Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- In a message dated 04/08/01 03:27:43 Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << Subj: no_to_nato The Autonomous Zone Against Homelessness (London Ontario, Canada.) Date: 04/08/01 03:27:43 Eastern Daylight Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Mike McGregor) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]";>[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (SWOP), [EMAIL PROTECTED] (IMC Ontario), [EMAIL PROTECTED] ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Destroy the IMF), [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Quebec Legal), [EMAIL PROTECTED] (action medical), [EMAIL PROTECTED] ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** PLEASE FORWARD FAR AND WIDE *** THE AUTONOMOUS ZONE Beginning August 12th and running indefinately... Campbell Park - London, Ontario (Dundas St., west of Waterloo St.) Convergence & Training on Saturday August 11th noon at Life@Spin - 155 Adelaide Rd. North, south of Hamilton Rd. Come participate in a civil society! Because we need affordable housing more than we need the Canada Games! Help Build a: FREE STORE: take what you need, leave what you don't; HEALING CENTRE: with medical assistance and herbal therapy; EDUCATION & RESOURCE CENTRE: take in a course or teach one; COMMUNITY KITCHEN & COFFEE HOUSE: serving vegan food and fair trade coffee and SAFE SLEEPING AREAS. to ensure safety of all, please no booze, drugs, peraphonlia, and/or violence. EXPOSING WHERE GOVERNMENTS HAS FAILED IN OUR COMMUNITIES! Food & Financal Donations and/or Time & Solidarity Needed! For more info, contact the action.family: (519) 675-9600 or [EMAIL PROTECTED], or visit: www.tao.ca/~jmcnaught What do we mean by Autonomy? Supposing ourselves to be masters of our destiny, we have dehumanized ourselves and poisoned the earth. Slaves to our own design, we perpetuate through systemic hardships. Poverty, environmental degradation, wage slavery and oppression are all human inventions. We invented money and divided labour, thereby creating unemployment, homelessness and starvation. Under the guise of progress, we have destroyed the natural habitat of all the earth's creatures. Only we are responsible for racism, sexism, specieism and all other forms of oppression. Each one of us is equally affected, from the homeless and starving, to the affluent leading empty nine-to-five lives. Just as we have chosen to abide by this system of injustices, we can also choose to abandon it. The goal of any autonomous zone is to declare independence from government, bureaucracy, economy, ideology and any other system of domination to reclaim our humanity. We believe co-operation, compassion and community to be elemental to existence as whole human beings. Escaping from competition, isolation and exploitation, we are reaching for a new beginning. Our civil society will be based on consensus. Conflict will be resolved nonviolently. Each person will be equal, and there will be no structure of power. One step at a time, we will provide for each other's needs and lead whole and simple lives. We will be open, we will be a community, and we will be free. We declare our autonomy. Why Build an Autonomous Zone? In Canada alone, one of the wealthiest nations of the world, hardly a day passes when some one doesn't die in poverty. In our cities, people are arrested, and haraassed for occupying the streets while they have no where else to go. In London, beautification processes have been part of the municipal budget to give the illusion of a well-functioning city while the eyes of the nation are on us for the Canada Games, all the while slum housing becomes more decrepit, and the homeless continue to sleep unprotected, with none of the personal safety, and privacy that most of us take for granted. We are here as independent, concerned citizens, to ensure that issues of mal-nourishment, homelessness, police harassment, and discrimination towards people living with disabilities, as well as visible minorities, are ignored no longer. With goals of setting a positive example of a supportive community, we attempt to show that united we can work towards solving these social issues, rather than neglecting, arresting, or paving them over. The autonomous zone represents a self-governing community, separate from our current political system that does not care for all of it's components. The purpose is not to segragate ourselves, nor to make political statements, rather to be autonomus in making the distinction between real compassion and the band-aid solutions our elected representives have been providing. Ideally, we would like to see a situation where such a zone would be redundant because ample care-giving mechanisms would already be in place, whereas currently there is no national affordable housing strategy even though homelessness is a national disaster. Poverty & Housing vs. the Canada Games: According to the last census, - Londoners' incomes were below the provincal average and their poverty rate was above the provincial average, - The poverty rate for lone-parent families was almost 60%, - The poverty rate for people of Aboriginal descent was 53%, and - The poverty rate for recent immigrants was 49%, Since 1995, - Minimum wage has remained unchanged while cost of living has increased by 10%, - Social assistance incomes have fallen by 22.6%, - The vacancy rate has fallen from 6% to 2%, while rents have increased, - No new assisted housing has been built at all Last Year, - Women's Community House turned away 140% more abused women than they accepted due to lack of space, - Rotholme Women's and Family Shelter had a level of demand 15% higher than they could serve, - Men's Mission had demand 6% higher than their capacity, and - Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre's demand for emergancy food kits is 50% above their ability to provide them; requests for advice about evictions and other housing problems are 13% higher than they can cope with; family support requests are 33% higher than their capacity. