Fez Batik to be turned into homeless shelter

[voxpopulicosmicum]

I guess I'm the only UT member whose Adam Vaughan koolaid hasn't worn off...

Seriously, I think he's savvy and effective -- if given to fits of intemperance (although I appreciate the intemperance when fecal matter like Minnan-Wong are about). He's got my support, and the way he has played his constituents, I'm not the only one.

 

[lister]

^ Are neighbourhood NIMBYs really pleased with a homeless shelter coming to this prominent corner? Seems like a lose-lose-lose-lose for everyone: the city, the homeless, the clubbers and the residents.

No it's asinine. How retarded are those people at City Hall that either think this is a good idea or have an axe to grind against club owners and patrons?

I'm neither a club owner nor a patron (I don't particularly like most clubs) but as a home owner in the area, it makes no sense to build a homeless shelter there.

Has anyone stood up to say that it was their idea? Is anyone actually accountable for this? Are they prepared for egg on their face for when this blows up badly?

 

[Hydrogen]

How many residents in other neighbourhoods would want a homeless shelter? I don't think it's so much a dumb idea to put a shelter in the entertainment district so much as there would be much more opposition in other parts of downtown. Either way, the club district will evolve.

 

[MetroMan]

This is another Queen & Bathurst in the making. Adam Vaughn championed this and it's his ward so as far as I'm concerned, he's accountable for the mess this is going to turn out to be.

 

[Urban Shocker]

I can't think of a better place to locate a homeless shelter than in a part of the city such as this, where there are clearly homeless people.

 

[Towered]

A friend of mine suggested all the homeless shelters should be located far outside of downtown, where the land is cheaper. I'm sure Scarborough wouldn't mind

 

[adma]

And of course, Ward 2 would be ideal...

 

[MetroMan]

If a shelter has to be downtown (and it does make sense because that's where the majority of the homeless are), there are plenty of industrial side roads and laneways, some of which actually branch off Peter St.

One of them is behind the Holiday Inn which has available space of previous industrial use. There's also Mercer street a couple of blocks down.

But Richmond St? This is an obvious head-on attack on the nightlife industry. As a person who's livelihood depends on it, this is a personal attack on me and Adam Vaughn will get all my wrath upon election time (I'm moving into his ward this year).

I'm resourceful, connected and creative. So are many of the club industry heads. I'm going to do all in my power to insure that he'll be a one-term councillor.

 

[unimaginative2]

I can't think of a better place to locate a homeless shelter than in a part of the city such as this, where there are clearly homeless people.

Despite the fact that a far larger shelter housing far more people could be built for the same amount of money a handful of blocks away?

 

[BobBob]

I can't think of a better place to locate a homeless shelter than in a part of the city such as this, where there are clearly homeless people.

On one of the most prominent *corners* in the area? You can't seriously believe that...

 

[Urban Shocker]

It's as good a place as anywhere, and it also serves the valuable purpose of taunting the NIMBYs - so it gets bonus points.

 

[BobBob]

Well, spite shouldn't be a factor in urban planning, IMHO.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Anything that gets people to confront their prejudices is good. They're homeless, they're among the weakest links in society, they don't live in fancy condos and they don't roar in from the 905 at weekends and throw up on the sidewalks. They're homeless people and they have just as much of a right to live there and be tucked up in their beds at night as anyone from those other groups - none of whom are huddled freezing on sidewalk grates in the winter, which is what the homeless do.

 

[BobBob]

Nobody here is saying that homeless people don't "deserve to live in the area", or that homeless shelters are not welcome in the area, or that they are bad altogether. This is also not a case of "homeless shelters are great, just not in my neighbourhood". Fact is, there are very few NIMBYs here and the local reaction has not been vocal at all.

This is not an ideological issue, and it's wrong to try to turn it into one. It's easy to resort to populist phrases like those you made about the poor huddled homeless sleeping on grates in winter, but that has no relation at all to the discussion about what's a good use of particular lots in the city, what's a good use of the city's limited funds, what would be the best way forward for this changing neighbourhood, taking into account the city at large, etc.

 

[Hank]

That certainly sounds noble, but the issue isn't whether the homeless have a right to a bed (which I believe they do), it's whether the city should be building a homeless shelter at that exact spot when building a new shelter nearby would be better for homeless people, residents, and the city alike.

Even if we accept that 'forcing people to confront their prejudices' is a valid rationale for urban planning, are people in this area (of which I am one) any more 'prejudiced' than people in any other area of the city? Maybe we should poll the city, find out who least wants a homeless shelter nearby, and then put it right next to them out of spite (sorry...to get them to 'confront their prejudices', of course).

Decisions like this shouldn't be based on some sort of vengeful pseudo-morality; they should be based on a rational consideration of what would provide the maximum benefit for all involved. As I said: I live in the area and I would much rather have the homeless shelter located closer to where I live as opposed to taking up a prime corner that could be home to any number of area-enhancing ventures in a district newly becoming less club-dependant.

It's easy to be Mrs. Lovejoy ("won't something think about the children...er...homeless??"), but a better solution would be to actually listen to what everyone is saying before brushing them off as homeless-hating yuppies.