[homeles_ot-l] FW: Cathy Crowe Newsletter - January 2009

[Lynne Browne]

Hi all,

 

Occasionally I send around Cathy Crowe’s Newsletter for those who are new to
our listserv. You can subscribe to it directly at the end of her message.

 

Lynne Browne

Coordinator

Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

147 Besserer Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6A7

613-241-7913, ext. 205

HYPERLINK "mailto:lbrowne at ysb.on.ca"lbrowne at ysb.on.ca 

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca  

 

   _____  

From: Cathy Crowe News [mailto:crowenews at sherbourne.on.ca] 
Sent: January 8, 2009 5:56 PM
To: lbrowne at ysb.on.ca
Subject: Cathy Crowe Newsletter - January 2009

 

Cathy Crowe Newsletter #52 - January, 2009

1.	 HYPERLINK
"http://tdrc.net/uploads/images/Cathy/newsletter/housepaint.jpg"HousepaintHY
PERLINK \l "BM_1"‘Housepaint Phase 2’ exhibit. Go see it!
2.	HYPERLINK \l "BM_2"Recession Relief Fund Coalition calls for
emergency federal aid. Please endorse the Coalition’s call!
3.	HYPERLINK \l "BM_3"Allan Gardens Protesters’ Lawsuit against the
City and Police Ends in $100,000 Victory
4.	HYPERLINK \l "BM_4"Economics for Everyone. A Short Guide to the
Economics of Capitalism. By Jim Stanford (Fernwood Publishing, 2008). Cost:
$24.95

Happy New Year?  

It was just over a decade ago when we declared homelessness a ‘National
Disaster’ in Canada. In the ten years that followed, with the Big City
Mayors across the country signing on to our declaration, with the United
Nations confirming our declaration by calling the homeless crisis “a
national emergency,” we have witnessed 10 years of inaction by the federal
government. Homelessness in Canada has only gotten worse over the past
decade and now with the recession and the bitter cold weather we have all
been seeing, and the same old inaction by federal officials, the plight of
homeless people in Canada continues to worsen. 

Over the holidays a friend of mine asked me how I was doing, how my work was
going. I thought about it and then quickly realized that I was very tired
and all in all, things were not going that well. Sadly, a national housing
program does not yet appear to be on the federal government’s radar. With
growing numbers and worsening conditions for homeless individuals and
families, I knew that I had to get from being tired to being inspired if I
was going to carry on. Fortunately, once I started looking around at the
work of others, both individuals and different groups working collectively,
the inspiration to continue was not that hard to find. The right thing to do
is the right thing to do and I realized that I was not alone in knowing
that. 

Happy New Year?  What follows has inspired me to hope so.

1. ‘Housepaint Phase 2’ exhibit. Go see it!

Until July 5, 2009
Institute for Contemporary Culture, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
Roloff Beny Gallery, Level 4

Most of us probably know the story of Tent City – it’s a story of solidarity
with homeless people against a big corporation and City Hall, that resulted
in a huge political win – HOUSING! 

In the late 1990s a handful of homeless people began to squat on five acres
of polluted yet valuable undeveloped land on Toronto’s waterfront. A huge
corporation, Home Depot, owned the land wanting to build a big box store.
With growing homelessness and overcrowded shelters, Tent City grew and grew
to a population of well over 100. In 2002, Tent City residents were
inhumanely evicted by Home Depot with the assistance of police and City of
Toronto staff. 

Artists took notice and years later commemorated Toronto’s Tent City in a
‘street art’ exhibit titled ‘Housepaint’. Unbeknownst to most former Tent
City residents and activist groups like the Toronto Disaster Relief
Committee, the original Housepaint exhibition (Phase 1) was briefly
installed on the still vacant site of the former Tent City. 

According to the ‘Housepaint’ website:

“Over three days in June 2008, through storms, flood, and rainbows, ten of
Canada’s top street and graffiti artists each painted a simplified canvas
house to commemorate Tent City’s previous residents and homeless people who
died on Toronto streets. The Housepaint project, curated by Devon Ostrom,
was commissioned by Luminato Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity in
collaboration with Manifesto Community Projects, as part of StreetScape
2008.

“The sizes of the painted houses are based on the approximate income levels
of people in Toronto, i.e. two low-, two high-, and six middle-class homes.
At Tent City, the original site-specific installation was surrounded by
construction fencing that excluded the audience and prevented them from
passively viewing the artists at work. This temporary gated community of
street artists included: Cant4, Case, Dixon/Royal, Dstrbo (HVW8), EGR,
Elicser, Evoke, Starship (HVW8), Lease, and Other.

“The fencing surrounding the houses was covered in a wall of 560 small
canvases that was painted as one piece by Daser (one of Canada’s first and
most renowned graffiti artists.)  On the back of each canvas was the name of
one person who died on the streets of Toronto due to lack of shelter. These
small 12 x 12” canvases completed the transient memorial and were given out
during the last hours of Luminato 2008.”

Housepaint is now on display at the Royal Ontario Museum, presented by the
Institute for Contemporary Culture. It is the first exhibition of street art
in a major Canadian museum. Dri, a TDRC Steering Committee member and
essentially the first person to squat at Tent City, joined me for a private
tour of the exhibit at the ROM by curator Devon Ostrom and Laura Comerford,
from the Institute for Contemporary Culture. We were each affected by the
exhibit and look forward to seeing it evolve. As Dri later noted, “I was
really impressed by the exhibit. It is majestic.”  Through the run of the
exhibition, every month-and-a-half another street artist will be invited to
respond and add to the canvas houses from Tent City and the previous art
work in the sequence – layering the exhibition with meaning and building
organic connections between the works. The exhibit runs until June 2009 and
the ROM plans to program several events around the exhibit that could
include film, panel discussions and events for children and families.

HYPERLINK
"http://housepaint.typepad.com/housepaint/2008/11/housepaint-at-t.html"http:
//housepaint.typepad.com/housepaint/2008/11/housepaint-at-t.html

HYPERLINK
"http://housepaint.typepad.com/housepaint"http://housepaint.typepad.com/hous
epaint

2. Recession Relief Fund Coalition calls for emergency federal aid. Please
endorse the Coalition’s call!

In early December 2008, in a Bay Street boardroom, an unusual alliance of
business, charitable foundations and front-line agencies was formed. Within
two weeks the Recession Relief Fund Coalition issued a media advisory
announcing its call for the federal Government to create a Recession Relief
Fund which would support Canada’s most vulnerable populations. The Coalition
is national in scope. 

BACKGROUND

With a recession under way, the need for services provided by the front line
agencies serving Canada’s most vulnerable will increase. 

It is anticipated that all levels of government, faced with deficits and
declining tax bases, will cut spending. Social spending grants to agencies
are not seen as core spending and are often the first things to be cut. In
addition, Foundations and individuals, facing 30% plus hits to their equity
portfolios are likely to cut back on charitable giving. Corporations facing
layoffs, decreasing profitability and in many cases fighting for survival
will likely cut back on charitable giving and philanthropic sponsorships. 

At a time of increased demand and decreased revenues, many agencies will be
very hard pressed to maintain service levels. Some agencies may be forced to
lay off staff, cut programs and even close their doors creating greater
crowding, demand and pressure on remaining agencies. At the same time, more
and more people will be requiring help. 

The result will be an increase in the number of homeless men, women,
children and families. There will be overcrowding in shelters, deteriorating
health conditions and increased mortality. Increasing levels of extreme
poverty will lead to higher costs for the healthcare system, the criminal
justice system and for remedial social services.

THE DECLARATION

We call on the Federal Government to immediately create a Recession Relief
Fund which will include:

*	preventing spending cuts to public and private not for profit
agencies serving vulnerable people including children, youth, families,
immigrants, those who are homeless, un/under-employed, senior citizens,
people who are disabled and those suffering from mental illness. (some
funding programs are set to expire March 31, 2009) 
*	increase funding to all HRSDC (Human Resources and Social
Development Canada) and settlement programs, including doubling the existing
level of funding being provided through the HPI (Homeless Partnerships
Initiatives) program to supplement funding that is projected to be lost from
private sector sources and increase funding levels as required. 

