We’re guessing closing a shelter (or three) for abused and homeless women (probably) won’t help Rob Ford pass his budget
For Mayor Rob Ford, a necessary part of passing the 2012 budget will be maintaining at least some level of public support and, by extension, the support of council. So when that budget involves shutting the doors on a women’s shelter in order to save a few bucks, he certainly isn’t helping his own, already challenged public relations cause.
The Toronto Star has the story:
For the eight battered women of Bellwoods House, the city’s proposed budget cuts will put them back on the street, exposed to lives of homelessness and abuse they were trying to escape.
Bellwoods House, a transitional care home for women 50 or older, near Bathurst and Queen Street West, is among three shelters set to close under Mayor Rob Ford’s recommended 2012 city budget.
If [the cuts are] approved by council, the city will save $240,000 in 2012 and $117,000 in 2013, according to the budget.
Like Bellwoods House, many of the facilities, programs and services targeted for cuts in the 2012 budget are political atom bombs. Really, if library closures provoked such massive pushback from citizens and councillors, just imagine the response to closing shelters for abused women and cutting breakfast programs for impoverished children.
Of course, regardless of the merits of the budget, Ford needs the support of council to pass it. But given he’s asking councillors to do things that are potentially so politically damaging, it’s going to be a tough sell. After all, what councillor wants to seek re-election as the guy who drained a wading pool or cut city arts funding? For now, Bellwoods House is one really small front in the fight against Ford—but it could very well be a sign of things to come.
• Councillor leads charge to save home for at-risk women [Toronto Star]
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from what i am reading on line they are just doing what they want-and councillors of compassion are storming out of council-it is unravelling-our city hall protocols are unravelling
Are there no prisons… no workhouses…
I’m sorry, but the city needs to cut it’s deficit and debt. Perhaps these spaces can be saved by joining forces with charities and with private donations. In fairness, I do not understand why Toronto funds domestic violence shelter spaces for women, but none for men. Men are also being abused, especially in the downtown core (where same sex relationships are more common, and where nearly 1 in 4 gay men may be subjected to physical abuse)…and yet when I could have used help, there was no one to help me…because I was the wrong gender! I hope things work out for these women…but I think the time has come to stop neglecting the men who are suffering, simply because we’re men!
This city has no debt. It is against the law for municipalities to carry debt. It is also against the law for municipalities to run a deficit, which is why this city has never done so.
Your questions are fair, and I’m sorry you didn’t get the help you needed.
This is all nonsense. There was something like half-a-billion dollars worth of “gravy” right? Rob Ford guaranteed us there would be no cuts.
So now he’s going to to throw abused women out on the streets to save less than half-a-million dollars? Forget half-a-BILLION! Mr. “No cuts: guaranteed” is going to throw poor women out onto the street to save less than half-a-MILLION.
He’s a liar. He’s a shameless liar.
Robbie needs to get to a doctor forthwith. That neon pink face is a sure sign of soaring blood pressure.
There will be less outrage over closing women’s shelters and food programs for low income children than closing libraries. Middle class taxpayers think they will never need those sorts of services but use libraries and don’t want cuts to affect them.
As well supportive housing programs for recovering addicts that are run by the St Vincent Du Paul (sp?) are being cut because they’re housed in TCHC homes that are being sold off. Even worse is that no one associated with these programs was informed they’d be evicted soon, they found out about it when someone recognized the address from a list of TCHC homes to be sold off and they then told the programs organizers. So now these folks battling to get their life back from addiction will be dumped on the streets to fend for themselves. Well as long as car owners in Toronto no longer have to pay $5/month to register their cars in Toronto I guess it doesn’t matter if abused women and people recovering from serious addictions are dumped on to the streets and that poor children go hungry. After all none of those people even own cars.
here is some food for thought, when you create an army of homeless addicts with no ability to access services and you cut them off from basic needs, don’t be surprised when your once tranquil neighbourhood is suddenly not so safe. the drug use will not stop without help. if you think these cuts wont affect you your blind. case and point 10 years after the Harris cuts happened the neighbourhoods all looked cleaned up, why? because people are taking over the homes of the elderly and vulnerable, cashing their cheques and turning their homes into drug dens…I know of one buildings in a moderate area that has 15 of these takeover units due to the shutting down of accessible services. one of the largest gun busts of the year came out of this building in the downtown core. the effects are right under your noses. keep it up. hope you enjoy your rebate.
Oh! I see where the problem is. When Ford promised to “stop the gravy train”, we thought he was using a metaphor where he was imagining deliveries of a sauce to be paired with truckloads of mashed potatoes.
Brother Doug was waiting for the G.S. Lollipop.
The Mayor and his brother and their foes have one thing in their mind, find a way to milk the city’s budget into our friends pocket.
I only wish someone from the inside can tell the truth about the situation. Yes there is a shortage of funds, but it was created by ROB FORD. And as for the VSP, Staffs who were eligible did not get approve, just wait there will be a case for that very soon….
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I agree with Jack that it’s not right that there are only shelters for women but I don’t quite understand how he thinks shutting them down will help abused men. This seems to be a commen theme I’ve seen in on-line comments — “I don’t get the benifit so I don’t want anyone else to”. Come on, Jack, let’s support the women’s shelter and try to also get a men’s shelter. No-one gets ahead by subtraction except Ford and his kind. Let’s engage in the politic of addition!
