DNC Board Meeting, February 20^th, 2015, location: 2^nd floor, Ray Cam Centre,  920 East Hastings.

Agenda

Scott Clark

Bottle Drive

Survey

CBC

Funding

Scott Clark

Scott: February 26^th at 7 pm at SFU Housing forum. Stamps Tenant Council recommends that we attend with a bunch of recommendations.  Scott explains possible next steps for Stamps Tenant Council to group.

Bottle Drive

X: I went to the United We Can depot on Industrial Street. It takes 20 minutes to walk. We have to put in a proposal. Shawn will give email address to Matt. Suggests we ask people to bring their bottles on a Saturday.

Aaron:  We should give the funds to the group. And people who do the bottle drive get a stipend.

X: I think 28^th should be the bottle drive. We also need a media spokesperson.

Jacek: Will people take the time to come with bottles on Saturday? I think Thursday and Friday they might want to give their bottles when they go to work. Instead of plastic bags in bin they can drop it off at the corner.

X: I think community bars will give them to us. So do we want to go forward?

Group agrees.

Survey

Roland put it on credit card. We have it up. Roland will send Matt the account info. Matt will post questions. There are 10 questions and 2 questions per each category. We want to let people know we’re alive.

CBC

Discussion group has interest from CBC.  Group discusses who will be spokesperson. Aaron: nominates Amanda .  Motion seconded that Amanda will be the spokesperson for that particular show. Motion passed.  Matt asks Amanda for strong commitment. Amanda agrees. Discussion that three power statements are needed. Amanda agrees to work on the three power statements and report back.

Funding

X: They have a fund raising programme and it’s for selling chocolates. The only other thing is that tour thing.

Matt: Once this national broadcaster picks up Amanda, we could get funding.

Jacek: Brenda Proskin (sp) said the city will not fund a resident’s association.

Aaron: We don’t fit into anyone’s criteria for funding.

X: If we go media with the bottle drive we can use that for a request for funding.

Matt: If we go into this CBC thing we can plug the bottle drive of the dtes. If we can tighten up Amanda’s document we can use that to ask for money.

Roland: Cupe used to give money.

Ann: Cupe gave money to Jean Swanson.

Roland: We can’t criticize the non profits if we’re in bed with them. 

Ann: They’ll either say yes or they’ll say no, we have to keep asking. There’s an Addiction Task Force. They’re going to be talking about a report called Phase I: Caring for All. It came out September of last year.  So now they’re going to create a peer leadership table: low barrier services. There’s $80 million going to St. Paul’s, Act teams and cops. That’s $32,000 per person and the person gets to live outside because they’re homeless. Bloom Group is to oversee the Mental Health and Addictions services.

The questions I’ve raised before this meeting were who is sectioning clients, which badge numbers do the most sectioning, how long were they held? How many ask for a review? Clasbc does the review.  Client says it takes longer to get out if you ask for a review because the lawyer needs to do whatever the lawyers do. So they won’t ask for a review. How many complaints have been filed for being sectioned for the Mental Health Act?

Aaron: It’s starting to happen to more and more people. We should be aware.

Ann: I wrote letters to ask for the evaluations of Act teams but there’s no evaluations being done. It’s been five years but no evaluation. Karen says there are evaluations but I’ve never seen them.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC Board Meeting minutes, February 13^th, 2015. Location: Ray Cam, 2^nd floor.

Agenda

Funding

Legal Committee

Movie Business

Ray Cam

Street Market

Business Cards

Survey

Adrianne Carr

Housing

Funding:

Group discusses that political work does not result in funding.  Discussion that DNC could provide tours of neighborhood.  Group discusses that UGM does tours. Matt: We could talk to Tourism Vancouver and get an approved vendors list.

Group discusses proposal to do a bottle drive. 

Jamie: The bottle drive will come and pick up from #62. We can’t store bottles at #62.

Aaron: We could ask restaurants to donate, and other places that have empties.

Amanda: Who would be willing to take charge of the project?

Leo: We ran that program in the ‘60’s and ‘80’s. We’d buy them 80 cents on the dollar. People in the liquor stores loved that. We’d make $500 in two hours. But we don’t have a van now.

Roland nominates X to be in charge of the bottle drive.

Jamie: We should pay whoever does it.

Roland: Discuss at next meeting.

Legal Committee

Aaron is going through Privacy Guidelines. Will report back.

Movie Business

Matt:  At meeting at Creative BC staff person started off by saying: “I don’t know why you’re here. Go find a producer to use your services”. Staff person said government cannot refer services.  The person I met knew DERA and Ed. It’s up to us to call each producer listed on the website. They don’t need street cleaners. They just need ‘special liaison’.

Matt:  Announcement that CBC wants a one page document on what’s going on. The Stamps, Movie Business, Housing, etc.

