1. Too much heat and not enough housing - Can mindfulness fix it?
This summer challenges our right to exist in a city that is short of housing and space. This Bulletin issue asks many questions: Does everyone deserve to access parks and cooling spaces? Deserve is already a moral judgment that erases the rights of all of us to be in public. Who gets access to cooling, parks, services, social justice? Can mindfulness deal with these social questions or is it being used to individualize and isolate us? What is more humane: Tents, Housing, Shelters?
Stay wet and cool and Mad! Navigate Below
- Intro: Heat, parks, social vs individual problems
- Moments in C/S Bulletin History - Heat
- Rights and News: Health, Housing, Heat
- Resources
- Jobs
- Key Free Events
- Crackdown - Tenants and Police
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Surveys and feedback help us improve!
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Bulletin 305 August 15th 2005 - Heat
In 2005...Psychiatric survivor dies of "heat related" causes during heat wave Richard Howell, a psychiatric survivor who was living in a boarding home in Toronto's west end, recently died of what the Coroner's office described as "heat related" causes. In response, the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC) held a press conference at PARC, urging that * there be "a Coroner's Inquest to review the physical standards and operating requirements of the mental health boarding home system, including the use of psychiatric drugs and other medication and provision of air conditioning. [July 5, 2005]
In 2019, Is cooling accessible for Survivors in Toronto?
The list for supportive housing is longer. Rooming house rooms are disappearing. There are no cooling centres opening this summer. Stay healthy. Stay wet and cool. Watch out for friends and neighbours especially if they are dealing with meds and drugs.
Find heat resources below.
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3. News, Health, Housing, Rights, Advocacy
News
Accommodations are more than ramps. Disability justice requires accommodations and barrier removal for all types of disabilities. All learners can benefit from Universal Design Learning systems (flexibility, different forms of communication through visual, oral, videos, powerpoints, test accommodations (s. 8.3).
Health
Imagine if 5 of your friends lost housing, jobs or their lives from overdose? Would you rather have housing, jobs, and access to safe drugs or a mindfulness class? Would individual mindfulness classes help deal with these social catastrophes?
How mindfulness privatised a social problem
How many times have you been told inspiring quotes that didn't match reality? When do helpful phrases sound fake and meaningless? Or worse: insulting? Toxic Positivity
"Validation: This is hard. You've done hard things before and I believe in you. I know there's a lot that could go wrong. What could go rights?
vs
"Toxic Positivity": You'll get over it! Just be positive!
Key: Still use naloxone at an overdose. But if the naloxone has not worked, there may be a benzo (etizolam) mixed with the drugs warn doctors.
Bulletin asks: Do you think it would be a better solution for government and doctors to focus on antidotes against this specific drug mix or should it focus on making sure there is a safe (not-poisoned and known) supply of drugs? #safesupply #theytalkwedie.
When you are waiting in line for a doctor, you probably don't think about legal aid. Dr. Gary Bloch identifies the ways that access to justice is a social determinant of health.
For people seeking ODSP Access to a legal clinic and advocacy help are absolutely vital for many people getting ODSP.
Cuts to legal aid mean worse health for vulnerable people - Toronto Star July 2, 2019
CAMH is working on creating a Recovery College (RC) and there have been consultations and there is an email but no website: recovery college <recovery.college@camh.ca>. You might have heard about it in the elevator at CAMH or on your Facebook feed if you know anyone who works at CAMH. Some quick questions to consider about an RC: Who decides the goals, programming, resources, outcomes, timing and the ways the RC will relate to the broader world and social-economic-disability issues?
Recovery in the Bin is a critical theorist and activist collective from the United Kingdom where there is a long history of Recovery Colleges. RITB is a great source for when are stuck in the loop of frustration-waiting-services-waiting-disappointment.
* Housing *
We still need to advocate and reach politicians to make sure they know that we have a Right to Housing (R2H). Get on the email/phone/post office! Interesting Background Document on the R2H
This poster was made to respond to a campaign to eliminate homeless camping in Seattle.
What do you think is more human? To leave people alone or to call the city?
Seattle's campaign: See a Tent? Report a tent. ... Living outside without access to sanitation is inhumane. ...Report a tent using the City of Seattle App.
How often are survivors left without resources and services? Or left without peace and harassment?
PART 1: 15 Etobicoke ACORN members rallied for a speak out against condo management corruption: mould, roaches, sewage leaking from the ceiling, and constant flooding of their basement, which is documented on film by CityTV news.
PART 2: A leader, Peter D'Gama, was physically restrained, held overnight and then released...for allegedly throwing PAPER at/near the property manager!
PART 3: ACORN tenant advocates will have a chance to embarrass the management company and get media coverage at future stages.
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4. Resources
Hot Weather - Cool off where you can
- Apply now for a Record Supension / Pardon if you have a simple possession convictions. The criminal record suspension (not quite a pardon) will be free and expedited ("no wait").
- You will still have to wait if you have other convictions. And your record may show up on USA records and it could reappear if you are convicted of another charge in the future.
- Download the Application guide and forms
Chalmers is a desktop and cellphone app to help you access services and resources for homeless and community services. It was designed by ample Labs, which "is a non-profit empowering those of us facing homelessness with technology". You can type what you want and it responds with nearby resources.
The developers include folks who have experienced homelessness and they are open to input. This is a great time for us to help design accessible and relevant tool:
- We co-create tech solutions with a community of youth between 16 and 35 who are at-risk of and/or experiencing homelessness and come from intersections of diverse identities and situations such as…
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Want to work in the Mad service sector: Charity Village has lots of job listings - search "mental health", "substance use" https://charityvillage.com.
Fresh Start is currently accepting applications from Consumer/ Survivors for Extreme Cleaning Services. Apply to Karen Schwartz at 416-504-4262, #227 or karen@freshstartclean.com
TENANTS: Looking for a job? Come out to our Job Fair on August 21! Meet local employers and learn about upcoming job opportunities. Bring copies of your resume and be prepared for on-the-spot interviews!
Date: Wednesday, August 21
Location: YMCA, 20 Grosvenor St., Toronto
Time: 4 to 7 p.m.
Link: https://bit.ly/2YyuO0Z
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6. Fun Free Events in August
General Tips on finding events:
- over 40 pages of community events
- daily, weekly. Free. Fun.
- housing action network, Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness, City of Toronto and more...
Highlights for August
Meet at Church of the Holy Trinity - Trinity Square. March to City Hall for 9:00 Balloon release.
Every year on August 10, prisoners fast and refuse to work in a show of solidarity to remember those who have died unnecessarily — victims of murder, suicide and neglect.
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- Episode 6 - Room 821 - Tenant Advocacy - dealing with slumlords that exploit and evict vulnerable people including people who use drugs.
- Episode 7 - Stand down - Policing public spaces where people who use drugs socialize - Police Accountability
Great resource for dealing with police from Pivot Legal Society in BC.
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The Bulletin
Resources for Consumer / Survivors / People who use substances / Service and Substance Users / Fun Folks in TORONTO AREA
#18 - 615 July - August 2019
Subscribe For Free!
Where we post even more information and resources.The Bulletin is free to receive. We are only publishing electronically as of July 2019.
All previous issues are available on our website: www.soundtimes.com/bulletin
The Bulletin is published monthly by Sound Times Support Services. Funding for this Consumer/Survivor initiative has been provided by the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).
Disclaimer: The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Toronto Central LHIN, the Government of Ontario, Sound Times Support Services Staff or Board Members.
Thanks: to survey participants, callers and emailers and the C/S Info Bulletin Team.
Go green; get The Bulletin by email! Bulletin@soundtimes.com
And that is all!
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