in light of yesterday's quote...i read this this afternoon while researching for funding for an upcoming conference called Street Level 2009:
Poverty Is More than Lack of Money
By including support services as a fundamental aspect of affordable housing, the regional and municipal homelessness strategies acknowledge that poverty is far more complex than mere low income or net worth. And while they emphasize programs and services, the strategies also explicitly recognize that personal support offered by family and friends is also important. World Vision Canada defines poverty as “a surmountable human condition of deprivation and broken relationships which often threatens human survival and involves unacceptable human suffering, preventing people from fulfilling their God-given potential.” From this statement DeGroot-Maggetti and Siggner (2005) of Citizens for Public Justice elaborate four dimensions of
poverty:
• material deprivation (having)
• social exclusion (relating)
• capabilities deprivation (doing)
• diminished life chances (ultimately being)
At every point along the continuum from emergency shelter to entry-level ownership, best practice affordable housing provides supports in each of these dimensions to assist people in breaking free of personal and systemic forces that bind them in poverty. From a Judeo-Christian perspective, the goal of these supports is to establish shalom, which is nothing less than the well-being and harmonious, equitable interdependency of everyone and everything in a given place. These relational supports include yet go beyond the clinical and professional to involve mutually transforming friendships and social networks. In this way, our vulnerable
neighbours are empowered to discover, develop, and exercise their gifts in the community.
(Solutions to the Crisis of Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Greater Vancouver - a draft paper, 18-9).
neat...something about Vancouver, not Calgary. from city to city, poverty is not merely an economic issue, but also a social/relational issue.
dL
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
PG rated post
I read a quote this morning from "Miracle on Centre Street: The Story of Calgary's Mustard Seed Street Ministry" on the train to work (it's a great little book about the story of The Seed).
To explain a little bit, Waldy is/was a chaplain at the Seed, and has just finished relating a heart breaking story about the loneliness homeless people experience. He shared several stories of people dying alone in the streets; a body found in an alley way behind some boxes, frozen to death from the bitter chills of Calgary's winter season. Waldy has conducted numerous funerals where the only other person in the room with Waldy and the deceased is another staff member of The Seed. This is common...people who have died alone, with no trace of family or friends...discarded from society... I would argue that perhaps their journey towards death was not necessarily due to the cold weather, but perhaps the coldness of human nature:
"It's a strange paradox, but many street people despise 'the Church' for any of a number of reasons, yet they often have warm feelings towards Jesus. In a discussion once with several guests, someone came right out and asked Waldy the question, 'Why are Christians such assholes?' There are a plenty of answers, with words like hypocrite, pompous, and self-righteous being expressed. Then Waldy asked them, 'What about Jesus? Was He one of those?' They answered He was not. 'The more i get to know Him, the more i like Him,' someone said.
Waldy is coming to the conclusion that street people have more depth and insight than we give them credit for. They know they are sinners and in one sense have more integrity than many of us straight people who keep ourselves carefully protected in a thick envelope of pride. Waldy claims that more street people are Christians than we would ever believe. 'They have learned to have faith in God because there is no one else to trust,' he says" (Hankins, 94-5).
ouch... i think it hurts to read that because i know i am guilty of being those words at one point or another in my life, if not this very morning. geez, i need to be more like Jesus, and not like me...cos im ...an asshole. there's so much i can learn from my brother and sister on the street...i just need to let down my pride and open up a little.
talk about an intense transit ride eh? i had to close the book pretty much right after i read that cos it was firstly, so sad to read about people dying alone, and secondly, a challenge to the start of my day.
much love,
dL
PS: im starting to feel Stampede fever...it's growing, my friends. the cowboy hats, the jeans, the cattle and oh, the horses....it's coming....and i don't know where to hide :| might as well embrace it!