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports that, of the twenty-five major urban areas in Canada, London's core housing need (the measure of the number of people whose housing is significantly inadequate) is tied for second worst. (Taken from London's Community Plan on Homelessness Background Report for the Community Forum July 4, 2001 done by Ginsler & Associates Inc.) Full Text of the report available at http://www.city.london.on.ca/planning/homelessness_forum.htm Fully aware of the growing crisis faced by many of its citizens, the City of London chose to put more priority and money into the Canada Games! The Games in London have an estimated budget of $27.8 million; -$5.6 million from the federal government, -$3.1 million from the provincial government, -$2 million from the City of London -$3.2 million upgrade to remodel the Aquatic Centre (City of London) -$15 million through sponsorships (major sponsor $500,000) -$2.1 million from ticket sales (estimated) (Taken from The London Free Press article 'London's Games Should Be Top-notch' by George Gross 2000-10-29) Background on Housing in Canada (From the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee) Canada has a past record of success in housing. Federal, provincial and municipal governments have funded many community-based housing projects that are providing good homes to hundreds of thousands of women, men and children. But recently, governments decided to stop funding the development of new housing projects. In 1996, the federal government announced a plan to transfer responsibility for federal social housing programs to the provinces and territories. If Ottawa continues this transfer, Canada will be the only developed country in the world without a national affordable housing program! Ottawa stopped funding the development of new affordable housing in 1992. The Ontario government killed its development program in 1995. Only British Columbia and Quebec still have small programs to help develop new affordable housing. The overall rental vacancy rate -- proportion of units vacant -- for Canada dropped from 4.1% in October 1997 to 3.4 % in October 1998. This low rental vacancy rate flags the growing homelessness crisis. When there is not enough housing, and when homes are too expensive, people are forced out onto the streets. Canada has signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights guaranteeing everyone's right to "an adequate standard of living including adequate food, clothing and housing." Homeless people have no decent standard of living; our governments are therefore violating these Human Rights. The latest federal budget came out on February 16, 1999. After years of cutting social programs, including housing, the federal government has now officially eliminated the deficit. They have money to reinvest in the affordable housing that so many in Canada desperately need; the 1999 federal budget was a good place to start. Unfortunately, not a single penny was allocated for new spending on social housing units or any homelessness initiatives. The 1% Solution In the long term, we must eliminate homelessness. Emergency measures, such as adequate shelters, food, and health care, though imperative now, will not serve forever. We need a permanent National Housing Strategy. Canada holds the unenviable distinction of being the only industrialized country without one. To fund this historic initiative, the TDRC proposes that all levels of government spend one percent more of their existing total budgets on housing than they now do. This One Percent Solution would be the single largest step towards ending homelessness in this country. On average, the federal, provincial and municipal governments of Canada spend about one percent of their total budgets on housing; in 1994-95, they spent $3.83 billion out of a total of $358 billion. An increase of one percent would hence double the amount now spent and would go far towards ending homelessness in the next three to five years. Doubling the amount spent would not only substantially increase the number of housing units but would also increase the support services for people who need housing. There would be funding for new construction, renovation of existing units and subsidies for people on low incomes. The past three decades have known many housing success stories across the country. We have a wealth of knowledge about how to provide good housing and support services; we lack only the resources to get the job done and end the suffering that homeless people in Canada face in the streets and shelters every day. The federal government must take the lead. They not only have the largest budget, but would obviously play the key role in a National Housing Strategy. It's time for all levels of government to take up the One Percent Solution and end the National Disaster of Homelessness. http://www.tao.ca/~tdrc Unsubscribe by sending an email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with the following command in the BODY of your message: unsubscribe no_to_nato >> ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
