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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Fantastic. Liz<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
homeles_ot-l-bounces@list.web.net [mailto:homeles_ot-l-bounces@list.web.net] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>Linda Lalonde<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, June 14, 2012 9:54
PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> homeles_ot-l@list.web.net<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [homeles_ot-l] Nelson
House - quick update</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Hi folks,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>A quick update on the Nelson House saga - the
members meeting called for tonight with the purpose of closing the shelter
down did not take place. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>This is not the end of the problems and the 15 beds
are still not back in service. It is just a momentary reprieve. There will be
more going on in the next few days and I will give more details then.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>I just wanted to get this out for the time being
since I've had lots of questions.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Linda.<br>
--- On <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Wed, 6/6/12, Linda Lalonde <i><span
style='font-style:italic'><linda_lalonde_ottawa@yahoo.com></span></i></span></b>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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From: Linda Lalonde <linda_lalonde_ottawa@yahoo.com><br>
Subject: Nelson House - update and meeting June 7th, 7 pm, Hintonburg
Community Centre, 1064 <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wellington</st1:place></st1:City><br>
To: homeles_ot-l@list.web.net<br>
Received: Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 11:55 PM<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>Hi folks,</span></font><span lang=EN-IE> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>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></font><span lang=EN-IE> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>There is a meeting being held tomorrow night, June 7<sup>th</sup>,
at the Hintonburg Community Centre, <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address
w:st="on">1064 Wellington Street</st1:address></st1: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. 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></font><span
lang=EN-IE> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>What I know at this time is the following:</span></font><span
lang=EN-IE> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.5in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>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></font><span lang=EN-IE> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.5in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>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></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.5in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>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. 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></font><span
lang=EN-IE> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.5in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>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 <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:place></st1:City>. They have also announced that a
governance review is going to take place.</span></font><span lang=EN-IE> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.5in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>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></font><span
lang=EN-IE> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>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 <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ottawa</st1:place></st1:City>
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></font><span lang=EN-IE> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>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></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=yiv1702118351msonormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:
0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:150%'><font size=1
face=Arial><span lang=EN-IE style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Arial'>Linda.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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