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<DIV>By what right does a board choose to destroy a service they have the
responsibility to operate in the public interest? The second time for this
agency. Whatever else may be true of this situation, it is clear that the
board is incompetent and irresponsible.</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=linda_lalonde_ottawa@yahoo.com
href="mailto:linda_lalonde_ottawa@yahoo.com">Linda Lalonde</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=homeles_ot-l@list.web.net
href="mailto:homeles_ot-l@list.web.net">homeles_ot-l@list.web.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, June 06, 2012 11:55
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [homeles_ot-l] Nelson House -
update and meeting June 7th, 7 pm,Hintonburg Community Centre, 1064
Wellington</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
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<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>Hi folks,</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>I want to update you on the situation at Nelson House which,
as you probably know, was closed by the Board of Directors on May
23<SUP>rd</SUP> with the residents moved to other accommodation. I need
to be clear that this is the best information that I have at the moment
and does not represent all of the facts, just those I have been able to
find and be sure of.</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>There is a meeting being held tomorrow night, June
7<SUP>th</SUP>, at the Hintonburg Community Centre, 1064 Wellington
Street at 7:00 pm which has been called by the Action Committee, a group
of community members (myself included) who came together after last
week’s meeting.<SPAN> </SPAN>The goal of this group is to identify how
to get the 15 beds back in service as quickly as possible and that,
along with information sharing, will be the purpose of the meeting. We
will be bringing in an outside facilitator to help us through that
process and anyone who is interested in finding out more and/or helping
move things forward is welcome to attend.</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>What I know at this time is the following:</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>Nelson House’s ED of three years left about a year ago. An
interim ED, who I won’t name here but is someone whose previous
community work I know, was hired and left three months later after the
board rejected the budget she had prepared. There has been no senior
management person at Nelson House since then.</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>The board has hired consultants who reported back to them but
I understand those reports have not been shared with staff or made
public. </SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>On May 22<SUP>nd</SUP>, the board met and decided to close
the house temporarily. The next morning, board members went to the house
and told both staff and residents of their decision. Residents were
moved that day to other places.<SPAN> </SPAN>Staff were placed on
administrative leave with full pay and benefits. The crisis line was not
staffed and the website was amended to direct women in crisis to other
facilities.</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>Since then the Ministry of Community & Social Services,
the primary funder of Nelson House, has confirmed the temporary closure
but guaranteed that the 15 beds will remain in Ottawa. They have also
announced that a governance review is going to take place.</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>This week, the board has announced that they are calling a
special members meeting at which they will be recommending that Nelson
House be closed permanently and the Corporation be wound down.</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE><SPAN></SPAN>There is other information that people have
passed on to me but I haven’t been able to verify so I’m not including
it here. I do know that other shelter providers in Ottawa are likely to
come forward with ideas to get the beds in service again but I don’t
have details. There will be more information available tomorrow night
since this is an evolving situation.</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>I hope that you will come out to the meeting and do what you
can. I will emphasize again that my interest in this activity is not to
know whether the board treated the ED and/or staff badly or the staff
treated the board and/or the ED badly. I am concerned about the women
and children in need of refuge who, because we have 15 beds less than an
already-inadequate number, will have reduced options and may not get to
a place of safety. That, for me, is the issue. The other concerns are
not unimportant but they are not the immediate and pressing problem.
</SPAN>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 10pt"
class=yiv925077494MsoNormal><SPAN
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; FONT-FAMILY: 'sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 9pt"
lang=EN-IE>Linda.</SPAN>
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