heard on the street, people coming and going all night.

We must keep up our pressure. There was an interview on the Simi Sara Show, which you can access by going to CKNW  and clicking on their radio vault for Dec. 4, 2 p.m. I was on at 2:05, and after a commercial break, Clr. Jang was on. Ms. Sara asked him a few good questions, the most important one, after Clr. Jang once again flew the “temporary” banner, she pushed it, asking if they would return to the site again, and he affirmed that they would if there was the need, and if the site was still available.  Based on experience we know that there is always a need, and  suspect the site will be available for at least the next three to four years, so that is all the more reason for you all to get involved, and get your neighbours to sign up to receive our mail out, and to send letters to the city.

So who is willing to step up for this stage? I must return to my own life, willing to support, but not to be the point person, nor the media voice on issues with which I am not conversant. This is NOW POLITICAL, not just neighbours upset with bad placement of a shelter. (Even though we will continue to fight this). Who is interested in political brownie points?

At this point, as mentioned, it gets bigger than our one shelter. I have been contacted now with the next door neighbour of the shelter at 21 east 5th, where there was the same story of no-one knowing the shelter was being built – not even the police- and where already needles are appearing, and our contact saw a beating.

 
His name is[personal information removed].
I am sending him our information. At this point, it proves it doesn’t matter that we had a just cause not to have it on our block: it is bigger than that, and a fight against the bad governance of Vision council, period. I am not the person to lead that fight.  Who do you know who is?

Our new “partners” beside the 21st and E.5th shelter have a lot to bring to the table. The [residents around the shelter] are documenting what is going on around their shelter.

Once again, we mention having great new handouts, which we want to put into your hands and purses, to share with neighbours who will want to know how to contact us. That is how you can help: Keep on educating our community. It is our job to let the city know we care, and won’t stop caring. The opening of the shelter was a given: Now we must fight to keep it from negatively affecting our neighbourhood, and work to assure its departure as promised: Temporary, NOT seasonal. If they try to bring it back, it has to go through due process of development board hearing.

Spread our email address:seymour.residents@gmail.com   for information, handouts and to sign up to our update list.
And once again, please write to city hall with any complaints and your experiences now that the shelter has opened. Hopefully, you will not be unduly affected. Many will, particularly those living right next to it.
 

Categories: Uncategorized

  • gmgw

    Well, now we know why the NPA and the provincial Liberals poll so strongly in Yaletown.
    Incidentally, was it neccessary to post their whole damn hyper-NIMBY rant?
    gmgw

  • GregEh

    My favourite thing nimbys say is “this isn’t nimbyism!”

  • Frances Bula

    @gmgw. You didn’t have to click the “more” button, you know.

  • Stephanie

    “Undemocratic”? I don’t recall getting to vote on whether these entitled schmucks should have been allowed to ruin a perfectly serviceable warehouse district.

  • GregEh

    Super irony: a “community association” created for the sole purpose of exclusion.

  • Agustin

    @ Frances – how do we know what’s on the other side of the “more” button without clicking it?

    Anyway, it looks like some people should be getting coal in their stockings this Christmas…

  • Mark Allerton

    Don’t know about ironic but I find it terribly sad to have to read a screed like this with the name “Emery Barnes” right there in the first line.

  • Stephanie

    Mark, I was thinking the same thing.

  • Chris Porter

    “Calling 911 to report smoking within 6 meters of the doorway.”
    Sounds like a great use of police resources. Who are these people?

  • RTM

    This callous and unconscionable NIMBY movement is everything that is wrong with Vancouver. I hope that the city will ignore this ignorant and uneducated “residents association” in favor of compassionate, rational, intelligent discourse on the social problems plaguing our city.

    This entire website is ludicrously ill-informed on the real issues, uses nothing but laughable rhetoric in its assertions, and bases its arguments in social theory more than a century old.

    I am shocked not to find a proposal for “work houses” in this piece of garbage.

