New Workers Swamp Calgary's Homeless Agencies

Families drawn by the economic boom can't find housing

Kim Guttormson, CanWest News Service

Published: Saturday, July 08, 2006

CALGARY -- Some workers who have moved to Calgary looking for a piece of the Alberta advantage are finding themselves out in the streets.

Agencies that deal with homelessness are overwhelmed by families who have arrive in the city without lining up housing first.

"I've never seen it like this," said Inn from the Cold executive director Diana Segboer. "It's a new trend that's got us very concerned. And it's going to get worse, a lot worse.

"It's the downside of the boom."

The agency, which helps find temporary shelter for parents and children, received 10 calls in one day last week from people preparing to come to Calgary, but needing somewhere to stay. And in some cases, people are arriving at their door straight from the bus depot.

Analysts say Calgary is starting to reach a critical point, where the labour market will absorb as many bodies as arrive, but housing and infrastructure are becoming stretched to the limit.

The average house price has soared past $400,000. City transit is at capacity. Affordable housing is especially hard to come by, with 2,300 people now on the city's waiting list for a spot and rent rising with demand.

Segboer classifies most of her clients as working poor -- those who have jobs but can't keep up with the increasing cost of living in the city.

Calgary's need for workers isn't going to ease any time soon.

Segboer said the city needs a permanent shelter to handle the specific needs of families.

The Back Door Guides Youth

By: Sarah Urbanowski
Calgary Journal Wed. October, 24, 2007

When James Hamilton was 14 years old, he wasn’t exactly playing on the streets, instead he was living on them. He turned to the street just shortly after his parents split up.
At 17, he found himself at the Back Door, a place he had heard about from friends he had met on the street. The Back Door is an organization that helps youth transition away from living on the streets.
“I realized the street life wasn’t for me,” he said. Hamilton is now 20 years old and has been working hard to get off the street, develop career skills, and support his three-year-old daughter.

He is currently working through an apprenticeship to become a heavy-duty mechanic.
Marilyn Dyck, 63, is the executive director of the Back Door and has helped many other young Calgarians get off the street.
“Kids don’t have enough adults that care, we are just adults that want to help,” said Dyck.
This was the Back Door’s 20th year and it was also their first annual walk/ run in support of their cause.
Their “Steps off the Street” walk and run took place on Oct. 28 to raise awareness about youth on the streets and nearly 80 people were in attendance.
Hamilton was there to help set up the route and to lead the group along the five-kilometer path. Hamilton said that he left home for the streets because living with his mom’s new boyfriend was hard.
Dyck has seen her fair share of kids on the streets for the same reason as Hamilton. She explained that a lot of the kids come from broken homes, blended families, and it just doesn’t work. The Back Door stresses that it is a safe daytime community, not a shelter.
“We don’t want people to depend on the Back Door, we want them to figure it out for themselves,” she said. The concept behind the Back Door is that young people have learned to live on the street, Dyck said.
“And so community people at the Back Door act as cross-cultural interpreters to help them understand what they need to know to make their lives work.”
The Back Door doesn’t offer a place to stay, however it does offer a place for guidance.
It’s a place where youth can develop a planning tool, “a business plan for your life,” Dyck added. It is conversational, each person is an equal player.
“There is nothing clinical about it, just people helping people,” she said.
There have been over 800 “graduates” from the Back Door and seven out of ten succeed using the program, Dyck said. The program requires each youth to commit to 24 months and participants can’t get kicked out, she added.
And although the Back Door doesn’t offer young people on the streets a place to stay, they do offer a cash incentive. For every step that they get closer to their goals, they get $15 and they can do that eight times a month, Dyck said.
Dyck feels that it takes times to build a life back up. “It doesn’t just happen before your funding runs out in six months.”
There were also many other volunteers from the Back Door at the Oct. 28 walk/ run including project manager, Jaime Leslie, 29. Leslie started working at the Back Door after hearing Dyck talk about the program at the University about five years ago.
“The walk was symbolic because it’s where a lot of participants [of the Back Door] start making their steps off the street,” Leslie said.

Participants Making Change

What is Servant-Leadership?

Servant-Leadership is a practical philosophy which supports people who choose to serve first, and then lead as a way of expanding service to individuals and institutions. Servant-leaders may or may not hold formal leadership positions. Servant-leadership encourages collaboration, trust, foresight, listening, and the ethical use of power and empowerment.

Robert Greenleaf, the man who coined the phrase, described servant-leadership in this way.

“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. He or she is sharply different from the person who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions. For such it will be a later choice to serve – after leadership is established. The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

The difference manifest itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer , is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, will they not be further deprived?”

Taken from the Servant As Leader published by Robert Greenleaf in 1970.

Failing Schools Strain to Meet U.S. Standard

By DIANA JEAN SCHEMO

Published in N: October 16, 2007

LOS ANGELES — As the director of high schools in the gang-infested neighborhoods of the East Side of Los Angeles, Guadalupe Paramo struggles every day with educational dysfunction.

For the past half-dozen years, not even one in five students at her district’s teeming high schools has been able to do grade-level math or English. At Abraham Lincoln High School this year, only 7 in 100 students could. At Woodrow Wilson High, only 4 in 100 could.

For chronically failing schools like these, the No Child Left Behind law, now up for renewal in Congress, prescribes drastic measures: firing teachers and principals, shutting schools and turning them over to a private firm, a charter operator or the state itself, or a major overhaul in governance.

But more than 1,000 of California’s 9,500 schools are branded chronic failures, and the numbers are growing. Barring revisions in the law, state officials predict that all 6,063 public schools serving poor students will be declared in need of restructuring by 2014, when the law requires universal proficiency in math and reading.

“What are we supposed to do?” Ms. Paramo asked. “Shut down every school?”