Don’t anyone be fooled by women’s shelters, half the residents of these place use them to get custody against the fathers, taking away needed funds for those who do need the help, and the workers have a habit of encouraging this behaviour for more funding the next fiscal year.
I raised my daughter on my own, she was abused by the mom, I successfully raised her to go to school, an honour student, on her way to college, a scholarship offer from a modeling agency, and was even working by 16 y old. Then comes a Carleton place Ontario shelter worker she met from a friend in school, who told her she could get her own place and welfare if she would come to this shelter.
My daughter been 16y old and rebellious, this was an offer which sounded great. After all what 16 y old would not want to leave home and have their own place. Since she was underage, welfare called me asked if I wanted her on welfare, they needed my permission, of course I said no.
In order to by-pass the parent, they coached her to say she was abused, which recently she admitted they did, saying I had locked her in the basement.
While at this shelter run by a very corrupt workers and its director, she started drinking alcohol, so I sent a polite and diplomatic email to the director begging her to look into it and reminding her my daughter was underage. A week later, her supporters and protectors at the local opp station came to my house and told me the shelter were not responsible for underage drinking. As anyone knows, they are legally responsible if not morally. I even have the audio conversation with the opp saying this, so they cannot deny it.
I tried again later, sent another email to this shelters director, explain this time in detail, my daughters mother did drugs while pregnant and the child was born addicted to hard drugs. I also explained in detail, to this director that kids born on drugs are more apt to becoming alcoholics and God forbid drug addict than other their age. I had the support and report of the children`s hospital in Toronto, (the otis program). Told her, this attitude of not caring was putting my kids life in danger, since she was born with a heart problem. In turn I got another visit from her supporters from the local opp, this time they said I had a fine and an arrest warrant, and they tried to put me away in jail for 5 months. Thanks to the rcmp who argued the point that if the fine is paid, he goes home. I even talked to the courts office for fines in Québec and they admitted to me no arrest warrant ever existed. (Which I also have on audio). While at the opp station with this woman cop, she told me to my face, `we warned you not to cause trouble`.
So in closing my daughter was used as a statistic to promote next year’s funding, and when the parent tried to protect his child, he was attacked from all sides, and he was told, `we can do anything with teenage girls, put them on welfare, housing, destroy their education, and future and if you dare to do anything we will put you away`. So, this been rampant, because I found other people they did this to, those who do need the help do not get the aid they do need, because the funds are used to get more funds the next fiscal year. The funds they do get are used to promote instead of helping. With Ontario works and housing in the whole corruption scheme. I did contact the director of Lanark county Ontario works and housing and asked why they were doing this, and I got `we can do whatever we want` from welfare and housing told me they were forced to do it. You see all this corruption, and funding abuse could have gone to people. Women and children that needed it. The system of women’s shelter is corrupt, and if this continues, more will suffer. If the cuts to this program are in place, it will force these shelters to investigate to see if the story of people going through their doors is true, to save money. Hence less children will be used as a statistic.
Now remember this, if they did this to me, a good parent, how many others did they do this to, at what cost to the taxpayer and those who really need the help.
This is not a left or right wing issue, it is an issue of corruption. I, like most Canadian support a social safety net, but it should not be used as a tool for a political ideal, or personal power. The story here is women, destroying teenage girls future for funding…
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In response to the men saying that there aren’t any shelters for men: THERE ARE! The vast majority of shelters are for men. Search google and maybe you can educate yourselves. Downsview Dells is one of them. Women only shelters are important for women to stay in a safe environment, safe from the potential dangers they face in shelters provided to men and women. These shelters for women are important, but of course you wouldn’t understand that because I am sure you’ve never been placed in a position where you fear for your physical well being. Until you’ve experienced sexual, physical, mental, or emotional violence I suggest you educate yourselves and stop stereotyping and discriminating against the women that face these struggles every day of their lives. These shelters are important whether you choose to believe it or not. They save lives!!
about The Alabama 44: dogs taken in a covert roapetion which was not shared with local law enforcement or any animal control personnel. Despite valiant efforts, I don’t think Yes Biscuit was ever able to get a full accounting for those dogs. Some went to kill shelters with chambers and some just fell off the proverbial grid. I never cease to be amazed at the harm that is done by these large national groups using money torn from the hearts of people who are trying to do a good thing. It is both shameful and sickening. And I consider it fraud.
People might not be as outraged at the idea of closing a shelter for abused women if they knew the truth about how inappropriately the money is used in some of them.
I speak from experience as someone who has worked in the womens shelters run by the Society of St. Vincent DePaul. They have several womens shelters throughout the GTA and sadly the women in many of their shelters are nothing more than sheep who are used by the society to collect money handed to the from the government. I’ve heard they get $80 per night for each woman.
Some of their shelters house 40 or more women, and the women are not that well provided for. Yes they have a bed, and meals, but there is no true counselling or rehabilitation done to help them prepare for when they leave.
Many of the girls are prostitutes or in abusive relationships, and the shelter i worked at often had girls sitting right outside of it using drugs, urinating or defecating on the outside of the building, bringing their pimps/abusive boyfriends around the building, selling drugs and their sexual services right near the shelter, often right in the alleyway behind it. I know there were many complaints from home owners in the area of the shelter that i worked at as the girls brought a very seedy element to the area which reduces property values.
Some shelters certainly can help some women, but from my own experience (more than 8 years there) i just saw the shelters as more interested in keeping the rooms full and getting that government paycheck for the head count.