  • RTM

    This callous and unconscionable NIMBY movement is everything that is wrong with Vancouver. I hope that the city will ignore this ignorant and uneducated “residents association” in favor of compassionate, rational, intelligent discourse on the social problems plaguing our city.

    This entire movement is ludicrously ill-informed on the real issues, uses nothing but laughable rhetoric in its assertions, and bases its arguments in social theory more than a century old.

    I am shocked not to find a proposal for “work houses” in this piece of garbage.

  • lh

    I live near Fraser & Broadway and used the bus stop on that corner nearly every day, at various times of day. When the shelter was open there, I was nervous at first, but it blew me away. The sidewalk was cleaner than I had ever seen it, with people picking butts off the ground. I was never exposed to any sort of conflict or felt uncomfortable at nights or early mornings. There was even messages posted by the people staying there that could have been inspirational to some.
    Anyway, point is…
    NOTHING BAD HAPPENED! In fact, I found it to be positive over all.

  • Brian

    Has it dawned on anyone that the most recent city plumber request may be related to this? That the requestor may have been involved in this fight? I googled Emery Barnes but I agree with those above; this is almost too sad to be ironic.

  • waltyss

    @Chris Porter # 9. I was going to mention th esame thing but you beat me to it. This schmuck wants people to use valuable police resources to harass the homeless if one is caught smoking within 6 metres fo a doorway.
    Whoever he is, is he representative of Yaletown residents. I hope not.

  • Brian

    Additionally, I think that those outraged above should send an email to the one listed at the bottom of the letter to let them know what they think of their goals and tactics.

  • James

    The privileged are such a sensitive, fragile and fear laden group of people. You guys are really that afraid of malnourished, under-slept and sometimes self-medicated people? Those poor souls aren’t physically capable of harming your toy breed dogs, even if they tried. Anyway, they all know that the cops work for you (AKA, the privilege/spoilt/born into wealth etc). Do yourselves a favour, stop watching the Cardassians and get back in touch with reality.

    I love this out of sight-of mind attitude you Yaletown trust fund kids have. Guess what, homeless people are human beings, too. A large number of those people were once hard working people with well paying jobs, but one or another situation came up in their lives that knocked them off their feet. One guy who talked to on the street was once an English teacher, but his wife died of cancer and his daughter committed suicide. Let me say it again unless that didn’t manage to elicit the normal response of empathy and compassion: the love of his life died a most agonizing death and his baby-girl took her own life. If this sort of thing happens to you, and I recognize you, perhaps I should be as cold, unsympathetic and misanthropic to you as you are to these members of your community?

    Here’s the reality check if it hasn’t quite hit you yet: normal human being need and help each other. Normal human beings do not have an irrational fear of the poor. Normal, healthy and well educated individuals realize that homelessness is a social, systemic issue, and it’s cause is not restricted to those who suffer from it. Lastly, Yaletown is populated by privileged, spoilt and insulated people who have never had to be exposed to harsh realities of the world. Guess what? There is pain and suffering the world, and it is worse than yours. There are experiences in life worse than not finding a parking spot for your Hummer, or breaking a freshly manicured nail.

    Shame on you. Shame on Yaletown. Anyone who is disgusted by this sort selfish, and purely self-interested, if not completely childish behaviour, I encourage you to boycott all businesses based in Yaletown. Let’s see how long those tanning-booth chauchies and trophy wives last without a little help from their friends.

    I hope you people realize what a complete bunch of bimbos and roid-monkeys you look like to the rest of your community. Respect is earned, and all you spoilt little brats are earning is utter complete disrespect. Grow up.

  • Bill Lee

    RE: Frances Bula // Dec 13, 2012 at 4:18 pm #3

    @gmgw. You didn’t have to click the “more” button, you know.

    However, while we see the (thankfully truncated) memo in the main posting, once we go to comments, we see the whole *#(@&($ thing opened up. 2430 words, Total Paragraphs: 59 Different words/items counted: 835.

    Sounds like the Dunbar cave dwellers prolixity in their screed.

