Fear and ignorance on the Don
Posted by Dalton48 on 14 May 2008 at 08:45 am | Tagged as: Toronto
I’m all for gentrification. It think it’s a natural part of urban evolution, as long as it doesn’t involve front-lawn parking pads. But I also find it entirely objectionable when a handful of people who overpaid for their tiny homes in a transitional neighbourhood suddenly start talking as if they own it. Case in point: neighbours and employees of neighbouring businesses of the new bridge housing for homeless men at the New Edwin hotel on Queen just west of Broadview.
First, a little about the project, which will be managed by local agency Woodgreen:
It is the first project of its kind in Ontario. The tenants — the homeless as well as those who have mental health or substance abuse issues — will be expected to pay a portion of their rent, but will receive support from on-site counselors.
According to Councillor Joe Mihevc, the project will offer “intense support,” with 48 counsellors attached to the hotel and medical experts, security, and other services on site. Residents will live at the shelter for up to three years. Oh, by the way, the hotel has been a low-cost hotel for low-income residents up until now, presumably without security. Not only is the shelter a much-needed project, it’s likely an improvement on what’s on the site now.
That Riverside (or South Riverdale, or Broadview Village, or whatever you want to call the not-exactly-neighbourhood that straddles the Queen-Broadview intersection) is (thankfully) still not the enclave of smug white hipness some residents may wish it was is brought home by this quote from Saradh Arachide of Pastry House, a new local business:
“Before, the strip club down the street was the major issue but I heard this news and I think this will be a major concern,” said Mr. Arachchide.
Trevor McCarthy of Prohibition/Booze Emporium describes encroaching gentrification in less delicate terms: “There is a certain element in this area that is slowly being filtered out.’’
A couple of business owners tell the Post they’re fine with the new project. It’s local resident John W who, in a comment on the Post post, raises the classic concerns about the prospect of homeless people flooding the rarified atmosphere of Queen-Broadview:
…this sort of transition home is perhaps not appropriate in a residential neighbourhood.
We are trying to attract families in south riverdale and I can definitely say as a parent that the prospect of having recovering drug addicts and people with mental illness in the neighbourhood causes me concern. I am all for social housing and would favour more projects as the Rivertowne project which integrates low income families within gentrified /gentrifying communities.
I don’t know how long John W has lived in the neighbourhood, but I’m curious that he is concerned about recovering drug addicts while Queen East, particularly at night, continues to feature a not-insignificant number of current crack addicts. As well, a stroll up Broadview between Queen and Gerrard would put you close to some active dens of iniquity. People high on crack are out of their minds and unpredictable. It’s drug addicts who may turn violent or break into your home and take something — anything — of value that they can turn into more drugs, not those in recovery.
And what is it about those magic words, “as a parent,” that makes people think whatever they say is reasonable? It seems you can preface almost anything with “as a parent” and get away with it — certainly generations have voiced their concerns about miscegenation using that same construct. A challenge to Mock Turtle readers who are parents — why not see just how far you can go in conversation using this phrase without eliciting objections? Report back in the comments section.
And lastly, I’m not familiar with the Rivertowne project (and I’m not a fan of the unnecessary “e”). However, John W seems to have misunderstood what really happens when a neighbourhood is gentrifying. When higher-income people move into lower-income neighbourhoods, the higher-income people are the ones who are being integrated into the neighbourhood — not the other way around.
Er…as a parent: this kind of thing is very predictable, but that doesn’t make it right. We had some well-meaning citizen (undoubtedly a parent) who knocked on the door about a year ago to offer a petition against a half-way-type house on Logan for people in recovery from substance abuse. I asked a few questions about the project — it turned out it had already been operating quietly for a couple of months already, it only took people who had completed a six-month residential treatment program and were working — and refused to sign. People who are that committed to their recovery are probably the ones least likely to push drugs on your kids — which was the threat headlining their pamphlet.
I am also reminded of the anecdote of the neighbours who loved the Hell’s Angels HQ next door because it kept petty crime so very low.
And there are plenty of halfway houses where you least expect them… when I was growing up in deepest darkest professional-public-service suburban Ottawa we had a youth halfway house for some years a few houses down from us. And yet somehow the neighborhood survived. (Probably due to fences. If you’re trying to steal someone’s bike and trying to carry it climbing over fence, chances are somebody’s going to notice… like my very surprised mother, for instance…)
Hell, the Annex is full of halfway houses, shelters and whatnot and it’s still a great place to live — with or without kids. AS A PARENT I’d happily move back there.
Frankly it’s probably the frat houses that are the most obviously rogue elements there.
Side thought: I would guess that unleashed dogs (the wild ones in Sibelius Park) are responsible for more personal injuries in the Annex than are denizens of the halfway houses. I wonder how easy it would be to get numbers on that?
The scariest halfway house around is actually out more toward you, MCP.
And the fact that MCP may or may not know that, and is indifferent in either case, is proof positive that there is nothing to fear… but ignorant neighbours.
Yeah, I think I know which one you mean, or another similar one - it’s on Keele, just south of Dundas. I am indeed indifferent.
According to the cops the main source of crime in our ‘hood is teenagers, specifically the ones who commute in to Western Tech — petty theft, muggings/swarmings, vandalism/graffiti, b&e mostly.