Showing posts with label cas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cas. Show all posts

Friday, 1 April 2011

Homelessness in Eastern Ontario


17 Mar 2011 ... EMC News - After $200000 is raised in the Perth area, ... In the first stage of setting up homeless shelters, youth will be able to access...

 What a sad story, that there is not a refuge, a place in S.E. Ontario for troubled youth.
Red Cross puts up the homeless due to fires for 3 days. Our youth do not seem to have that same option. It is not surprising that rural eastern Ontario's issues are turning into big city issues: poverty, abuse, homelessness, and small towns are increasingly being called to help those in distress, without the tax base to support it.

I am very surprised that CAS does not get involved, and help set these kids up in apartments.

FYCSM.ca (Muskoka's CAS- I sat on the board), worked with kids too old for foster care, and too young to do this on their own.

They provided a few nights stay in an emergency motel, and then a Worker gets them on track, providing funding to get them set up in an apartment, with donated furniture. We even had a bursary for support for certificate and college courses, including course fees and materials.

This is how society ought to look after those who fall through the cracks. In the small town of Perth there are about a dozen young people on the streets. We have kids eating at a local church shelter, with the food preparation being supported by church groups. They are providing clothes and other services for these kids. Services lacking in the system. Kids are moving, sleeping on couches day-to-day until they are no longer welcome.

I cannot imagine how small communities are going to raise the funds for this, as well as the proposed Dignity House Hospice, for example. These are services our young and our old deserve. It intrudes upon the good health and the human rights and dignity our residents, healthy or ill, young or old, deserve. Our conservative politicians demand lower taxes, but without increased services our residents are going to continue to suffer.
UPDATE: 2017 

Homelessness a growing problem for youth in Lanark County

Young people found sleeping in trailers, under bridges and couch surfing across Lanark County.

By Julie Ireton, CBC News Posted: Jul 17, 2017 5:00 AM ET

Lanark Country makes front page


Yes, again our region has made the Ottawa Citizen news. And it's not for a good reason.
(Ottawa is our nearest big city.) Lanark county's 9 teen suicides last year made the news.
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Friday, 31 December 2010

Domestic violence turned awry

I spent some time as a Victim Services Volunteer. 'Vickers' many call it. We were trained in handling emergency situations of many types. Called to support victims of crime, threats, trauma, accidents, suicide, we support the professionals by being a supportive person. Some of the work I did involved attending to a woman whose neighbour committed suicide. In another situation, I drove a woman to make a complaint at the detachment about a violent ex-boyfriend.

Playing happily with mommy
We were taught about the various services offered to victims of threats, domestic abuse or violence. Many agencies offer counselling, and practical advice for protecting themselves from those who show signs of escalating violent behaviour. Our provincial law enforcement agency (OPP) take the time to support those who are victimized. There is much research on this issue, and many participate in local and regional conferences to understand the impact of violence on the victims, as well as the children involved. We know that more women were murdered by former partners (500) than all those killed in Afghanistan (101) between 2000 and 2006. (Read this post for more information).

Turns out, one woman ('Jennifer') who was getting help from police in her domestic abuse situation, has now had her children taken away from her by the Children's Aid Society (CAS).

In the past there were 40 cases per year of 'alienation of affection'. These cases, CBC News tells us, have jumped to 120 cases. I understand that some families choose this method of payback, but it isn't the norm. Two years ago Jennifer pressed assault charges against her husband. He has counteracted the charges by going to the CAS and charging her with alienation of affection. CAS has taken custody from the mother, and sent the daughter to a supervised custody arrangement with the abusive father.

Children deserve to feel safe
What are they thinking? Do they not talk to the OPP? Of course a mother is going to protect her child from an abusive father. Whether the child is abused or not, they are susceptible to PTSD from witnessing the abuse. Naturally a child will be afraid of an abusive man, father or no, and a mother will do anything to protect her child. Women at risk are being given training in creating a Safety Plan, and an Escape Plan, for themselves and their children.

I am so shocked. Jennifer has gone to the media to state her case. She regrets calling in the justice system in the first place. Yet, her child, traumatized by a violent father, is now traumatized by CAS by being removed from her protective mother's care.

Resources

The May/Iles Inquest 1998, was one that laid down the rules for identification of protocol, mandatory charge policies, specialized courses for OPP, and other improvements to this system:

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