  • Andrew Morrison

    The suggested use of 911 was astonishing. Just…wow.

  • Richard

    @Brian

    Even better, send a message in support of the shelters to Mayor and Council.

  • David Raun

    How does the Emery Barnes Community Assoc. have ANY rational talking points about 1210 Seymour St. being, ” Not Appropriate ” as temporary housing for the homeless this winter… or any winter?

    The Gathering Place, which has been assisting the homeless in the area for years, is right around the corner on Helmcken, as well as the AIDS/ HIV clinic – hospice.

    ( Poor Emery Barnes’s soul must be rolling in his grave knowing that these rich NIMBY’s are using his name…)

  • Roger Kemble

    Emery wouldn’t like his name associated with this . . .

  • F.H.Leghorn

    One has to wonder if waltyss and the other bleeding hearts would be singing a different tune if the shelter was located next door to them.

  • Catherine

    Hey Leghorn, most of us who live in the “rougher” parts of town that you seem to think deserve these shelters would NEVER write one of these pathetic letters to anyone, because we have poor people around us in our community all the time, and guess what…WE’RE FINE. I drug dealers living across the street from me and sex trade workers on the corner a block over. I love my neighbourhood. What the hell are you afraid of? If you want to know what might create hostility in a neighbourhood, I would say it is the ignorance of the privileged class.

  • Richard

    They got an article in the Province. They are not being received well in the comments there either.

    http://www.theprovince.com/touch/story.html?id=7657291

  • brilliant

    @James 15-LOL talk about predictable screeds. Of course its all moral outrage from the bleeding hearts until their kid gets a needle stick in Emery Barnes Park.

  • Boohoo

    This is exactly the kind of thing from which my nickname was born lo those years ago.

    Boohoo.

    And the 911 comment…unbelievable.

  • waltyss

    Foghorn Leghorn, nice to see the absence hasn’t made you any more pleasant. If not where the shelter is, where do you suggest it go? Oh, sorry, I forgot, your job is to vent your dessicated spleen at bleeding hearts and those who have a concern about others, not to offer solutions.
    As for shelters in my neighbourhood, Foghorn, I fought to have low cost housing for mentally ill people in my neighbourhood over my neighbours objections. So, Foghorn, blow it out your ear!

  • Guest

    Lets see…

    DTES activists protesting gentrification of their neighbourhood (Pantages site/Sequel 138)…

    Yaletowners protesting the incursion of the homeless in their neighbourhood (shelters)…

    Why don’t they just all stay in their own areas?

  • rf

    Does anyone see the irony in how any kind of yuppie/hippie development in the downtown eastside is protested but never labeled as nimbyism?

    I find it slightly ironic. It’s ok to put in another HEAT shelter in yaletown but all DTES crew come out in force when the yuppie’s want to set up shop in their ‘hood….

    just sayin..

  • Warren

    There seems to be a lot of repressed Yaletown-hate coming out in these comments. Perhaps we should go back further and you can tell us about your mothers…

    So there are 4 temporary heat shelters, and 2 are to be located in Yaletown. Is there a massive influx of Yaletown homeless I don’t know about? I certainly haven’t noticed them.

    I live in Yaletown, and I’m not a “trust fund baby” thanks very much… glad to see all of the righteous anger is such a two-way street.

  • IanS

    Outrageous! I cannot belief that anyone would sooooo insensitive as to write such reprehensible poppycock.

    IMO, all Yaletown residents should be driven from their homes at spear point and set upon with HORSEWHIPS! I don’t personally own a horsewhip, but, after reading that drivel, I’m giving very serious consideration to obtaining one.

    VERY SERIOUS CONSIDERATION.

    And, as you for Mr. Leghorn #21, how dare you question our collective moral outrage by suggesting that we might feel differently if the HEAT shelter was actually located where we lived. HOW DARE YOU SIR!

  • rf

    Coincidentally, Dennis Gartman’s daily finanical newsletter quoted H.L. Mencken (the journalists out there probably know who is. Former editorialist for the Baltimore Sun.) today.