With the education law now in its fifth year — the one in which its more severe penalties are supposed to come into wide play — California is not the only state overwhelmed by growing numbers of schools that cannot satisfy the law’s escalating demands.

In Florida, 441 schools could be candidates for closing. In Maryland, some 49 schools in Baltimore alone have fallen short of achievement targets for five years or more. In New York State, 77 schools were candidates for restructuring as of last year.

Some districts, like those in New York City, have moved forcefully to shut large failing high schools and break them into small schools. Los Angeles, too, is trying small schools, along with other innovations, and David L. Brewer III, its schools superintendent, has just announced plans to create a “high priority district” under his direct control made up of 40 problem schools.

Yet so far, education experts say they are unaware of a single state that has taken over a failing school in response to the law. Instead, most allow school districts to seek other ways to improve.

“When you have a state like California with so many schools up for restructuring,” said Heinrich Mintrop, an education professor at the University of California, Berkeley, “that taxes the capacity of the whole school change industry.”

As a result, the law is branding numerous schools as failing, but not producing radical change — leaving angry parents demanding redress. California citizens’ groups have sued the state and federal government for failing to deliver on the law’s promises.

“They’re so busy fighting No Child Left Behind,” said Mary Johnson, president of Parent U-Turn, a civic group. “If they would use some of that energy to implement the law, we would go farther.”

Ray Simon, the deputy federal secretary of education, said states that ignored the law’s demands risked losing federal money or facing restrictions on grants. For now, Mr. Simon said, the department is more interested in helping states figure out what works than in punishment. “Even a state has to struggle if it takes over a school,” he said.

A federal survey last year showed that in 87 percent of the cases of persistently failing schools, states and school districts avoided wholesale changes in staff or leadership. That is why, Mr. Simon said, the Bush administration is proposing that Congress force more action by limiting districts’ options in responding to hard-core failure.

In California, Jack O’Connell, the state superintendent of schools, calls the law’s demands unreasonable. Under the federal law, 700 schools that California believed were getting substantially better were counted last year as failing. A state takeover of schools, Mr. O’Connell said, would be a “last option.”

“To have a successful program,” he said, “it really has to come from the community.”

Under the No Child law, a school declared low-performing for three years in a row must offer students free tutoring and the option to transfer. After five years, such schools are essentially treated as irredeemable, with the law prescribing starting over with a new structure, new leadership or new teachers. But it also gives schools the option of less sweeping changes, like reducing school size or changing who is in charge of hiring.

Finish Article

Link: Participants Making Change

One Life Experience

Visit World Vision's One Life Experience, coming to Calgary for a limited engagement this October.
This 2,000-square-foot interactive village transports you into the heart of Africa. You'll be guided by a captivating audio tour, combined with powerful photography, to experience the impact of AIDS through the eyes of a real child.
You'll move beyond the statistics of HIV and AIDS, and hear the voice of a child in the midst of this struggle. As you see the challenges children face, you'll understand more about why your support is so critical in bringing hope to children.

Please invite your family and friends to join you.

Free Exclusive Event for our Valued Supporters
Location:
Roundup Centre Stampede Park
Date:
Saturday, October 20
Times:
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The One Life Experience is approximately 30 minutes.
Admission is free. Parental discretion is advised

World Vision

Homeless 'crisis' Hurting Revitalization

Marty Hope, Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, September 29, 2007

Until definitive action is taken to house the homeless, changing the profile of downtown Calgary will not succeed, says an official tackling the growing problem.

"We will not regenerate the downtown until we have homes for everyone," says Wayne Stewart, president and CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation. "The East Village plan is in jeopardy until we have homes for all."

The former oilpatch executive -- who has become a strong advocate in the battle to reduce, if not eliminate homelessness in Calgary -- says the situation is at a "crisis level."

He is continuing to push civic officials to review their priorities.

An estimated 58,000 Calgary households are at risk of losing their homes because they are using more than the recommended 30 per cent of household income to keep a roof over their heads.

All it will take, in many cases, is one family crisis to tip the financial scales and put those people on the street, says Stewart.

"The face of those without homes is changing," he says. "More than half now have jobs and on a given night, there are 145 families using shelters."

Stewart was making the comments as part of activities related to the recent Homeless Awareness Week, but he adds that it's a problem that is with the city 52 weeks a year -- and something must be done about it.

Stewart believes there is a direct correlation between crime, drugs and homelessness.

"We will not stop crime in the downtown until we solve the homeless problem," he says. "We will be further ahead with a council committed to housing those in need first and crime second."

He uses the successful Housing First concept that's being used in the United States as a model of what should be done in Calgary.

The strategy behind the idea is to get those in need into a more permanent housing environment, not a shelter.

Those behind the program believe the causes and effects of homelessness cannot be resolved as long as people reside in the shelter system.

"Housing First places people in housing without first requiring them to be clean, sober and fully mentally capable," says Stewart. "We must accept people as they are, get them into a stable, safe environment, and then work on their issues."

The Calgary Homeless Foundation has partnered with the Calgary Region Home Builders Association and Horizon Housing to create the Bob Ward Residence, as well as the Inglewood Project, to provide affordable housing for Calgary's needy.

Stewart says a longer-term goal is to have similar residences in place in all quadrants of the city.

Myths About Youth Crime in Canada

CENTRE FOR RESEARCH ON YOUTH AT RISK


There are many misperceptions about youth in Canadian society. On the one hand, we are concerned about young people who are troubled, but at the same time, many individuals are unable to move beyond a perception that youth are trouble. This fact sheet lays out some of the more common misconceptions about young people generally, and young offenders in particular with a view to gaining a better understanding about the myths which are perpetrated about young people today.

Myth: Young people are the major cause of violence in this country.