To explain a little bit, Waldy is/was a chaplain at the Seed, and has just finished relating a heart breaking story about the loneliness homeless people experience. He shared several stories of people dying alone in the streets; a body found in an alley way behind some boxes, frozen to death from the bitter chills of Calgary's winter season. Waldy has conducted numerous funerals where the only other person in the room with Waldy and the deceased is another staff member of The Seed. This is common...people who have died alone, with no trace of family or friends...discarded from society... I would argue that perhaps their journey towards death was not necessarily due to the cold weather, but perhaps the coldness of human nature:
"It's a strange paradox, but many street people despise 'the Church' for any of a number of reasons, yet they often have warm feelings towards Jesus. In a discussion once with several guests, someone came right out and asked Waldy the question, 'Why are Christians such assholes?' There are a plenty of answers, with words like hypocrite, pompous, and self-righteous being expressed. Then Waldy asked them, 'What about Jesus? Was He one of those?' They answered He was not. 'The more i get to know Him, the more i like Him,' someone said.
Waldy is coming to the conclusion that street people have more depth and insight than we give them credit for. They know they are sinners and in one sense have more integrity than many of us straight people who keep ourselves carefully protected in a thick envelope of pride. Waldy claims that more street people are Christians than we would ever believe. 'They have learned to have faith in God because there is no one else to trust,' he says" (Hankins, 94-5).
ouch... i think it hurts to read that because i know i am guilty of being those words at one point or another in my life, if not this very morning. geez, i need to be more like Jesus, and not like me...cos im ...an asshole. there's so much i can learn from my brother and sister on the street...i just need to let down my pride and open up a little.
talk about an intense transit ride eh? i had to close the book pretty much right after i read that cos it was firstly, so sad to read about people dying alone, and secondly, a challenge to the start of my day.
much love,
dL
PS: im starting to feel Stampede fever...it's growing, my friends. the cowboy hats, the jeans, the cattle and oh, the horses....it's coming....and i don't know where to hide :| might as well embrace it!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
welcome to summer
hey all,
a co-worker friend of mine passed me a book the other day in order to prepare for an upcoming youth event. i am to prepare a short presentation on world poverty and i wanted to share with you folks a quote that resonated with me. i think i'll be doing this every now and then thru out this blog....it's a good outlet to share what im learning:
"Poverty, resistance, the ingenuity of survivors, the self-sacrifice of women, the search for a better life - these things are not new in the world. With urbanization and 'modernization' people meet new forms of poverty - the drug dealer and the gun, addictions and violence, in the favela and the barrio as well as the public-housing schemes of North America and Europe. These give a new urgency to the search for a common, global solidarity between poor people in their search, not for riches but for security and sufficiency. The simple aims have everywhere been smothered by the economic imperative of constant growth and the compulsion of 'more', rather than what constitutes enough for daily needs" (emphasis added, Seabrook, 7-8).
When i was younger, i used to recite the Lord's prayer every night. one particular part of it has always stood out to me, and i think it's because with each year of my life, i understand it better. in light of this book, i think i understand it in a deeper way.
"give us this day our daily bread"
i think i now have a better understanding of the weight of the term "sufficiency". and it aligns so well with my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. our culture that demands excess, extra, larger, bigger, super-size, enhanced, upgrade is not satisfied with what was once sufficient. what happened? i later read this:
"The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It s not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied...but written off as trash" (John Berger, as quoted in No-Nonsense Guide to World Poverty).
now, i don't want to make it seem like i'm blaming rich people for world poverty, but really i don't believe that poverty is an economic issue. instead, it is a social issue that will only be resolved when we begin to see poor, bums, homeless, street people as equal instead of inferior, lazy, and drunk.
the opposite of poverty isn't riches...it's sufficiency.
dL
a co-worker friend of mine passed me a book the other day in order to prepare for an upcoming youth event. i am to prepare a short presentation on world poverty and i wanted to share with you folks a quote that resonated with me. i think i'll be doing this every now and then thru out this blog....it's a good outlet to share what im learning:
"Poverty, resistance, the ingenuity of survivors, the self-sacrifice of women, the search for a better life - these things are not new in the world. With urbanization and 'modernization' people meet new forms of poverty - the drug dealer and the gun, addictions and violence, in the favela and the barrio as well as the public-housing schemes of North America and Europe. These give a new urgency to the search for a common, global solidarity between poor people in their search, not for riches but for security and sufficiency. The simple aims have everywhere been smothered by the economic imperative of constant growth and the compulsion of 'more', rather than what constitutes enough for daily needs" (emphasis added, Seabrook, 7-8).