    “Here is the perfect pattern of a professional
    world-saver. His whole life has been devoted
    to the art and science of spending other
    people’s money. He has saved millions of
    down-trodden from starvation, pestilence,
    cannibalism and worse-always at someone
    else’s expense and usually at the
    taxpayer’s….
    Of such sort are the young wizards who now
    sweat to save the plain people from the
    degradations of capitalism, which is to say,
    from the degradations of working hard,
    saving their money, and paying their way.
    This is what the New Deal and its Planned
    Economy come to in practice— a series of
    furious and irrational raids upon the taxpayer,
    planned casually by professional do-gooders,
    lolling in smoking cars and executed by
    professional politicians bent only upon
    building up an irresistible machine.”

    Written in the 1930’s…..

  • rf

    @IanS,
    Perhaps Foghorn should have alluded to the outrage if a fancy condo building goes up in your neighbourhood.

  • brian

    Foghorn:

    Just spoke to a friend about this article. She lived within a few blocks of last year’s mount pleasant shelter and didn’t know about it until reading this article. She could not recount any incident that she could attribute to the shelter.

    It had zero effect on her life.

    for #26 and #27:
    I think its important to have a mix of housing styles in any neighborhood, which is why I’m not necessarily opposed to expensive development on the east side (certainly needs to be done right-which sometimes happens in this city) AND why I’m in favour of a shelter at Seymour and Davie.

    Take a walk around: there are already homeless people in the vicinity of this site.

    Richard #18:
    Agreed. Sending to .

  • spartikus

    IMO, all Yaletown residents should be driven from their homes at spear point and set upon with HORSEWHIPS!

    I prefer pitchforks & torches myself.

    I can see it now, the Battle of 5 Points as dramatized in Gangs of New York, played out on the streets of Yaletown.

    And they say we’re NoFun City.

  • Chris Porter

    A look inside the shelter.
    http://vancouverisawesome.com/2012/12/14/a-look-inside-the-seymour-street-temporary-homeless-shelter-in-yaletown/

  • Tessa

    @ everyone who thinks this is comparable to opposing expensive towers: In this case, it’s the powerful trying to prevent powerless, homeless people from having somewhere warm to sleep. In another case, it’s the relatively powerless trying to keep their warm place to sleep from being overrun by powerful people who want to build luxury condos and gentrify a neighbourhood unaffordable, likely creating more homeless. Or maybe just disagree on the form and shape of development, either or. I don’t see how the two are comparable.

    As for this pathetic, uneducated screed written above, it’s a shame that people are so motivated by hate and fear of other human beings and so closed to help. And to get a little cliche, it’s especially un-Christmaslike. But I do hope and expect that not every Yaletown resident agrees with this, as is true of any neighbourhood, so while there is some truth to James #15, the overgeneralized nature of the comments is hardly helpful.

    This sort of thing can only be addressed the same way other types of hatred and fear of the “other” is addressed – through education, through not bending to the will of those who would deny the basic rights to their neighbours. And for those who are angry, justifiably so, at reading the above writing – just as I was – please please PLEASE write to mayor and council and tell them how you support HEAT shelters, and write to newspapers and comments on blogs where this comes up, and talk to people you know about this issue.

  • Alexis

    I lived a block away from the shelter that was on Broadway and Fraser, and only knew about it because the door was directly at the bus stop I frequented. That’s right – directly at the 99 bus stop. Every so often there was someone going in or out, for sure, but it made absolutely no impact to the area besides making me and my neighbors proud to live in a community that helps to look after people who have run into some hard times.

    I’m horrified that anyone would look down upon the people who are helped by the shelters, or the amazing people who run them.

  • TJP

    As a Yaletown resident who supports the Emergency HEAT shelter, I am angered to see this group purporting to speak on behalf of our community.

    Their wanton disregard for the safety and dignity of the individuals who will be accessing the shelter, is unacceptable and does NOT reflect the view of the majority of Yaletown residents.