Fact: Youth are less likely to be charged with violent crime than adults. In 1997-98, over half (53%) of all youth charged with an offence were charged with property related offences while 20% were charged with violent offences. While there has been an increase in the number of young persons charged with violent crime since 1986, according to statistics for 1997-98, 44% of violent offences were for common assault
(the least violent or serious form of assault). It must be remembered that there have been substantial changes to legislation dealing with young people both within the criminal justice system and the wider society. Any change in legislation or policy (i.e. zero tolerance policies in schools) can lead to a subsequent change in reporting of incidents or infractions to the police. The rate of youths charged with violent crime has declined for the second year in a people today.

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Myth: More youth than adults commit murder.

Fact: In 1997 there were a total of 581 homicides which accounts for 0.02% of the almost three million Criminal Code incidents reported. Of these cases, 56 youths were accused of murder. While research in the United States has shown that persons accused of homicide has become increasingly younger, it appears that the median age of those accused of homicide has increased slightly over the past 25 years. In 1997, the most common single age for someone accused for homicide was 32 The rate of homicides for youths ranged from 1.5 to 2.9 per 100,000 youths since 1987 and in 1997 was 2.3 per 100,000.

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Myth: The increase in the crime rate in Canada is directly related to the increase in youth crime.

Fact: Research has shown that young people are at higher risk of committing criminal offences and the prevalence of offending peaks during the teenage years and decreases as people mature into their twenties. However, the crime rate in Canada has been steadily declining over the past six years with a 19 % decrease reported over the years 1991 to 1997. This is due in part to the declining number of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years ( from 4.5 million to 4.1 million) and an increase in the population aged 55 years and over (from 5.1 million to 6.5 million).

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Myth: The elderly are more likely to be victims of violent youth crime.

Fact: While victimization studies and national polls have shown an underlining perception of increasing crime sensed by certain vulnerable populations, the elderly continue to be a low risk age group for becoming a victim of homicide. The most likely victim of youth violence are other youths (56%), and male youth in particular . Six in ten victims of youth violence were male.

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Myth: Most youth charged with an offence are not found guilty anyway.

Fact: In 1997-98, 67 percent of all cases heard in youth court resulted in a conviction for at least one charge. In New
Brunswick in this same year, 87% of youths appearing in youth court on charges were convicted of at least one charge.

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Myth: Even if convicted of an offence, nothing happens to a young offender in terms of a sentence.

Fact: While the majority of young persons found guilty of a youth offence serve their sentences in the community, in 1997-98, one third of cases with convictions resulted in custodial sentences. In New Brunswick, 30% of youth found guilty of an offence received a custodial disposition. Custody was the most common sentence ordered in cases involving murder/manslaughter, attempted murder, aggravated assault, robbery, escape from custody/ being unlawfully at large and failure to comply with a court disposition. In 1997-98, repeat offenders were three times more likely to be ordered to serve a term of custody than first time offenders for both violent and property related offences. Further, as the number of prior convictions increased for a repeat young offender, the severity and length of sentence also increased.

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Myth: Locking up all young offenders is the smartest way to deal with juvenile crime.

Fact: While it is necessary for some young people to serve some time in custody, ultimately all young people are going to return to their communities. It is essential that young people are provided with appropriate opportunities for their rehabilitation early on in the process of committing offences so as to lessen the difficulties experienced by youth in reintegrating into their communities. If you put an unripened tomato in a paper bag for three weeks, you will be taking it out of the bag as a rotten tomato. The same
holds true for young offenders.

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Myth: It is cheaper to lock kids in jail than to try and treat them in the community.

Fact: Many programs that prevent youth crime or assist youth in the community are far less expensive than incarceration. The average annual cost of detaining an adult offender in an institution is $50,375 while the estimated annual cost of detaining a young offender is $100,000.

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Myth: Just keeping kids in at night would take care of most crime, certainly most violence.

Fact: Contrary to what most people think, the peak times for the commission of crime by young people is between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., the after school hours when young people are left on their own to pursue "leisure" interests.

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Myth: There's nothing you can do to prevent youth crime.

Fact: There are many programs that have been proven to be effective in curbing the conditions that lead young people toward crime, strengthen the aspects of their lives that tend to keep them from becoming involved with crime, and work with the community to strengthen the capacity of the community to effectively deal with young people.

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Myth: Most teenagers are lazy and don't want to help their communities.

Fact: Six out of ten young people already volunteer with community agencies. Almost nine out of ten teenagers would volunteer to take part in programs to help prevent crime if they knew how to get involved with their communities.

Homeless Awareness Week

Friday, September 14, 2007

Homeless Awareness Calgary Press Conference at City Hall

Friday, September 14, 2007 | 12:00-1:00 pm | City Hall Atrium | 800 Macleod Trail S.E.

Stop by City Hall as Mayor Bronconnier officially proclaims the week of September 16-22, 2007 Homeless Awareness Week 2007. Guest speakers and a question and answer period to follow.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Homeless Awareness Calgary Community Launch & Family Fun in the Park Day

Sunday, September 16, 2007 | 11:30-3:00 pm | Riley Park | 800 - 12 St. N.W.

Join Homeless Awareness Calgary and your fellow community members in our Launch Day Family Fun BBQ to kick off Homeless Awareness Week with a bang! Guest speakers, musicians, new radio station Energy 101.5, a Resource fair, family fun, kids entertainment and a free BBQ will be on site to ensure a great day. For more information, contact Larissa Kennedy at 205-6628.

Governors for Children Positive Letter Writing Campaign

Sunday, September 16, 2007 | 11:30 am - 3:00 pm | Riley Park | 800 - 12 St. N.W.
Thursday, September 20, 2007 | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm | Eau Claire Market

Governors for Children is challenging you to write a letter or sign one of ours, to send to our municipal and provincial governments. Together our voice is stronger in making positive changes. Unity can make a difference! Governors for Children’s goal is to mail at least 200 letters to our governments so they know Calgarians DO care about homeless children and youth, and want to see change happen. You can write your own letter, or use one of GFC’s 10 letters posted on their website: www.governorsforchildren.org/events2.html. Sign or drop off letters at Riley Park September 16th, or in Eau Claire September 20th during Homeless Awareness Week.

