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The question that has been plaguing this community and wouldgo along way, in my opinion to further discussions, is that we have been toldthat this project will be for “low risk homeless” Please define low risk in thescope of this project, how and who will evaluate the risk, and if that risk isever re-evaluated.

Is this simply their home (they live in their unit and dotheir own thing) or do you offer the tenants services such as transportation,counseling, medical services (medication monitoring?), community kitchen forcooking meals, employment services? What is the job description the full timeemployees?

What are the terms the people agree in order to be placed inthis complex? Basically what are the terms of their leases (or what do you callit?) Are there any situations when you would evict a tenant? I am thinking thatin a normal lease (residential tenancies general form) or even in a condo thatpeople can be evicted or fined for excessive noise/parties, not following rulesof building (unkept balconies); non payment of rent or fee and illegalactivity. Considering that your founder, Mr. Soroka freely and candidlyadmitted that he knows many of the people taking part in the JPHAW housing continue to use drugs in their units (in a youtube interview withHardly Normal (is that his name?)), it would seem to me your terms of tenancydiffer.

How do the people you propose to place actually feel aboutthis location? One thing that has always stuck with me when a formerly homelessman came to talk at my workplace from the Mustard Seed is that he emphasizedhow even though he was homeless he had a community. He had friends on thestreet, employees and volunteers at the different agencies he went to that heconversed with and trusted, a daily routine, knew the downtown beat cops andindicated that they have a mutual respect for each other. So even though he nowhad a home, he chose to work with the Mustard Seed and chose to live in thatvery same area. Many of his friends are still on the streets and he said he didhis best outreach right there as he was trusted. So how do the people that thiswould service feel about being so remote from what they know, trust andunderstand? The far reaches of the outer edge of the city is so remotelydifferent that I fear there may be a high rate of revision due todisconnectedness and loneliness for something familiar. Hard enough to make achange in your life without other large changes being stacked upon you. Iunderstand your choice in Canora Place location – your own offices are a block away– where the people can go for a friendly cup of coffee and some chit chat.There are frequent and ample buses, many business within walking (includinggrocercies) and an wider demographic of people coming in and out of the area (shopping,visiting, living). Is the church going to be opening their doors as a warm upshelter as you do in the winter just to feed the need of socialization or doyou expect these people to hop a bus for 2 hours to reach your offices?

What is the role of the church and it’s members in this –simply the land or more?

Why has this been in the works for 3 years and the communityhas not heard a thing about it? Considering our MP knew and also presumablymembers of the church some of whom I would expect live in the community, thefact that this has remained absolutely silent just reeks of ulterior motive.Would you not have served yourself, the community you intend to build thisproject in and the people you intend to serve better by spending at least some timeover the last 3 years conversing with the community, holding public meetingswhere you spoke of your organization, your goals and the people you intend toserve? I would think that transparency and disclosure throughout wouldhave resulted in a better reception. Instead you are being barraged with 1000questions, countless worries and opposition.

And finally, why when you started this forum did you notbegin it with a Q&A? I am sure you have heard (from our community groups,councilor) a lot of the questions we will all be asking. Our questions are notoutside of the realm of anticipation. You could have pre-empted some of what Iexpect to be countless posts with the Q&A. Also, I would hope your in theprocess of preparing a full information package with full disclosure to bemailed out to all residents (by postal code) within a x circumference. Whileyou are in discussions with the Terwillegar Commmunity League, the TCL actuallyserves residents who live much farther away from this proposed project than thepeople that live across Terwillegar Drive in Haddow. Do they not also have the rightto be informed?

I look forward to full disclosure and a timeline of it’sdistribution.

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Hi Tabitha,
First we would like to thank you for your feedback, your questions and your patience. We plan on addressing all of these questions in a Q&A that we will be posting shortly.
Please feel free to continue asking questions. We hope to connect with as many people as possible and address any concerns in a timely matter.
Thank you again for your patience.