In addition, we call upon the Federal Government to invest a portion of
proposed infrastructure spending on social infrastructure by implementing a
fully funded National Housing Program.

Please sign the declaration on the website and distribute it widely through
all your networks!

HYPERLINK
"http://socialplanningtoronto.org/recession_relief_fund.html"http://socialpl
anningtoronto.org/recession_relief_fund.html

Below is the media advisory and the coverage in the Toronto Star.

Media Advisory: For Immediate Release

Recession Relief Fund Declaration Launched

Federal Government Spending Mandatory to Support Canada’s Most Vulnerable

Toronto, December 18, 2008

The Recession Relief Coalition, a network of agencies, foundations and
business people, is calling for the Federal Government to create a Recession
Relief Fund, which will provide support for agencies, such as food banks,
drop-ins, shelters and employment centres, providing essential services to
Canada’s most vulnerable people. This fund would also provide money for a
National Housing Program.

“Foundations have had their endowment funds hit by the collapse in equity
prices, many companies are fighting for their survival. Individuals are
experiencing declining net worth and are afraid of losing their jobs,”
stated John Andras, Senior Vice President, Research Capital. “We cannot
expect the private sector to maintain the donation levels to front line
service providers.” 

As donations decline, demand is increasing. Food Bank usage is rising and
drop-ins are seeing greater numbers requiring services, including more
families. 

“Many folks, when they lose their jobs, can hang on 60-90 days before we
start to see them,” asserted Bob Rose, Program Director, Parkdale Activity
Recreation Centre, a member of the Toronto Drop-in Network. “With 60,000
jobs lost in November in Ontario alone, we know demand is going to increase
dramatically.”

“Unless the Federal Government steps up to close the funding gap, many
agencies will have to lay-off staff, close programs and in some cases will
not be able to survive,” said  Bill Morari, President, The Rotary Club of
Toronto. “This will only increase the load on an already over stretched
system. The private and charitable sectors cannot do this alone.”  

What we are seeing is happening in every municipality across Canada. The
Government of Canada must provide emergency funding now. “We urge every
agency, every business, every individual across Canada to sign the
Declaration,” said Mr. Andras. “We must act now, while the Budget is being
drawn up, to remind Ottawa that people are hurting and that the Federal
Government has a responsibility to all Canadians.”

News coverage:

HYPERLINK
"http://www.thestar.com/article/555101"http://www.thestar.com/article/555101


HYPERLINK
"http://www.thestar.com/article/554975"http://www.thestar.com/article/554975


3. Allan Gardens Protesters’ Lawsuit against the City and Police Ends in
$100,000 Victory

With this winter’s harshness both in terms of weather and the recession plus
City Hall’s relentless refusal to open more shelters or warming centres –
there was a small glimmer of sanity in the form of a legal settlement. It
was a pure and simple moral victory worth $100,000. 

For a period of approximately two years, from 1999-2001 in Toronto, Friday
night meant that a small group of activists spearheaded by students Oriel
Varga and Elan Ohayan and Alex Brown, a homeless man, would sleep outside at
Allan Gardens. Although I did join them for one of their Friday nights, my
main contribution was to be available as surety should they be arrested and
to support their actions, press events and gatherings.

Here is an excerpt from their media announcement about the win.

ALLAN GARDENS PROTESTERS LAWSUIT AGAINST CITY & POLICE ENDS IN VICTORY. All
awards will be used for housing advocacy.

TORONTO – After 8 years of delayed justice, the City of Toronto and Toronto
Police have paid a substantial settlement to three organizers of the Allan
Gardens Project. The housing activists will be directing the entire sum of
over $100,000 toward grassroots housing initiatives throughout the city. 