On the Road Again

Sunday, September 16, 2007 | 11:30 - 3:00 | Discussion Forum | 1:00pm | Riley Park | 800 - 12 St N.W.

"On the Road Again" is a performance art project that functions as a vehicle for discussion and for mobilization in response to Calgary's rapid ongoing urban growth.

Donated, found and purchased furniture will be collected, and during a one day workshop wheels will be installed on each piece of furniture. This newly mobilized furniture will be moved in a parade along sidewalks and public spaces in the city. The furniture also provides a social space for conversation, bringing people together for discussion and action around the rapid transformation of the city.

Join artist Tomas Jonsson, writer Jennifer McVeigh, and activist Grant Neufeld from the Calgary Housing Action Initiative at "On the road again" during the Launch Day of Homeless Awareness Week, September 16. A discussion forum will begin at 1:00pm. For more information, contact Jennifer at the Calgary Housing Action Initiative at 270-3200.

"On the Road Again" is presented by The New Gallery and sponsored by Calgary Dollars.

Tuesday September 18, 2007

Community Open House at Raido House/Windsor Park

Tuesday, September 18, 2007 | 10:00 am – 7:00 pm| 922 - 21 Ave S.E. & Windsor Park

Come and find out more information about John Howard’s youth residences and the youth they are supporting in an Open House of both Raido House and Windsor Park. Shuttle service will be available every half hour, depending on demand.

For more information or to make a group booking, contact Lindsay Lazenby at Raido House at 265-4566. It is not necessary to RSVP, however, Raido House hopes to make this event a remarkable experience, and would appreciate an RSVP. Otherwise, feel free to show up at any time.

Six Degrees of Homelessness

TIME AND DATE CHANGE: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | Calgary Dream Centre | 4510 Macleod Trail South | 2:00 - 4:00 pm | 7:30 – 9:00 pm

Listen to the powerful stories of survivors, as six individuals both housed and not housed, bravely speak about their story and start to create new stories and new beginnings! “Rounded by Three” is a seven minute play that will also be featured, exploring the many levels of social stigma surrounding homelessness. In closing, author Louise Gallagher will explore “Victor, not Victim”, and how it can relate to anyone, not just individuals experiencing homelessness.

Calgary Low Income Coalition: "Prosperity 2006" film; and "Disability in the Friendly Cow Town" film, by Laura Fiorilla.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007 | 6:00 -9:00 pm | Screening starts at 7:00pm, with discussion panel after screening | Carpenter’s Hall | 301 - 10th St NW

Calgary Low Income Coalition (CLIC) works to make sure that a community voice is heard on poverty issues. When the Government of Alberta gave out $400 "Prosperity Cheques", CLIC made a movie, "Prosperity 2006," about what Calgarians thought about the cheques as a way to highlight the issues of people who live in poverty. The questions asked were: how would you spend your cheques; and what should the government's priorities be? Contact John Donovan at 283-0919.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Hope Happening Awareness Event

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | 10:00 -2:00 pm | Salvation Army Centre of Hope | 420 - 9 Avenue S.E.

Come and support the Salvation Armies 2007 Hope Happening Awareness Event with a job fair, program information, visual displays and Ice Cream! We want to promote and raise the awareness of Calgary’s Homeless and the Small Steps Home that each individual takes on their journey.

“The Game of Life”

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | 11:30-1:00 pm | Aspen Family and Community Network Society | #13, 2115 - 27th Avenue N.E.

Aspen is hosting an interactive "Game of Life" that puts participants in the shoes of families and youth in poverty. Participants will walk away with a greater understanding about some factors that create homelessness and some of the decisions that those without homes face. A debriefing discussion will follow the game. Suitable for youth and adults. Bring your own bagged lunch.

Taste of Homelessness

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 | 2:00 – 5:00 pm | Avenue 15 Youth Shelter | 938 - 15 Avenue S.W.

Homeless Awareness BBQ/Open House for the Calgary Community" at Avenue 15 on the Wednesday, Sept.19, 2007 from 2:00-5:00 PM. The event will develop further and we are hoping to get some corporate sponsorships and thinking of a "bagged lunch" exchange, where members from the community can trade a brown bagged lunch for gift certificates. These certificates would be distributed to the three different youth shelters in the city: Ave 15, Safe house and EXIT.

Take Back The Night

Women have protested inequalities throughout history. In Calgary, women have been marching to Take Back The Night since 1982. Take Back The Night symbolizes our commitment to stopping the epidemic of violence against women in our families, our workplaces, our communities, and by the State. We continue to work to change attitudes and behaviours that lead to the perpetuation of violence in all its forms.

This year we promote unity, equality, and safety. The symbolism of the march must be continued into our everyday lives, as the necessity for women to feel safe and empowered must extend beyond an annual event. We hope to create change through community building and inspire a new generation to rise-up and stop the cycle of violence.

Take Back the Night…

• Provides an opportunity to stand together united in solidarity.
• Offers a safe place to express our outrage at the violence in our lives.
• Breaks the silence about violence in our lives.
• Reclaims the right to control our own bodies, lives, and futures.
• Shouts our desire to live freely, without fear of violence.
• Reminds us that we are strong as individuals and even stronger together.

Building Communities From The Inside Out

The 20th century was the era of burgeoning services designed to meet growing needs. However, the unintended side effect has been a cultural shift. Most people are now defined as filled with “needs,” problems, and deficiencies to be resolved by experts, professionals, and specialists. As a consequence, the role of the local citizen and community leader as productive problem-solver has been greatly diminished. The capacity of local communities has been severely limited.