Amanda: Proposes that each person or committee working on issue put a paragraph together based on the issue we know the most about. Bring to next meeting to be condensed into one page document. 

Amanda: Legal Committee/Stamps

Aaron: Supportive Housing

Roland: Street Market  “The Truth.”

Jamie: Atira

Ray Cam

Meet at Ray Cam while space available. It’s not definite that we can meet here over long term.

Business Cards

Matt says he’s waiting for template.

Adrianne Carr

Email sent re tour.

Street Market

Street Market is starting to apply for grant. The city wants to create a plan around street disorder. DNC could participate and possibly gain some funding.

Also the Street Market is applying for a grant for wifi with other organizations in a coalition. DNC could be part of this. Requires DNC to participate in surveys.

Suggestion Box:

Group discusses ways to encourage people to submit to suggestion box.

Housing

President of Stamp’s Tenant’s Council was to attend but is not here. Group hears that the Stamp Tenant’s Council continues to meet.  Last meeting there was a discussion of plans for concert or other benefit event. Stamp’s Tenant’s Council  meets on Mondays at Ray Cam at 3:00 pm and Thursday 6:00 pm.

Moment of Silence.

Adjourn. 

DNC Board Meeting minutes, February 6^th, 2015, Location: Area #62, Hastings Street.

Agenda

Meeting Space

Legal Committee

Housing Committee

Suggestion Box

Extra Cost re: Methadone

Street Market

Meeting Space

Group will meet at Ray Cam next week, Friday @ 5:pm. Group will continue to search for more central place to meet.

Legal Committee

Group discusses creating database of issues.  Ann and Amanda will work together after 18^th.

Housing Committee

President of Stamp’s Tenant Council will attend next DNC meeting @ Ray Cam.

Group discusses that Jamie’s case is adjourned until April.

Suggestion Box

Roland will allow Shawn to use Street Market Printer.  Ann:  If people want an answer they should leave their email and phone number.

Roland proposes that DNC provide money for the online survey. Street Market will pay half the cost of $120 per year. Roland motioned.  Ann: 2nded.  Motion passed.

Extra Cost re: Methadone.

The clinic now charges $40 dispensing fee. There are no alternative meds so people are forced to pay a large amount (unaffordable) from their disability cheque. Ann: If coastal health does the dispensing the fee is not applied.

Group discusses that there are two large treatment programs for men in dtes. There are no treatment programs for women.

Ann:  Simon Fraser Series.  Awesome speakers.  Evening courses. Suggestion that a series of speakers could speak on dtes issues and would be good to include rights based discourse. Suggests Amanda could speak. Talk about how we’re trying to make our own case.

Street Market

Roland: We’re getting traction on the free wi-fi project. Many groups part of the proposal including Ray Cam, Strathcona, Carnegie. Street Market will be part of proposal. We need equipment money. Vancouver Community Network is going to advise. VCN said they’ve been trying to install for years. Michael Green and an architectural firm is donating innovative wooden structure to Street Market, as their gift to community.

We need to contact councilors to go on a tour. Agreement that member will send email.

Decision to table the discussion of funding. First order of business next meeting.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC board meeting minutes, January 27^th, 2015. Location: #62 East Hastings.

Agenda

Housing

Meeting with the Liberal Candidate.

Legal Committee

Meeting Space

Other business

Housing

Discussion that non profits that claim to provide supportive housing coerce tenants with 6 month fixed term rental agreements to accept illegal rules that violate people’s rights and the Rental Tenancy Act. Rules such as no guests, not even family members as visitors are illegal. Files are kept on residents by staff. People feel coerced to accept this treatment in a time of 0.5.vacancy rate. Fipa Act says it is illegal for companies to keep files on people. Facilities are not licenced and residents are monitored by staff and notes are kept on them. The only other place this occurs is a jail, or a hospital.

Meeting with Liberal Candidate

Discussion that Amanda and Marla will go to the event to meet the Liberal candidate for Vancouver East Joanne Griffith.

Legal Committee

Discussion that HR complaint is almost completed. There is another opportunity to take it to another advisor for more feedback.

Meeting Space

Shawn: will check out First United.

Other business

Rob:  A new political party is forming, looking for reps throughout BC.

Roland: We should have a meeting with Vandu.

Ann: The most important thing is to do a Saturday meeting.

Amanda: We should consider the budget, we can’t afford stipends.

Rob: Tuesday group. Vandu can put in their funds for stipends.

Roland:  There are systemic issues such as poverty. You don’t get to engage the poorest people without stipends.  $3 is what needs to be done.

Leo: $2 plus coffee and a sandwich.

Amanda: The reality is we have to watch the budget.

Shawn: We can make a big bowl of chili.

Roland: It’s important for us to hear new stories of abuses. We need to have people come so we can hear. Most vulnerable should be encouraged to come.

Shawn:  I will create a DNC suggestion box. Will report back.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn