Aurora Cares, Housing For All - The Launch
We were shocked.
There was general disbelief among so many in the room.
It was after midnight at a Town of Aurora zoning committee meeting and there was a cheer from those who opposed the Men's Emergency and Transitional Housing project when Council voted 4-3 against the minor variances required to move forward with this long awaited project. NIMBYism notched another win.
Was that really a "cheer" to postpone giving shelter and a place to move-on to vulnerable people in York Region? As I exited Aurora Town Hall, my headlights caught a bicycle with bags hanging from the handle bars, and a man collecting bottles from recycling bins. Was it ironic that he'd been working the street as Council decided options for vulnerable citizens just a few meters away? I was morose.
It only took a few days for that shock and disappointment to manifest itself in a group of community supporters of this project. Adam Mobbs took the lead and was quickly joined by Lee Glavaz and they became the admin team. They quickly formed a committee, agreed upon a name and began sharing the news of their goal, to have Council reconsider their decision and to do what was necessary to get this project back on track at the Yonge Street location identified by the planners at The Region of York.
Here's our introductory blog post. A bit of background information.
Please join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/auroracares - to participate in the community dialogue and to stay up to date on our activities.
You can also join our email information group.
We may want to mobilize supporters to write social media posts, Aurora Council, and inform you of critical dates and times as we progress on this journey. Join us !
Here's the backgrounder on our group.
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| Aurora Cares Committee at Proposed Site on Yonge Street (in front of the York Region pumping station) |
What?
Aurora Cares, Housing For All is an ad-hoc community group formed to address their disappointment in Aurora Council’s decision to block the development of a Men’s Emergency and Transitional Housing facility planned for by the Region of York for the southern part of town.
Why?
This group wants to find a way for Aurora Town Council to reconsider and assist with the approvals required for the Region to proceed. This group cares about finding solutions to those experiencing homelessness and vulnerable members of our community who require access to these services. They understand that it is a long and expensive process to develop these solutions and they felt this project was well on its way to successful ground-breaking when Council unexpectedly put a halt to it. They want to find a way to get it back on track and to benefit from the existing investment in planning for the original location, the fact that The Region of York owns the property and to avoid further loss of time in addressing this pressing issue.
How?
This is a grassroots campaign. It will use community awareness building strategies such as face-to-face at The Farmers Market, Social media, blogs, local newspapers and word of mouth.
An organizing committee has been formed to provide guidance to these activities. They are meeting every couple of weeks to work on plans and update their strategies. They are building a list of supporters who will encourage Councillor’s to reconsider this issue.
Who?
Over 250 community members have indicated their support of this issue.
The key contact and chair of this ad hoc group is Adam Mobbs. Other members share close links to their volunteer or professional lives to this issue. Many have worked on these types of issues for decades either in housing policy, serving vulnerable communities in the area, housing development and social services. They are knowledgeable in the area of developing and delivering solutions to the challenges of affordable housing and homelessness.
When?
Time is of the essence. The committee started formally in mid May 2024. Ideally reconsideration and approval for this project can be completed within months.
Where?
The location of the proposed facility is 300 m south of the train bridge on the west side of Yonge Street. Officially 14452 Yonge Street. The proposed location aligns effectively with priorities identified in the Town of Aurora Official Plan and is zoned for Special Needs Housing, the type of development zoning required to proceed with the proposal.
Steve Falk
Aurora Cares, Housing For All
Contact Us and Join Us !
Read our other blogs
We need to "in favour" group to be as loud as the "opposed" group. Please join to show your support. A strong community supports their most vulnerable in any way they can and the time and money has already been spent to find a more than suitable solution. Let's get this done!
ReplyDeleteAurora Cares Housing For All is a diverse group of concerned citizens who would like to have Aurora Council rethink their opposition to a Transitional Shelter for the homeless in Aurora.
ReplyDelete