John McKinght is the founding father of the Philia idea. Several years ago, while consulting with the J W McConnell Family Foundation, he suggested convening a round table of individuals in Canada who were working in the 'heartland' - that is, nurturing communities and neighbourhoods where everyone is welcome. That gathering eventually led to the creation of the Philia Dialogue.

Philia is the Greek word for neighbourly love - the bonds of friendship that bind us together in community. More formally, we define philia as "the reserve of human warmth, enthusiasm and generosity that nourishes and stimulates the fellowship at the heart of civic life." By "reserve" we mean that these qualities already exist in our communities; we just need to draw them out. In other words, our communities are inherently resilient. The lens of resilience is fundamental to Philia because it makes us re-examine our assumptions about how individuals and communities function and grow. It reminds us that we are not merely passive recipients in need of outside support and intervention, but have a built-in capacity to heal, adapt, transform and survive.

Discover The Philia Dialogue

Homelessness in Calgary Examined

Originally Posted September 2006: Gauntlet News

Torrential rainfall and a flurry of near-freezing winds rush down Stevens Avenue, providing little refuge to the occupants of the crowded alleyways. As winter descends upon the city, the effects of the present homeless crisis are evidentas as shelters reach full capacity and people are forced to bear the cold in the streets of Calgary.

Biennially, the City of Calgary conducts a count of those currently homeless within city limits and this year's estimate showed a 32 per cent increase over 2004 figures.

"There are currently 2,670 males and 766 females without a permanent place of residence," said Homeless Awareness Calgary coordinator Bonnie Malach, noting the figure includes 145 families.

With this massive increase in homeless persons in Calgary, shelters are desperately trying to facilitate everyone in need, said Malach. Yet as cold weather conditions sweep through the city, extreme bed and housing shortages are taking effect in every facility in Calgary, including Inn from the Cold, who has had families sleeping on office-level floors.

Last week alone, the Drop in Center turned away hundreds of hopefuls into the pouring rain, just to have them settle down on the lawn out front, said Drop-in Centre adult care worker Shawn Singer.

"Emergency accommodations need to be found immediately, whether it be in an old building or community centre," said Singer.

Although the shelters always receive support in the form of donations and assistance, the most current concern is the need to find space to accommodate such a large group, said Singer noting that during the summer homeless often live in campgrounds, but winter weather creates a desperate scramble for housing.

Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission coordinator Cheryl Houtekamer understands the difficulty in predicting demand, and noted bed shortages are a seasonal occurrence, even in AADAC's addictions programs.

Furthering the problem, she noted that the city also needs to find further facilities for women and children who suffer from domestic violence. Separation in shelters is required due to an ongoing fear of violence and sexual assault to women and children, but with every vacant space in shelters occupied, it is almost impossible to separate by gender.



Singer said there is no sole cause for homelessness in Calgary, but noted Alberta's booming economy is leaving some in the cold.

"I believe this will be an ongoing trend," said Singer. "Everyone wants access to the oil supply, and as such are rushing to Alberta. Many come with no money, and are leaving families in search of a job, only to find there are little to no accommodations available."

Alberta is home to one of the lowest minimum wages in the country, leaving many living below the poverty line. The lack of rent control, paired with the current economic boom make it nearly impossible to attain reasonable housing options.

Today's job-market usually demands a post-secondary degree in order to make a decent living, yet tuition costs are at an all-time high. Those incapable of attaining such a degree due to mental of financial issues are almost guaranteed low income without adequate government support.

Houtekamer noted that education--like Calgary's Homeless Awareness Week--is neccessary to show youth the consequences of addictions early on, including how substance abuse is a factor in homelessness.

"To help those with addiction is very difficult," said Houtekamer. "Many do not seek assistance as they do not see it as a problem."

Addictions are often a factor in homlesness, she explained. Addictions can create financial issues and inability to hold a job, or substances are used as a release from the harsh reality of street life.

University students are not immune to addictions eaither, noted Campus Security alcohol and drug awareness officer Keith Uthe. He said addictions may begin as students are realize they are adults and free to make their own decisions

Alberta is the only province in Canada without a debt. It is obvious there is money available in various forms but we may need to reevaluate where it is being put, said Malach.

"We as a community need to come together to find a solution, not just a quick fix," said Malach.

The further the support for such initiatives, the better off the province will be, she noted. By having support for homeless people, it will allow them to restore themselves to the working class. From there, revenue will be raised for the province to replenish the money spent initially.


Merrin Galloway
Gauntlet News

TRASHING TEENS

Psychologist Robert Epstein argues in a provocative book, "The Case Against Adolescence," that teens are far more competent than we assume, and most of their problems stem from restrictions placed on them.
by: Estroff Morano

Psychologist Robert Epstein spoke to Psychology Today's Hara Estroff Marano about the legal and emotional constraints on American youth.

HEM: Why do you believe that adolescence is an artificial extension of childhood?

RE: In every mammalian species, immediately upon reaching puberty, animals function as adults, often having offspring. We call our offspring "children" well past puberty. The trend started a hundred years ago and now extends childhood well into the 20s. The age at which Americans reach adulthood is increasing—30 is the new 20—and most Americans now believe a person isn't an adult until age 26.

The whole culture collaborates in artificially extending childhood, primarily through the school system and restrictions on labor. The two systems evolved together in the late 19th-century; the advocates of compulsory-education laws also pushed for child-labor laws, restricting the ways young people could work, in part to protect them from the abuses of the new factories. The juvenile justice system came into being at the same time. All of these systems isolate teens from adults, often in problematic ways.

Our current education system was created in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and was modeled after the new factories of the industrial revolution. Public schools, set up to supply the factories with a skilled labor force, crammed education into a relatively small number of years. We have tried to pack more and more in while extending schooling up to age 24 or 25, for some segments of the population. In general, such an approach still reflects factory thinking—get your education now and get it efficiently, in classrooms in lockstep fashion. Unfortunately, most people learn in those classrooms to hate education for the rest of their lives.