When i was younger, i used to recite the Lord's prayer every night. one particular part of it has always stood out to me, and i think it's because with each year of my life, i understand it better. in light of this book, i think i understand it in a deeper way.
"give us this day our daily bread"
i think i now have a better understanding of the weight of the term "sufficiency". and it aligns so well with my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. our culture that demands excess, extra, larger, bigger, super-size, enhanced, upgrade is not satisfied with what was once sufficient. what happened? i later read this:
"The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It s not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied...but written off as trash" (John Berger, as quoted in No-Nonsense Guide to World Poverty).
now, i don't want to make it seem like i'm blaming rich people for world poverty, but really i don't believe that poverty is an economic issue. instead, it is a social issue that will only be resolved when we begin to see poor, bums, homeless, street people as equal instead of inferior, lazy, and drunk.
the opposite of poverty isn't riches...it's sufficiency.
dL
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
out and about
hey all,
so this past weekend was a much needed rest for myself and Beck. i didn't wake up until 1:30pm on Saturday! yes, i was tired after my first week of work and having just moved to a new city. thankfully, our weekend was extremely laid back, and we found ourselves in them more "cultural" of Calgary in the Kensington Area.
so, i finally was able to take a couple photos of the Seed to show you where i am worki
ng. but, i didn't take as many or as good of shots as i would have liked to because we had some guests outside of our buildings, and i didn't want them to think i was taking pictures of them and feel threatened in anyway. but this building is known as the Creative Centre (R). This is where we have employment services, educational services (like upgrading, or getting your grade 12 equivalency, or even painting!). this other building is our guests services building, also known as Street Level (L). this is where the main activities of the Seed actually take place. as you can see, there are many levels, and they all consist of a few industrial size kitchens, eating area, sleeping area, two transitional 
housing levels (male and female), The Seed Store where guests can come and pick out a new outfit for free, showers, and a whole lot more stuff. aand, the building that i work in..well, isn't posted because it's just like any other building.
ng. but, i didn't take as many or as good of shots as i would have liked to because we had some guests outside of our buildings, and i didn't want them to think i was taking pictures of them and feel threatened in anyway. but this building is known as the Creative Centre (R). This is where we have employment services, educational services (like upgrading, or getting your grade 12 equivalency, or even painting!). this other building is our guests services building, also known as Street Level (L). this is where the main activities of the Seed actually take place. as you can see, there are many levels, and they all consist of a few industrial size kitchens, eating area, sleeping area, two transitional 
housing levels (male and female), The Seed Store where guests can come and pick out a new outfit for free, showers, and a whole lot more stuff. aand, the building that i work in..well, isn't posted because it's just like any other building. work is going well. this week, im spending most of my days researching organizations who will fund two educational programs that the Seed offers to our guests...the GED program and Storefront, which is an intro to university level humanities classes. it's really neat because profs from local colleges and even retired profs come and teach the students! i've read a couple stories already about how life changing these programs are because it just boosts one's self confidence. i am, however, wishing i was able to interact more with our guests. but i don't think i'll be able to do that on work time...so we'll see how i can squeeze that in cos im usually exhausted at the end of the day. the other day i was sent out to put out some posters about the Stampede BBQ that the Seed is hosting, and i was able to chat with some of our guests in the parking lot for a bit...interacting with them just reminds me that the office stuff that i do really is worthwhile.
interesting observations:
- i've seen someone display a Vancouver Canucks jersey, shirt, banner at least once every three days...so im not totally surrounded by Flame-rs
- the weather here is really really frustrating because it goes from crazy hot to crazy cold in an hour..makes dressing yourself very difficult!
