Jeff Gruban, of the Abbotsford Dignitarian Society (Abby Digs) made a presentation to the Abbotsford Chapter of the BC/Yukon Drug War Survivors on Tuesday, June 10, regarding the Abby Digs initiative known as the Valley Road proposal.
The proposal, which has been presented to the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness, would see a Dignity Village-style housing project built on a private parcel of land just off of Valley Road on the Abbotsford Mission Highway.
The proposal is for a no-barrier housing project with cabins for residents, laundry, toilets and showers as well as gardens and a resident-led organizational structure based loosely on the Dignity Village project in Portland Oregon.
Abbotsford Today attended the presentation and asked several of those in attendance, who represent some of the organizations engaged in the battle to help Abbotsford’s growing homeless population, what they thought of the proposal.
To view the Power Point presentation simply click here.
Our Questions:
- What was your impression of the presentation and the response to it by Jeff Gruban of the Abbotsford Dignitarian Society (Abby Digs) at the Drug War Survivors (DWS) meeting in Abbotsford on June 10.
- Since a large number of the residents of the proposed Valley Road project will likely be members of the DWS, do you feel the Valley Road proposal answers the needs of DWS members?
- Do you have a sense that Abby Digs and the DWS will be able to work together to make Valley Road a success?
- What are the biggest hurdles you see ahead for the Valley Road proposal?
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Ann Livingston
VANDU was created in January, 1998, to combat the many different threats to the social health of the population of drug users living in Vancouver, including overdose.[2] Its founding members include Ann Livingston, a nurse, and Bud Osborn, who later became a member of the Vancouver-Richmond Health Board.
1. What was your impression of the presentation, and the response to it, by the Abbotsford Dignitarian Society (Abby Digs) at the Drug War Survivors (DWS) meeting in Abbotsford on June 10?
Very thorough
Detailed
Aimed at funders
The contradiction of the project is that the term “dignitarian” usually is used for projects that ensure ownership for participants. The model presented is a ‘charity’ model where the land (and buildings?) are owned and the property is leased for the project. The project is not necessarily bad but is perhaps mislabeled.2. Since a large number of the residents of the proposed Valley Road project will likely be members of the DWS, do you feel the Valley Road proposal answers the housing needs of DWS members?
Some DWS members’ housing needs will be met with this kind of housing: – those that prefer a ‘rural’ setting
– those that can “pass” as non addicts or as the well behaved mentally ill.
The project is not big enough to impact DWS members’ immediate needs.
The project cannot be pointed to as a solution to homelessness but I support the project.3. Do you have a sense that Abby Digs and the DWS will be able to work together to make Valley Road a success?
Yes if careful attention is paid to governance and the physical design of the village. I attended a presentation on co housing for seniors at SFU by Charles Durrett.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb1r64POLcQ
This architect works with people who are going to live in a project to ensure livability, to maximize community co operation and affordability. This kind of session will bring out practical ways of dealing with tough problems like drug use, horribly low welfare income and dealing with police & an overly controlling mental health system.4. What are the biggest hurdles you see ahead for the Valley Road proposal?
Opposition of neighbours. Which can be countered by an intensive public education campaign.
5. What are some of the other ingredients for a successful housing strategy which Abbotsford, or any other community, must have in place?
Real projects that create a purpose and meaningful activity that matches the skills and passions of the inhabitants. Gardening may be good but recycling bottles and other stuff may be what people are already engaged in.
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DJ Larkin
DJ was drawn to a career in law by her belief in the law’s power to build a more just society. Her practice is focused on litigating and researching the criminalization of homelessness, systems of housing which infringe the human rights and housing rights of low-income renters and housing policies and practices that put women and families at risk. As Pivot’s housing campaigner, she is committed to working with her clients to create a community that respects and values all of its members.
1. What was your impression of the presentation, and the response to it, by the Abbotsford Dignitarian Society (Abby Digs) at the Drug War Survivors (DWS) meeting in Abbotsford on June 10.
It appears that great deal of thought has gone into the proposal. Given the complexity of the project, it will require a great deal of effort to have it come to fruition and to have it become and remain a healthy, thriving community. My impression of the DWS reaction to it was that some people in the room felt it is a great step forward. That said, it was clear that DWS members know that this one initiative is not an answer for everyone. Furthermore, it was clear that more input will be required from DWS and others who may end up living there. The proponents presenting the project, while they are putting great effort into the proposal, are not the people impacted by the proposal – DWS members raised valid concerns during the meeting and it is their views which need to be heard and respected throughout the planning process.
2. Since a large number of the residents of the proposed Valley Road project will likely be members of the DWS, do you feel the Valley Road proposal answers the housing needs of DWS members?
It has the potential to serve some DWS members well. That said, not everyone will thrive in a community environment of that nature and some may be limited in their ability to live that far from downtown due to disability. For a variety of reasons, this project may be an important step for some people, but cannot be expected to serve all DWS members. It is extremely important that the rights of all people living on the street are recognized and respected and that the Valley Rd community, should it be developed, does not become a place where all homeless people are “expected” to go – that will not work for individuals, could be destructive to the Valley Rd community, and would not be respectful of people’s fundamental rights to determine how best to ensure their own safety and survival.
3. Do you have a sense that Abby Digs and the DWS will be able to work together to make Valley Road a success?
No comment
4. What are the biggest hurdles you see ahead for the Valley Road proposal?
City permissions, plumbing and electricity. I hope that there is a real likelihood of getting necessary City supports for this project. It would do a great deal of damage to the people on the streets who have put themselves on the line to participate in this process if there is little likelihood of the City supporting the project in the necessary ways.
5. What are some of the other ingredients for a successful housing strategy which Abbotsford, or any other community, must have in place?