The factory system doesn't work in the modern world, because two years after graduation, whatever you learned is out of date. We need education spread over a lifetime, not jammed into the early years—except for such basics as reading, writing, and perhaps citizenship. Past puberty, education needs to be combined in interesting and creative ways with work. The factory school system no longer makes sense.

What are some likely consequences of extending one's childhood?

Imagine what it would feel like—or think back to what it felt like—when your body and mind are telling you you're an adult while the adults around you keep insisting you're a child. This infantilization makes many young people angry or depressed, with their distress carrying over into their families and contributing to our high divorce rate. It's hard to keep a marriage together when there is constant conflict with teens.

We have completely isolated young people from adults and created a peer culture. We stick them in school and keep them from working in any meaningful way, and if they do something wrong we put them in a pen with other "children." In most nonindustrialized societies, young people are integrated into adult society as soon as they are capable, and there is no sign of teen turmoil. Many cultures do not even have a term for adolescence. But we not only created this stage of life: We declared it inevitable. In 1904, American psychologist G. Stanley Hall said it was programmed by evolution. He was wrong.

How is adolescent behavior shaped by societal strictures?

One effect is the creation of a new segment of society just waiting to consume, especially if given money to spend. There are now massive industries—music, clothing, makeup—that revolve around this artificial segment of society and keep it going, with teens spending upward of $200 billion a year almost entirely on trivia.

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image: dodge.stanford.edu/.../wallenberg_trashcan1.html

HOMELESS NATION . ORG

The Homeless Nation is Canada's only website created by and for Homeless Canadians. Through a national network of outreach workers, The Homeless Nation Project is dedicated to providing the tools for homeless Canadians to share their stories, unique philosophies and points of view with other Canadians. As well, this site provides an opportunity for the general public to interact and learn more about Canada's homeless population.

Homelessnation.org is produced through a non-profit Canadian organization, Homeless Street Archive. It was formed in 2002 in Montreal by filmmaker Daniel Cross, who had just finished completing the documentary films "The Street: A Film With The Homeless" and "SPIT: Squeegee Punks In Traffic". Having met hundreds of people from the street community across the country, Daniel searched for a way to present as many people's experience as possible, without the need for the editing process that often left left stories on the cutting room floor. It became clear that the web provided a direction for a more participatory and inclusive approach to media.

With a beta release in 2005, and this official release in April 2006, the Homeless Nation is now a national project, with outreach teams in Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. These teams work in shelters, day centers, and on the streets, actively engaging the street community to share their stories and participate on the site. Each user creates their own unique web page and email address. Outreach teams also record location-specifc videoblogs with interested members, posting these on the site immediately.

above picture - Daniel Cross

STEPS OFF the STREET

A Hit of Coke and a Dose of Urban Reality

by Jeff Kubik (ffwd)

Somewhere in the realm of Plato’s ideal forms, nestled in the “fringe” subsection, there is an economical one-hander with scatological humour and sacrilegious zings on Christianity, plastered with the adoring stars of 1,000 divine critics. If this play existed, its audiences would laugh themselves hoarse. It would make a million, billion dollars.
Then there’s David Trimble. One of the most recognizable ducks in the cozy Calgary pond, the prolific character actor is preparing to mount a production with Ground Zero Theatre that flies in the face of traditional fringe fare. Simply, Urban Reality is a bit of a downer.
As its title suggests, Urban Reality sees the first-time playwright return to some of the city’s darker recesses, the kind seen in Trimble’s award-winning solo fringe run of Eric Bogosian’s Drinking in America in 2006. A two-hander featuring Trimble and Lena M. Davis, Urban Reality begins as a young drug addict named Sandy enters a tattered apartment, ready to buy and shoot cocaine. With her newfound dealer, Jimmy, seeming to play the voice of reason to Sandy’s desperation with offers of cold Kraft dinner and gentle words of advice (in addition to the cocaine), the scene soon twists into a cycle of dependence and abuse whose graphic climax offers some small hope of redemption at the cost of shocking brutality.
“It’s hard and terrifying,” says Trimble of creating and assuming the role of a bottom-feeding exploiter. “(The play) goes to the darkest place you can go, so it’s hard. You have to commit to it. The piece is so visceral, you have to play it for real. But we’ll get around it.”
The play is based on the experiences of Trimble’s wife, a former social worker whose ultimately tragic work with an underage prostitute led to her leaving the profession. Trimble is suitably upfront about the play’s message. In addition to the play’s clear social content, one dollar from every ticket will go to Woods Homes’ EXIT Community Outreach Program that helps at-risk teenagers living on the streets.
It’s engaging theatre of the kind that Trimble prefers himself, even if it doesn’t quite fit the mould of the traditional, escapist fringe show. “For me, in my taste, I like seeing visceral theatre, dark comedy,” he says. “I love satire, seeing past (the play), through it. For me, what keeps me coming back is that I get it, and I like it, and it serves more than just pure escapism, even though there is a place for that.
“Theatre is so visceral,” he adds. “To see it live might compel someone to make a difference, or look at (the disadvantaged) differently.”
For better or worse, though, any artistic decision always comes with commercial costs. Somewhere in the hazy world of ideal forms, the perfect fringe show is still waiting for its box office-bursting revenues, ready to dispense escapism and absurdity to an eager fringe-going public. Here in the physical world, however, there’s another ideal at stake. For Trimble, the play’s commercial viability doesn’t enter into the equation.
“It doesn’t diminish what I honestly believe is the necessity of the piece,” he says. “If you change one person’s perspective, that’s more important than revenue at the door.”

City of Origin: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Playwright: David Trimble
Director: Lester Fong
Cast: David Trimble, Leda M. Davies

At MOT: Aug. 10, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 11, 5 p.m. Aug. 12, 1:30 p.m. Aug. 16, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 18, 6:30 p.m.