The Allan Gardens Project was a peaceful protest that began in August 1999
after the police breakup of OCAP's Safe Park. It included students, homeless
and other community members calling for public housing. For over 120
consecutive Friday nights at Allan Gardens Park, protesters decried the
continuing housing crisis in Toronto as well as police brutality and
harassment of the homeless. The sleep outs lasted over two years until
November 2001. A violent crackdown by Toronto's emergency taskforce unit in
October 2000 resulted in false charges that were later thrown out of court.
Three anti-poverty activists (Elan Ohayon, Alex Brown, Oriel Varga) promised
that such intimidation tactics would not cause them to back down and
promptly launched a lawsuit against the City of Toronto and Toronto Police.
Now, eight years later, only days before the court date, the city and police
have finally been forced to pay a settlement, all of which will go toward
housing initiatives. 

The activists had planned to argue, in a two week court trial set for
December 2008, that given the lack of safe affordable housing the homeless
have the right to sleep out and set up shelter free of City and Police
harassment. The activists were to be represented by renowned civil rights
lawyers Peter Rosenthal and Vilko Zbogar and supported by anti-poverty
experts Cathy Crowe, David Hulchanski, Stephan Hwang and Gaetan Heroux. One
of the arguments to be heard in court was that a police crackdown on any
shelter of a homeless person and their advocates, given the lack of housing
and safe shelters, is a violation of Section 7 of the Charter – the right to
life, liberty and security of person. The legal team, housing experts and
community activists involved in the case will be present at the press
conference.

Oriel Varga: "The duration of the process highlights the continued problems
in Toronto housing and the Ontario justice system. Almost a decade after the
community call for housing to be built and the many promises by city,
provincial and federal governments, the building of affordable housing
remains at a virtual standstill. The homeless and social justice activists
continue to be harassed by the city and police. As a consequence of
government inaction, homelessness continues to be a national disaster and
there is an average of two deaths per week of homeless individuals in
Toronto alone (according to estimates by the Toronto Disaster Relief
Committee)." 

4. Economics for Everyone. A Short Guide to the Economics of Capitalism. By
Jim Stanford (Fernwood Publishing, 2008). Cost: $24.95.

HYPERLINK "http://economicsforeveryone.com/"http://economicsforeveryone.com
(website sponsored by CCPA)

Many of you will recognize the name Jim Stanford as one of Canada’s
best-known economists. Jim works for the Canadian Auto Workers union,
Canada’s largest private sector trade union; he writes a regular economics
column for the Globe and Mail and is a frequent commentator in the media. 

Economics has always scared me, yet it’s a social science so I should be
able to grasp it. I’ve always used the excuse that I’ve never studied it. In
fact, I’m not aware of any nursing faculty in the country that makes
‘Economics 101’ core curriculum. Yet economics and economic policies shape
what we do – where and how we work, what our community looks like, who
benefits and who suffers. It has been the result of our economic policies
that I do what I do, working as a nurse on the issues of homelessness and
poverty. It’s why I worked to declare homelessness a national disaster in
1998 and why I recently helped to form the Recession Relief Fund Coalition. 

It’s also why I recommend Jim’s book: Economics for Everyone. A Short Guide
to the Economics of Capitalism.

I’ve heard Jim Stanford speak many times. I’ve also witnessed first hand how
he’s helped bring to CAW members an ‘economic literacy’ in order to support
their fight for change. His uncanny ability is that he cuts to the chase,
demystifying and explaining, usually with a lot of humour.

The book is a good tool and the website includes course outlines, sample
lecture slides, student exercises and an on-line glossary. Jim has made
getting information a lot easier and with information, inspiration can
follow. 

Happy New Year?  Hopefully! 

Cathy

Thanks to Anthony Rapoport for design, layout and web support, Bob Crocker
for editing.

Photo credit: Devon Ostrom

To reply or comment please write me at HYPERLINK
"mailto:ccrowe at sherbourne.on.ca"ccrowe at sherbourne.on.ca

View Cathy's previous newsletters at: HYPERLINK
"http://tdrc.net/index.php?page=newsletter"http://tdrc.net/index.php?page=ne
wsletter.

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