A rights and dignity-based approach: Roofs are not enough. It is extremely important to approach issues of housing and homelessness by first recognizing each person’s fundamental rights and inherent dignity. Some people will cycle in and out of homelessness, some will be homeless only once – what is fundamental is that people are respected wherever they are at.
Variety: No one response fits all people. Every person, including you and me, has a complex and rich life – that is no different for people living on the streets. We have to respect diversity and base interventions and support on the needs and expressed desires of the people affected. For some people, housing which is ‘high-barrier’ and requires sobriety is a positive and stabilizing force in their lives. That, however, is not the case for many, many people including members of DWS. Having a variety of housing options which reflect individual needs and diversity is key.
Housing is harm reduction: Many of the housing options in Abbotsford are based on sobriety or engaging in treatment. What is largely lacking from the discourse is the fact that housing itself is harm reduction. Facilitating access to safe, adequate housing is a means of reducing harm to people regardless of whether they are engaged in treatment or programming. It may lead to improved community functioning and health outcomes, decreased victimization by violent crime and can act as a stabilizing force to allow people to choose how best to move forward in their lives. Insisting that people with addictions who are homeless not only agree to treatment in order to access housing, but often requiring them to be successful in that treatment, is a unique and pervasive form of prejudice against people in poverty. When the middle class man in a house on the hill abuses drugs or alcohol, we don’t take his house away and put his life in further danger until he stops. We support that person, stabilize him and we do not insist that he is not worthy of a home until he adheres to our view of how he should live his life. That is, however, precisely what happens when people living on the streets who use drugs and alcohol are told they have to ‘get clean’ before they can get housing.
Housing with supports: Some people do well in housing without supports, others require ongoing connection to community supports in order to help them in their transition to being housed. What is key is that those supports are respectful of people’s privacy, meets them where they are at and reflects their individual needs. A city that supports social services – even in its downtown business district – is a community that respects people.
Recognizing that losing housing is not a failure: a system that recognizes that some people cycle in and out of homelessness, respects their dignity regardless of their current circumstance and is flexible and agile in assisting people who cycle back into homelessness is essential.
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Paul MacLeod
Paul MacLeod
Paul is the Board Chair of the Abbotsford Dignitarian Society (Abby Digs) which was formed in response to the Abbotsford Homeless Crisis with $10,000 in seed money from the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association (ADBA).
Paul is the former president of the ADBA and is committed to finding solutions to homelessness in Abbotsford including addressing the immediate needs of the homeless and supporting the Valley Road proposal.
1. What was your impression of the presentation, and the response to it, by the Abbotsford Dignitarian Society (Abby Digs) at the Drug War Survivors (DWS) meeting in Abbotsford on June 10.
My impression of the presentation was that it was well accepted by the DWS . I believe that going forward from here the Dignitarian society can learn a lot from the DWS which will assist us in helping the homeless in our community. I was very pleased that Barry gave us an invitation to attend more of there meetings which I am looking forward to doing so
2. Since a large number of the residents of the proposed Valley Road project will likely be members of the DWS, do you feel the Valley Road proposal answers the housing needs of DWS members?
Hopefully it will address a good number of them. But we as a community can’t stop here we must find other solutions that meet the needs that valley road can’t meet.
3. Do you have a sense that Abby Digs and the DWS will be able to work together to make Valley Road a success?
I believe we can I think that the DWS and the Abby Diggs have a great desire to make it work and will.
4. What are the biggest hurdles you see ahead for the Valley Road proposal?
The hurdles as I see them will be to make sure that the residents are treated justly by both fellow residents and the community at large and that the day to day management of the village is managed in a fair and safe way.
5. What are some of the other ingredients for a successful housing strategy which Abbotsford, or any other community, must have in place?
Our community needs to provide a wide range of housing alternatives for our homeless housing projects and affordable housing within the community.
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Barry Shantz
1. What was your impression of the presentation, and the response to it, by the Abbotsford Dignitarian Society (Abby Digs) at the Drug War Survivors (DWS) meeting in Abbotsford on June 10.
The presentation was well-thought-out and professional, and the membership received it very objectively. I think Jeff’s presence and the manner in which he responded to and addressed the concerns of the membership was the first of many landmark moments in the history of this issue to be remembered. There are many more landmark moments in front of us where we will have apply proper science and evidence-based research to find the solutions we’re all seeking.
2. Since a large number of the residents of the proposed Valley Road project will likely be members of the DWS, do you feel the Valley Road proposal answers the housing needs of DWS members?
Some but not all. But the fact there is an initiative which is now in progress means that an important first step has been taken.
3. Do you have a sense that Abby Digs and the DWS will be able to work together to make Valley Road a success?
The type of commitment I’m sensing from both sides – those with and those without – is that we have too succeed because nobody is walking away from this.
4. What are the biggest hurdles you see ahead for the Valley Road proposal?
I think the biggest hurdle we face is the willingness of those who are new to the war on homelessness to be willing to learn about the science and facts learned through years of trial and error in dealing with these issues. Their ability to set aside preconceived notions or seemingly effective methods of approaching problems of this magnitude will make or break this project.
A lot of damage can be done by making assumptions about the men and women we are trying to help which have no basis in fact or reality. Without relying on experts and using evidence-based solutions we risk making mistakes which will hurt the very people we are trying to help.
5. What are some of the other ingredients for a successful housing strategy which Abbotsford, or any other community, must have in place?
Abbotsford must abandon the belief that the mentally ill, and the alcohol or drug dependent homeless men and women of this city must somehow demonstrate a willingness or a commitment to be ‘fixed’ before they can be treated with dignity and respect. All the money in the world isn’t going to solve the Abbotsford Homeless Crisis as long as we insist on forcing people to adapt to our views of how they should live before we will help them.
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