Calgary Fringe Festival

OH Canada!

TORONTO, July 8 (Reuters) - Adolescents and young families are
being hit hardest by the growing rate of homelessness in Canada,

according to ``The Progress of Nations'' annual report by the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF), which was released on Wednesday.
Young people between the ages of 10 and 19 total 4.5 million and
comprise 13.5 percent of Canada's population.
The report estimated Canada has roughly 200,000 homeless people, with
between 5,000 and 12,000 in Toronto, the nation's largest city.
By comparison, the report estimated that there are some three million
homeless people in the 15 member countries of the European Union and
about 750,000 homeless in the United States.
There are no official statistics for the homeless in Canada.
``We have very little in terms of data in Canada about homelessness.
We need more data,'' Dawn Walker, executive director of the Canadian
Institute for Child Health told Reuters. ``Right now we're working on
anecdotal information.''
In Toronto, 6,500 people stayed in emergency shelters on a typical
night in late 1997 -- a jump of two thirds in a single year, the
UNICEF report.

``Canada's homeless used to be older men who often had alcohol and
drugs problems,'' said Walker. ``What's happening now is that that
trend is changing and we're getting more and more young people, more
people with young families.''
Welfare cuts by Canada's federal and provincial governments and the
end of rent control in major cities have made it increasingly tough
for the poor to get affordable housing and to qualify for programmes
that might keep them off the street.
``There was no way out,'' Diane Marlow, Minister for International
Cooperation and Minister Responsible for la Francophonie, said at a
UNICEF's press conference in Toronto. ``We had a huge deficit, and we
dealt with that. I think we have to keep working with what we have.''
Marleau also urged all levels of government to work toward eradicating
Canada's homeless problem.
Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia are identified in the
UNICEF report as countries engaged in what it called the
``demonization of caring government,'' because of declining public
investment in social housing and the waning involvement of local
authorities and nonprofit organizations in trying to solve the
homeless problem.
``We've always had people on the street but it used to be kids who did
it in the spring and summer months and it was an interim part of their
lives,'' observed Walker. ``What we're now seeing are young people who
are on the street for many many years. It's becoming much more their
way of life.''
According to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, every
child has the right to ``a standard of living adequate for the child's
physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development.''

By definition, homelessness denies all these rights. 

Canada kicking Its Way Up The Rankings

Canada will be kicking its way up the rankings this year at the Homeless World Cup in Copenhagen. The competition, skill, play and spirit on the pitch at this year’s tryouts were the best Canada has ever seen. The Canadian National Homeless Street Soccer tryouts were held this past weekend in Toronto with three cities, Toronto, Calgary and Montreal sponsoring teams to come to the tournament. The City of Toronto John Innes Recreation Centre was host to the event where the Toronto homeless shelter soccer league foundation was set two years ago. Toronto lead the way with two teams, East and West, and the return of Mr. Hollywood – Elliot Clow - last years Homeless World Cup MVP goalkeeper - and Devon “I’m everywhere and solid” Snow as well as Hadi Mounshed. Toronto once again backed up their winning record with Toronto West taking the tournament. Calgary’s second year in the national tournament fielded a rock-solid team with returning former player, now coach Adam Vernon, coming to play. The men from the Calgary Drop In did their city proud with their strong defensive play. While it was the first year for the Montreal squad from the Old Brewery Mission the team came with vigor and verve. Montreal and their coaches fought strong and united and spirited their way to overall second place in the tournament. Selections for the Copenhagen bound Canadian National Team were made from all cities and the National Team will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with. The street soccer project and the formation of the National Team each year is a joint partnership between Street Soccer Canada and the City of Toronto’s John Innes recreation Centre.

Homeless World Cup

Homelessness 'chronic" in Canada

Canada's homeless population is somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 people, while another 1.7 million residents struggle with "housing affordability issues," says an analysis of the latest research on shelter.

In a report released Tuesday (June 26, 2007) from the Calgary-based Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership, journalist and author Gordon Laird argues homelessness is now chronic and is quickly becoming one of the country's defining social issues. He makes a case for a national housing strategy and a more robust income security program.

Citing statistics from a wide range of organizations, Laird says poverty is the leading cause of homelessness in Canada, not substance abuse or mental illness. "Roughly half of all Canadians live in fear of poverty, and 49 per cent polled believe they might be poverty stricken if they missed one or two paycheques," he writes.

Laird is a media fellow with the foundation, which works to influence ethical actions in politics, business, government and the community.

In his report, Laird writes that street counts of homeless people have increased dramatically — "Calgary's homeless population grew 740 per cent between 1994 and 2006."

He cites government numbers showing a cost of up to $6 billion a year to service a "core" homeless population of 150,000. That cost includes health care, criminal justice, social services and emergency shelter costs.

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DOWNTOWNERS

Directed & Produced by Jessica Eskelson & Nichole Ketcherside in 2004 and 2005, Downtowners is 47 minute documentary film that shares the voices of young people who are homeless in Olympia Washington, as they explore issues such as sexual violence, public space, gender roles, street culture, and community perceptions. These voices inspire a connection and understanding seldom experienced by those who lack direct experience with the streets.

Often referred to as "at-risk", "marginalized", or "disadvantaged", these youth and young adults live on the fringes of society, and their struggles include uncertainty, instability, barriers to resources and lack of support in creating solutions.

In an effort to raise awareness by deepening the dialogue about issues of youth homelessness and sexual violence, Downtowners introduces street life from the perspective of the young people who live it.

History of Downtowners
Watch on video.google

profile: HOPE International

HOPE International Development Agency is a Canadian, non-profit, international development agency based in New Westminster, British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada.