- people don't line up to get into a bus...or at least that's what i've seen everytime at this one station, Whitehorn Station, and the bus stop infront of my house....they just lump together, and all "fight" to get in when the doors open. i stay back and wonder "if we all just stood in a line...we'd get into the bus waaaaay faster!"
oh yes, Beck and i are moving to a friend's apartment this weekened, so that will be my more permanent housing during the rest of my time in Calgary...and it's much closer to work...so that's good. 
last nite, a few people who are also summer students like myself went to a lounge called the Beat Niq to catch Vancouver's The October Trio. it was a great show, and some good times were had.
much love,
dL
Thursday, June 14, 2007
i have a home
hey all,
it occurred to me in a revolutionary way this morning on the way to work that...i have a home. a few weeks ago, i had no idea where i would be living once i arrived in Calgary. and then, strangers (who i have yet to meet) opened up their home to me, and gave me their bed to sleep in! at the end of my work day, i can come home, eat food, feel secure, and know that i will be sleeping in a warm bed tonite. if i want to, i can even adjust the temperate if my blanket isn't warm enough. but for approx 3400 other people in the city of Calgary, they can't say the same thing...
you know that you've hit downtown Calgary by simply looking out a window in the C-Train. at Riverfront, i look out and i see a humble tent set up in a local park. i'm convinced that if the police haven't already spotted it, they will shortly. i see a Salvation Army emergency vehicle on site resembling almost an outdated ambulance. just a few steps away, there is a group of individuals standing around, drinking something, and it's only 8:40am. further down in front of my office, i look on the sidewalk and am taken away by a body lying in the gravel covered by a handmade quilt. and then, i start my day at work...except i think my heart started "working" long before i turned on my computer and started typing...
if i am able to get housing...why can't these other people? what is wrong with this picture? and why do i keep walking by people who are just like me that for some reason, ended up with the short end, the really short end, of the stick. i have no idea...im still trying to figure it out. in the mean time, i can only be thankful to those who have blessed me with a place i can call home, and seek to do what i can to make that a reality for others right outside my doorstep. i may not know exactly why homelessness exists, but as long as it does, i will do everything i can to ensure that my fellow brother and sister is being fed, given water, clothed, and if they choose to accept it, loved.
Calgary hit the 1 million mark of its population sometime last year. having had a handful of conversations with a few Calgarians, the increase in people has been felt thru out the city. the transit system, for example, simply does not have the infrastructure to support such a growth spurt of people. ah, the big city...more people...more workers...better for the economy...but no affordable housing. seems pretty simple to me, but why not use some of that money that is apparently making a better economy toward building some low-income housing so that not only is the economy better, but people's lives are sustained. just a thought...
ok, im done being emo....i promise a more chirpy post next time.
much love,
dL
it occurred to me in a revolutionary way this morning on the way to work that...i have a home. a few weeks ago, i had no idea where i would be living once i arrived in Calgary. and then, strangers (who i have yet to meet) opened up their home to me, and gave me their bed to sleep in! at the end of my work day, i can come home, eat food, feel secure, and know that i will be sleeping in a warm bed tonite. if i want to, i can even adjust the temperate if my blanket isn't warm enough. but for approx 3400 other people in the city of Calgary, they can't say the same thing...
you know that you've hit downtown Calgary by simply looking out a window in the C-Train. at Riverfront, i look out and i see a humble tent set up in a local park. i'm convinced that if the police haven't already spotted it, they will shortly. i see a Salvation Army emergency vehicle on site resembling almost an outdated ambulance. just a few steps away, there is a group of individuals standing around, drinking something, and it's only 8:40am. further down in front of my office, i look on the sidewalk and am taken away by a body lying in the gravel covered by a handmade quilt. and then, i start my day at work...except i think my heart started "working" long before i turned on my computer and started typing...
if i am able to get housing...why can't these other people? what is wrong with this picture? and why do i keep walking by people who are just like me that for some reason, ended up with the short end, the really short end, of the stick. i have no idea...im still trying to figure it out. in the mean time, i can only be thankful to those who have blessed me with a place i can call home, and seek to do what i can to make that a reality for others right outside my doorstep. i may not know exactly why homelessness exists, but as long as it does, i will do everything i can to ensure that my fellow brother and sister is being fed, given water, clothed, and if they choose to accept it, loved.
