********************
I am crying over spilt milk.
It’s too late to recoup the $100,000 spent on the “Your Orillia” survey from last fall. Remember those days when some of us were asked about what we wanted for this city? What would improve your quality of life?
“More shopping stores” seemed so innocent back then. Would the answers really be so different now or does it just feel that there is more urgency now? Some of the vision board statements must have been shelter for all, more social services, more mental health services, jobs… were the answers really “rocket science?"
This pandemic suddenly made us realize that we are all in the same boat or potentially could be; that some of our safety nets aren’t that big or strong and that many of us are just a paycheque away from debt, or more debt or worse.
My guess would be that most people who are homeless have suffered some kind of loss; the few I have still seen on the street over the last few weeks have fit that profile.
We are still short of helping some; those are the people we see sitting between Giant Tiger and Dollar Tree with a cardboard sign (no one downtown to panhandle from? But at least they are “social distancing”). Or standing outside the closed CIBC building/ATM; vulnerable, putting themselves in harm’s way but also possibly being the harmful one; too close to avoid if you are rounding the corner and happening upon someone or trying to get to somewhere you need.
Or being cornered when you are at the door of your business, car or home downtown.
These have all been adults. Where are the teens? If the youth centre had said that “On any given night, somewhere between 40-60 youth in the Orillia area self-identify as being homeless and are without a place to call home” then where have they gone? Nowhere to “couch surf”...Are they just staying put in awful situations?
There is no worse feeling than being stuck.
There is some rethinking to be had about how we lay out shelters; even emergency ones now. The bottom line really is that everyone truly deserves their own room and their own washroom anyway; COVID or no COVID. Think how many people could be provided for with that set-up; people with dogs, transgender people, couples, families, etc.
There is a building currently that would be part of the way there and is already set up in many ways, and although I've talked about homeless adults, I really have youth in mind.
The former Greenhaven Shelter has three floors; mind you with a shared washroom on every floor but every level could house a small group of kids. Now that COVID-19 testing is more readily available, each level could become its own core group set up with distance learning, distance counselling, food and clothing brought to them; a place of safety and security to get “unstuck” from awful situations.
Think how vulnerable youth are to peer pressure, bullying, abuse, crime, drugs...and then that feeling of invincibility teens generally have; the risk-taking and now there is COVID. If they were sheltered in a place of safety and security then the side effect would be that they would also be safe from COVID.
I was going to propose that the $400,000 earmarked for city signs on the highway be redirected to a youth shelter. (The youth centre had a graffiti art workshop on the walking trail under Highway 12 years ago...could they not design and create the signs for the city?)
There is another $500,000+ earmarked to the AquaTheatre now and then an article about how it’s cost the county $500,000 so far (to house the homeless in hotels) and money will run out by November.
Buying that former Greenhaven shelter would mean something permanent; money staying within the city and shelter community, an investment in our youth and our future and permanent emergency housing.
Caring for young and old at any time (and some people in between) is our societal responsibility. Lighthouse shelter is also so close to the final stage of their fundraising efforts; they could use some of that money, too, to meet that goal.
Former fundraising efforts are gone now; the walks, the banquets, the concerts. Imagine if we flipped things and those kinds of fundraisers happened for things like the Aqua Theatre and the signs now.
Then as you handed someone their cupcake, at your City bake sale fundraiser, you could take an opinion poll and ask people what they might like for their city.
Even the “Your Orillia” survey consultant said that the City had to start reeling it in (insert rolling eye emoji here).
The Aqua Theatre is a luxury now….$400,000 LED gateway signage for the city is an extravagance (and hypocritical/another letter/another time).
We have the funds...it's how we choose to use them. We may not be the “greatest generation” but please, through all of this upheaval, let’s not be the worst!
Click here to sign in my petition to bring a youth shelter to Orillia.
Ellen Wolper
Orillia
********************