    We live in an urban setting, with urban realities and until we can find a way to end homelessness, we’re in this together.

    It’s about time that the rest of Yaletown took to the mic and let this small group know that they do not get to speak on our behalf.

    To the Emery Barnes Park Community Association, you DO NOT speak for me, or my neighbours!

    For shame.

  • rf

    Not to get overly philosophical but the thing that bugs me about HEAT shelters is;

    If a loved one turns to drugs, the family is told to stop enabling them to continue. Don’t give them shelter, don’t give them money, don’t insulate them from the consequences of their choices.

    Yet those in HEAT shelters tend to be those that refuse to obey the rules of any other shelters. Effectively, they enable many drug abusers to continue their behavior and be insulated (to some degree) from the consequences of the behavior.

    In short, families are told “they won’t get better if you keep helping”. Then the city comes in and says, “you dont’ have to face the full consequences of your choices, we’ll enable you to continue and not have to sleep on the street or risk freezing to death”.

    It’s not cut and dry, I get that.

    But there’s a certain amount of a contradiction in providing this kind of support.

  • Mira

    gmgw… #1
    “Well, now we know why the NPA and the provincial Liberals poll so strongly in Yaletown.”
    As a matter of fact you’re wrong.
    Check out the maps…
    It’s all Gregor, Vision Vancouver and BC NDP.
    Nice try!

  • waltyss

    Sorry, Mira, I checked the map at http://vancouver.ca/your-government/election-results.aspx and where the shelter in question is happens to be in a Suzanne Anton voting district.
    And it’s Mayor Robertson to you.

  • brilliant

    @waltsyss 26-I hope you’re finding your new home suitable to your condition.

    @Tessa 36-yeah sure those all powerful one bedroom condo owners.

    @rf 37-indeed and yet the poverty pimps will be the first to shriek in horror when it is suggested we force people into treatment. Sorry leeches, if I’m going to be forced to pay to house you I damn well have earned the right to force you to get your act together.

  • Dan Cooper

    Never lived by a shelter, but did live right behind a methadone clinic (daily dosing and counselling, with lots of in and out) back in my Portland days. Lovely people, actually. No problems with them, or for that matter the neighbourhood tavern next door to it. And yes, this was in what was considered a fairly good, middle income neighbourhood.

    Merry Christmas to all!

  • Guest

    WRT “opposing expensive towers” in the DTES –
    if you think the protesters don’t have any power, that’s a mistake – they are protecting their DRUG MARKET – they have enormous power (including power over drug addicts).

    http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/condo-building-protested-as-threat-to-drug-market/article4102398/?service=mobile

  • Richard

    @brilly brilly brill

    Treatment available to all those who want it would be a great step forward.

    Happy Holidays. Glad you have a warm place to stay.

  • lars gunnerson

    there is an amazing amount of hate against yaletown residents for asking for consultation and dialogue with the city. scary

  • catherine

    I spent years saving to buy my home, worked three jobs. I could have purchased in a “rough” part of town but continued to rent a crappy cheap apartment on the east side so I coud save for a better neighbourhood. I paid a lot of money and continue to pay in taxes, so I don’t have to be surrounded by drug users, needles, people lying in the street, or stepping over them in my doorway because they are so stoned and drunk. I made a choice to choose my neighborhood, how dare Vancouver City Council force a shelter on me – how about they put one up there at 23rd & Oak in the Mayor’s hood and see how they all feel about it. I have volunteered at Raincity Housing emergency centre on Powell and as much as they do fantastic work there, they also have a very different opinion of what is acceptable behavior and what isn’t – there is no way they are the right people to decide how a neighbourhood is effected by a shelter that houses – yes homeless – but drug and alchohol addicts

  • brilliant

    @Richard 45-treatment for alll who NEED it. Dociety and the mentally ill would be better off if places like Riverview wete reopened.

  • MB

    I find myself actually agreeing with brilliant #46 for once.

    Shocking.