*** PLEASE FORWARD FAR AND WIDE *** THE AUTONOMOUS ZONE Beginning August 12th and running indefinately... Campbell Park - London, Ontario (Dundas St., west of Waterloo St.) Convergence & Training on Saturday August 11th noon at Life@Spin - 155 Adelaide Rd. North, south of Hamilton Rd. Come participate in a civil society! Because we need affordable housing more than we need the Canada Games! Help Build a: FREE STORE: take what you need, leave what you don't; HEALING CENTRE: with medical assistance and herbal therapy; EDUCATION & RESOURCE CENTRE: take in a course or teach one; COMMUNITY KITCHEN & COFFEE HOUSE: serving vegan food and fair trade coffee and SAFE SLEEPING AREAS. to ensure safety of all, please no booze, drugs, peraphonlia, and/or violence. EXPOSING WHERE GOVERNMENTS HAS FAILED IN OUR COMMUNITIES! Food & Financal Donations and/or Time & Solidarity Needed! For more info, contact the action.family: (519) 675-9600 or [EMAIL PROTECTED], or visit: www.tao.ca/~jmcnaught What do we mean by Autonomy? Supposing ourselves to be masters of our destiny, we have dehumanized ourselves and poisoned the earth. Slaves to our own design, we perpetuate through systemic hardships. Poverty, environmental degradation, wage slavery and oppression are all human inventions. We invented money and divided labour, thereby creating unemployment, homelessness and starvation. Under the guise of progress, we have destroyed the natural habitat of all the earth's creatures. Only we are responsible for racism, sexism, specieism and all other forms of oppression. Each one of us is equally affected, from the homeless and starving, to the affluent leading empty nine-to-five lives. Just as we have chosen to abide by this system of injustices, we can also choose to abandon it. The goal of any autonomous zone is to declare independence from government, bureaucracy, economy, ideology and any other system of domination to reclaim our humanity. We believe co-operation, compassion and community to be elemental to existence as whole human beings. Escaping from competition, isolation and exploitation, we are reaching for a new beginning. Our civil society will be based on consensus. Conflict will be resolved nonviolently. Each person will be equal, and there will be no structure of power. One step at a time, we will provide for each other's needs and lead whole and simple lives. We will be open, we will be a community, and we will be free. We declare our autonomy. Why Build an Autonomous Zone? In Canada alone, one of the wealthiest nations of the world, hardly a day passes when some one doesn't die in poverty. In our cities, people are arrested, and haraassed for occupying the streets while they have no where else to go. In London, beautification processes have been part of the municipal budget to give the illusion of a well-functioning city while the eyes of the nation are on us for the Canada Games, all the while slum housing becomes more decrepit, and the homeless continue to sleep unprotected, with none of the personal safety, and privacy that most of us take for granted. We are here as independent, concerned citizens, to ensure that issues of mal-nourishment, homelessness, police harassment, and discrimination towards people living with disabilities, as well as visible minorities, are ignored no longer. With goals of setting a positive example of a supportive community, we attempt to show that united we can work towards solving these social issues, rather than neglecting, arresting, or paving them over. The autonomous zone represents a self-governing community, separate from our current political system that does not care for all of it's components. The purpose is not to segragate ourselves, nor to make political statements, rather to be autonomus in making the distinction between real compassion and the band-aid solutions our elected representives have been providing. Ideally, we would like to see a situation where such a zone would be redundant because ample care-giving mechanisms would already be in place, whereas currently there is no national affordable housing strategy even though homelessness is a national disaster. Poverty & Housing vs. the Canada Games: According to the last census, - Londoners' incomes were below the provincal average and their poverty rate was above the provincial average, - The poverty rate for lone-parent families was almost 60%, - The poverty rate for people of Aboriginal descent was 53%, and - The poverty rate for recent immigrants was 49%, Since 1995, - Minimum wage has remained unchanged while cost of living has increased by 10%, - Social assistance incomes have fallen by 22.6%, - The vacancy rate has fallen from 6% to 2%, while rents have increased, - No new assisted housing has been built at all Last Year, - Women's Community House turned away 140% more abused women than they accepted due to lack of space, - Rotholme Women's and Family Shelter had a level of demand 15% higher than they could serve, - Men's Mission had demand 6% higher than their capacity, and - Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre's demand for emergancy food kits is 50% above their ability to provide them; requests for advice about evictions and other housing problems are 13% higher than they can cope with; family support requests are 33% higher than their capacity. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports that, of the twenty-five major urban areas in Canada, London's core housing need (the measure of the number of people whose housing is significantly inadequate) is tied for second worst. (Taken from London's Community Plan on Homelessness Background Report for the Community Forum July 4, 2001 done by Ginsler & Associates Inc.) Full Text of the report available at http://www.city.london.on.ca/planning/homelessness_forum.htm Fully aware of the growing crisis faced by many of its citizens, the City of London chose to put more priority and money into the Canada Games! The Games in London have an estimated budget of $27.8 million; -$5.6 million from the federal government, -$3.1 million from the provincial government, -$2 million from the City of London -$3.2 million upgrade to remodel the Aquatic Centre (City of London) -$15 million through sponsorships (major sponsor $500,000) -$2.1 million from ticket sales (estimated) (Taken from The London Free Press article 'London's Games Should Be Top-notch' by George Gross 2000-10-29) Background on Housing in Canada (From the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee) Canada has a past record of success in housing. Federal, provincial and municipal governments have funded many community-based housing projects that are providing good homes to hundreds of thousands of women, men and children. But recently, governments decided to stop funding the development of new housing projects. In 1996, the federal government announced a plan to transfer responsibility for federal social housing programs to the provinces and territories. If Ottawa continues this transfer, Canada will be the only developed country in the world without a national affordable housing program! Ottawa stopped funding the development of new affordable housing in 1992. The Ontario government killed its development program in 1995. Only British Columbia and Quebec still have small programs to help develop new affordable housing. The overall rental vacancy rate -- proportion of units vacant -- for Canada dropped from 4.1% in October 1997 to 3.4 % in October 1998. This low rental vacancy rate flags the growing homelessness crisis. When there is not enough housing, and when homes are too expensive, people are forced out onto the streets. Canada has signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights guaranteeing everyone's right to "an adequate standard of living including adequate food, clothing and housing." Homeless people have no decent standard of living; our governments are therefore violating these Human Rights. The latest federal budget came out on February 16, 1999. After years of cutting social programs, including housing, the federal government has now officially eliminated the deficit. They have money to reinvest in the affordable housing that so many in Canada desperately need; the 1999 federal budget was a good place to start. Unfortunately, not a single penny was allocated for new spending on social housing units or any homelessness initiatives. The 1% Solution In the long term, we must eliminate homelessness. Emergency measures, such as adequate shelters, food, and health care, though imperative now, will not serve forever. We need a permanent National Housing Strategy. Canada holds the unenviable distinction of being the only industrialized country without one. To fund this historic initiative, the TDRC proposes that all levels of government spend one percent more of their existing total budgets on housing than they now do. This One Percent Solution would be the single largest step towards ending homelessness in this country. On average, the federal, provincial and municipal governments of Canada spend about one percent of their total budgets on housing; in 1994-95, they spent $3.83 billion out of a total of $358 billion. An increase of one percent would hence double the amount now spent and would go far towards ending homelessness in the next three to five years. Doubling the amount spent would not only substantially increase the number of housing units but would also increase the support services for people who need housing. There would be funding for new construction, renovation of existing units and subsidies for people on low incomes. The past three decades have known many housing success stories across the country. We have a wealth of knowledge about how to provide good housing and support services; we lack only the resources to get the job done and end the suffering that homeless people in Canada face in the streets and shelters every day. The federal government must take the lead. They not only have the largest budget, but would obviously play the key role in a National Housing Strategy. It's time for all levels of government to take up the One Percent Solution and end the National Disaster of Homelessness. http://www.tao.ca/~tdrc Unsubscribe by sending an email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with the following command in the BODY of your message: unsubscribe no_to_nato