Calgary hit the 1 million mark of its population sometime last year. having had a handful of conversations with a few Calgarians, the increase in people has been felt thru out the city. the transit system, for example, simply does not have the infrastructure to support such a growth spurt of people. ah, the big city...more people...more workers...better for the economy...but no affordable housing. seems pretty simple to me, but why not use some of that money that is apparently making a better economy toward building some low-income housing so that not only is the economy better, but people's lives are sustained. just a thought...
ok, im done being emo....i promise a more chirpy post next time.
much love,
dL
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
im here!
hey all,
i arrived in Calgary bright and early Sunday morning and was greeted by a familiar face, Becky from Chilliwack. Thanks to my bro for driving me, and his wife, Cheryl, for making sure that he woke up! :)
It's been a crazy busy past two days, but i've accomplished a lot in that time. I've been able to somewhat orient myself with the city...Calgary is just awful for signage, and terribly uncreative streetnames. Example...i am temporarily living in an area known at Taradale. my street is Taradale Close. BUT, in my vicinity there exists Taradale Blvd, Taracove Close, Taracove Street, Taradale Lane, etc etc!! then there's the whole deal with Calgary being split into quadrants...NE, SE, SW, and NW! apparently once i know the city better, the quadrants come in handy, but every address here seems to be duplicated with slight changes...so needless to say, Beck and i have gotten lost more than a couple of times, a first for me, as im known back home as "asian navigation!"
i started work at The Seed yesterday and was given an extensive tour of the [3] buildings and its facilities. There is just so much info i could write about, but i also don't want to bore you to death, so i'll slowly share info as the opportunity rises for me to do so, instead of just bombarding you with a ton :) so, what do i do here? i work under the department of Community Relations, which hangs out under the larger umbrella of Development (which also consists of Volunteer Services, and Donor Relations). My job as the Fund Development Researcher is to write proposals seeking donations from major funders such as IBM, BMO, and other major donors in the community and all over Canada. throughout the year, The Seed has a number of projects and events that require funds, and so my job is to help raise those funds. from what i've observed so far, The Seed has a GREAT relationship with its community, and has definitely gained its respect thru the work we do. two projects that i am currently working on at the upcoming Partnership Banquet where i have to seek out gift certificates from restaurants that will be given away as door prizes, as well as a building project. this building project will be a multimillion $ endeavour where The Seed will construct a 28-storey building for low-income housing, with resident "staff" living within the community. this is such an exciting project, and im so excited to be a part of helping it come to fruition.
final thoughts for this post...well, i don't love Calgary...but i can confidently say that i love The Seed, and the work we are doing. i am soo thankful that i have this job as i honestly can't wait to bring back the knowledge and experience that i will gain over this summer back home to Vancouver.
interesting things:
- i saw an eggbeater the size of my leg...entire leg! The Seed has an industrial size kitchen! mmmm, can anyone say FOOD much?!
- The Seed has regular advertisements during the CBC's "The National" here in Calgary! i haven't seen it yet, but will be watching out for it tonite as i hang out with Peter Mansbridge.
i'm going to be helping out at a youth educational program for 3 weeks in July...more later.
- i'm living in a beautiful home of a friend of a sister of Becky's... sooo grateful to have this place. they are currently in Toronto so we are house-sitting!
- there are no mountains here....the Rockies are WAAAAAY a ways...but the skies are pretty cool. Beck seems to get a kick out of them whenever we drive.
- on my first day here hours after i landed and was in downtown on my own (Beck had to work) i stumbled upon an area that reminded me of Davie Street in Vancouver (ie: homosexual central)...then, i saw a police officer stopping traffic...then i realized i had found myself in a crowd of enthusiastic individuals cheering along a gay pride parade! it was complete with everything stereotypical about the gay culture, including men in nothing but their underwear, and Calgary cowboys! as my friend Vanessa said, "nothing says 'Welcome' like a rainbow!"
- i turned onto a one-way road in the wrong direction onto oncoming traffic! thankfully, my bro taught me way back when to drive standard well so i backed out in time, no problem! i have officially been initated into downtown Calgary culture.
much love,
dL
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