[homeles_ot-l] Remembering Tom Hogan

[Delores Peltier]

Hello Linda,

 

Thank you for sharing another perspective to the side of Tom we as readers did not know about.  Coming from the Aboriginal community here in Ottawa we do not always hear the stories of our Aboriginal homeless or the ones confined due to addictions issues.  It was nice to see that he was remembered by putting an article in Saturday’s Ottawa Citizen but at the same time where were all the community groups, individuals, agencies while he was living, why is it only now that he was glorified for who he was and not while he was that great painter?  Did he even know of his own Aboriginal community and was he able to reach out to them? 

 

I hope that this story (both sides) can be shared and discussed amongst those who work with the homeless population and to make that difference and make that change happen.  All too often it is said that “it is not my/our problem” then whose problem is it?  It is a collective issue which does need to be addressed.

 

With a little more dignity, even though Tom did not live his cultural life through, could have been sent off in the way he was brought into this world by his roots – of his Aboriginal ancestral ties and not just shipped off and forgotten.  Where will family and relatives find the homeless if there is no way to send them back home?

 

These are just some of my thoughts and hope that this discussion will continue, not only for the Aboriginal homeless but also for others.

 

Delores Peltier-Corkey

 

From: homeles_ot-l [mailto:homeles_ot-l-bounces at list.web.net] On Behalf Of Linda Lalonde
Sent: February 1, 2014 1:25 PM
To: Mike Bulthuis; homeles_ot-l at list.web.net
Subject: Re: [homeles_ot-l] Remembering Tom Hogan

 

While I'm glad to see that Tom finally got noticed, I wish I could believe anything will come of this. Having known Tom and dozens of other Toms over the years, while we take tiny baby steps like The Oaks, the root problems are rarely addressed. For many in our city, the 'benefit' of places like The Oaks is that it removes the scourge of homelessness from under their noses - and, of course, they define that 'scourge' very differently from how I would.

 

Perhaps it's time to do something concrete to remember Tom by changing the way we respond to the unhomed in this community. There is no reason or excuse for there to be anyone living in a shelter or on the street in Ottawa. It's lousy human service and it makes no sense from a fiscal angle. We could change that easily but, as a community, it's not a priority and so we choose not to make that difference.

 

It's easy to feel sad when you're reading, in the comfort of your home, about the end of Tom's life. Isn't it nice that he found a place to live before he died and how kind of his friends to support him at the end. Well, that's bullshit - he lived a life of hell in our institutions and on our streets as do hundreds like him on a daily basis. A warm bed and a door he could close - we owed him that and a whole lot more.

 

Don't sleep easy tonight - that's a luxury that wasn't provided to Tom for most of his life. In our foster homes and on our streets, there are dozens of Toms in the making.  What are you going to do about it?

 

Linda.

 

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."  Dr Seuss.

  _____  

From: Mike Bulthuis <mike at endhomelessnessottawa.ca>

In today’s Ottawa Citizen, Bruce Deachman has written a lovely piece remembering the life of Tom Hogan. Tom was a resident of the Oaks, and spent his last days in January at the Mission’s hospice. The article beautifully acknowledges Tom’s gifts to our community, along with recognizing the local staff, volunteers and friends that cared for Tom. 

 

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Friends+poignant+goodbye+made+streets+home/9454619/story.html

 

 

 

Mike Bulthuis

Executive Director

Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa

171 George Street, Ottawa ON K1N 5W5

613-241-1573, ext. 314

 


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