Working in Africa, Asia, and the Americas in such countries as Ethiopia, Cambodia, India, Afghanistan, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic, HOPE International undertakes and supports people-oriented projects. These projects empower people and communities in need. Many projects focus on the provision of clean and safe water, sustainable living, primary health and sanitation, and the environment. The projects of HOPE are accomplished with the help of volunteers and the skills of the local people overseas, combined with the charity of people here who care.

It is HOPE International’s aim to offer hope to the poverty-stricken and hungry: those whose present circumstances afford them none.

Why Poverty Puts Us All At Risk

L.O.V.E.

Leave Out ViolencE (LOVE) is the leading not for profit youth violence prevention organization in Canada. LOVE helps youth who have lived with violence in their lives, growing together as community leaders of violence prevention.

LOVE is creating a youth led movement against violence by teaching youth how to use their voice and become champions against violence. Since LOVE began in 1993, these young leaders have reached hundreds of thousands of children, youth and adults reducing violence in schools, neighbourhoods and homes.

Through specialized programs, youth develop the skills and motivation to help break the cycle of violence. LOVE is led by youth for youth. LOVE's leaders are comprised of youth who best understand violence, as they have been personally challenged by: gangs, weapons, domestic violence, racism, drugs and bullying.

Giving young people a sense of purpose and a voice empowers them to take a stand against the violence that has penetrated our communities.

LOVE BC

STREET KIDS INTERNATIONAL FIGHTING THE STIGMA OF AIDS IN YOUNG WOMEN

A GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE COMBATTING AIDS IN KENYA SUPPORTED BY GOVERNMENT OF CANADA

Toronto, Canada (July, 2006) This month, Street Kids International is launching a new program that will seek to address the severe gap in HIV/AIDS prevention programming for young women in developing nations. The program will be funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) as one of a number of grants awarded toNGOs focused on addressing HIV/AIDS in developing countries through grassroots partnerships. Street Kids International received the grant for their work in partnership with a local Kenyan organization. Street Kids International has built its reputation on a series of award winning animated videos including Karate Kids that transcend cultural specificity and language barriers to address the issue of HIV/AIDS in young people. Building onthis expertise and a well developed network of experts, a series of resource materials which highlight the voice and ideas of youth will be created and tested. The project will directly address the particular challenges of HIV/AIDS among young women.
The grant that will enable Street Kids International to complete this work is funded by the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency (CIDA) and will be administered on their behalf by the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) and the Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD). Street Kids International is proud tohave received this grant for this critical work and fully supports the bringing together the Canadian Government, several Canadian-based NGOs, as well as local NGOs to most effectively address the pandemic of HIV/AIDS facingthe world’s young people.

Street Kids International

WADE IN THE WATER Maps Through the Skin

"The word "explorer" conjures up antiquated images of seekers and conquistadors, men who ventured into a much larger world than our own has become. Wade Davis is driven by that same zeal to explore but not for gold and not to chart an unknown coastline. He explores human societies and the mysteries of the plant life that shape them - healing, hallucinogenic or simply edible. From the coca fields of the Andes, to Haitian voodoo rituals, Davis has lived among an astonishing range of what he calls "endangered cultures."

In February 2007 The Back Door invited Wade Davis to our hosted speaker's event:
MAPS THROUGH the SKIN,
art image created by Amy Dryer, Calgary.

The event theme was IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD, and was planned to honor all adults and 'elders' with the Calgary Board of Education Student Support Services who use their personal cultural maps each day to really see, understand and assist children and young people for whom traditional options do not work. Wade spoke about cultures around the world and how they nurture their children toward participation as adults in their societies.
Our key message to all adults working with these important young people:
THANK YOU FOR SEEING THE PERSON IN THE CHILD.
marilyn dyck, thebackdoor

The Glenbow - Crumped!

In May, the Glenbow museum payed homage to a select group of Albertans recognized for excellence and ingenuity in their fields. Among that group was Jazz legend Melvin Crump. Recognized above all as a forceful element during the civil rights movement and a strong voice in the black community Melvin continues to inspire musicians and the socially concious alike.


Excerpt from The Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
The hon. Member for Calgary-Fort

" In 1910, 160 African-Americans from Oklahoma came to settle in a small community about 100 miles north of Edmonton later known as Amber Valley. Out of this group came a very special individual named Melvin Crump. Melvin’s childhood was not an easy one. Melvin’s mother died when he was 10, then right after that his older sister died. At a young age his father and older brother left home. He was raised by his grandmother. He had to quit school after grade 8 and find a paying job, from shining shoes to killing chickens and labouring farm work.
Where Melvin really shone was his strong passion for self-learning, for human rights, and equality. He worked as a sleeping car porter on CP Rail, traveling across the country. He stood up for the rights of the black porters, who worked long hours and were paid the lowest wages. He challenged bigotry and the prejudice of those who practice intolerance. It comes as no surprise that he later became the president of the Alberta association for the advancement
of coloured people. Throughout his life Melvin Crump sought respect. He received it both for himself and others."

Glenbow online exhibit

From Nortel Exec to Head of Street Kids

Rosemary McCarney won't let you forget about the 100 million kids making a life on the streets.

by Caroline Nolan

On the 2nd floor office in a fashionably funky building in downtown Toronto, Rosemary McCarney looks out at a city which by her own estimate, is home to as many as 10,000 of the estimated 100 million street kids in the World today.
As executive director of Street Kids International (SKI), and charged with a passion for bettering their lives and future, the 49-year-old lawyer, former World Bank and Nortel executive reflects on the irony of thousands of homeless kids living and begging amid the corporate hum and hustle that place Toronto among the richest cities in the World.
Ironic too, that Canada- widely viewed as one of the best countries in the World to live in - is home to an estimated 34,000 more. Horrific as those numbers are, as monumental as the task may seem, Rosemary McCarney views her challenge with the kind of optimism that is infectious and goes a long way toward explaining the extraordinary international reputation of the Canadian based organisation.
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