- 注册
- 2002-10-07
- 消息
- 402,235
- 荣誉分数
- 76
- 声望点数
- 0
Why is 17-year-old George Belaire, a severely disabled boy with multiple health problems, still living in a west-end motel room where he and his mother, Karen, were placed more than 18 months ago through Ottawa social services?
George, diagnosed with a profound mental disability, was also born with one failing kidney. He is tube- and pump-fed but can spoon-feed himself certain foods. He had an ostomy when he was a baby and is bladder incontinent. He suffers from epilepsy, is autistic and has impaired vision. He cannot speak and suffers from nerve damage. He has had multiple surgeries and came close to death on three occasions.
Karen Belaire is grateful they had a safe place to go to in June 2014 after they lost their home following her failed marriage. On welfare and with no support money from her ex-husband, mother and son were considered in a crisis situation, so they were placed “temporarily” in a motel room. The spent one week in a Vanier motel before being moved to the current one in Kanata so George, a special-needs student, could be closer to St. Paul High School on Draper Avenue.
Karen didn’t know how long they would be there before permanent accommodation could be found through the city’s social housing registry, but she didn’t think it would be more than that summer. The wait is now wearing on her. “Really, there is no end. You just find ways around it.”
Believe it or not, their situation isn’t considered dire enough for placement as soon as a unit is available. They may — as Karen says she’s been told — be high on the priority list, but before them are those with children fleeing abusive relationships. Their long wait can also be attributed to the housing needs she originally listed, though she says she has since modified them.
Their ground-floor motel room is typical: Two double beds facing a flat-screen TV, and a small bathroom just off the entrance. But not so typical is all the other stuff in the room, which makes it insanely claustrophobic. Boxes of medical supplies bought in bulk for George — formula and syringes so he can be tube fed, and diapers. There’s also his nighttime medical equipment to monitor sleep, feed him formula and control his apnea. Clothes are everywhere. A shelving unit, stacked with food and utensils, stands in a corner of the room. Somewhere, there’s a microwave and small fridge.
George creates a lot of laundry, says Karen, but fortunately, George’s personal support worker is taking care of that at her home.
The bathroom sink is used to clean medical devices, mix formula and wash dishes.
Carol Chevalier, a palliative care social worker at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Roger’s House, says her client’s situation “is unacceptable. … I would have thought (George’s condition) would have increased the priority, given that any point, George’s needs can change. … (Karen) is a very resourceful woman. … but it’s not easy. And all of this while living in poverty.”
George, though, smiles a lot and doesn’t appear to have any worries. His mother says St. Paul graduates, part of his buddy system at school, greet him with affection when they see him.
Karen says she has remained resilient for her son who doctors never thought would live this long. Today, George is strong and highly mobile though prone to tripping and falling, especially on stairs if he’s not accompanied.
A bungalow would be best, but the Belaires do not qualify for one as there are none with just two bedrooms. If only a two-storey, two-bedroom home is available, Karen says a bathroom on the ground-floor would be preferable. Storage space is necessary for her son’s medical supplies, and so are hookups for her washer and dryer as she would be doing scads of laundry again.
The city will not will comment on their case. But it says households on the wait list of more than 10,000 applicants are selected according to various factors. “Those who have waited the longest are offered assistance first, with priority given to victims of abuse, people who are homeless, (have) urgent safety or medical needs or those who are currently receiving rent-geared-to-income assistance and have lost their housing due to no fault of their own.
“The average wait time is 5.8 years and varies from a few months to several years. The wait time will vary based on priority status, unit size required, the number of community selections and other special housing requirements.”
Is something bothering you? Please contact thepubliccitizen@ottawacitizen.com.
查看原文...
George, diagnosed with a profound mental disability, was also born with one failing kidney. He is tube- and pump-fed but can spoon-feed himself certain foods. He had an ostomy when he was a baby and is bladder incontinent. He suffers from epilepsy, is autistic and has impaired vision. He cannot speak and suffers from nerve damage. He has had multiple surgeries and came close to death on three occasions.
Karen Belaire is grateful they had a safe place to go to in June 2014 after they lost their home following her failed marriage. On welfare and with no support money from her ex-husband, mother and son were considered in a crisis situation, so they were placed “temporarily” in a motel room. The spent one week in a Vanier motel before being moved to the current one in Kanata so George, a special-needs student, could be closer to St. Paul High School on Draper Avenue.
Karen didn’t know how long they would be there before permanent accommodation could be found through the city’s social housing registry, but she didn’t think it would be more than that summer. The wait is now wearing on her. “Really, there is no end. You just find ways around it.”
Believe it or not, their situation isn’t considered dire enough for placement as soon as a unit is available. They may — as Karen says she’s been told — be high on the priority list, but before them are those with children fleeing abusive relationships. Their long wait can also be attributed to the housing needs she originally listed, though she says she has since modified them.
Their ground-floor motel room is typical: Two double beds facing a flat-screen TV, and a small bathroom just off the entrance. But not so typical is all the other stuff in the room, which makes it insanely claustrophobic. Boxes of medical supplies bought in bulk for George — formula and syringes so he can be tube fed, and diapers. There’s also his nighttime medical equipment to monitor sleep, feed him formula and control his apnea. Clothes are everywhere. A shelving unit, stacked with food and utensils, stands in a corner of the room. Somewhere, there’s a microwave and small fridge.
George creates a lot of laundry, says Karen, but fortunately, George’s personal support worker is taking care of that at her home.
The bathroom sink is used to clean medical devices, mix formula and wash dishes.
Carol Chevalier, a palliative care social worker at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Roger’s House, says her client’s situation “is unacceptable. … I would have thought (George’s condition) would have increased the priority, given that any point, George’s needs can change. … (Karen) is a very resourceful woman. … but it’s not easy. And all of this while living in poverty.”
George, though, smiles a lot and doesn’t appear to have any worries. His mother says St. Paul graduates, part of his buddy system at school, greet him with affection when they see him.
Karen says she has remained resilient for her son who doctors never thought would live this long. Today, George is strong and highly mobile though prone to tripping and falling, especially on stairs if he’s not accompanied.
A bungalow would be best, but the Belaires do not qualify for one as there are none with just two bedrooms. If only a two-storey, two-bedroom home is available, Karen says a bathroom on the ground-floor would be preferable. Storage space is necessary for her son’s medical supplies, and so are hookups for her washer and dryer as she would be doing scads of laundry again.
The city will not will comment on their case. But it says households on the wait list of more than 10,000 applicants are selected according to various factors. “Those who have waited the longest are offered assistance first, with priority given to victims of abuse, people who are homeless, (have) urgent safety or medical needs or those who are currently receiving rent-geared-to-income assistance and have lost their housing due to no fault of their own.
“The average wait time is 5.8 years and varies from a few months to several years. The wait time will vary based on priority status, unit size required, the number of community selections and other special housing requirements.”
Is something bothering you? Please contact thepubliccitizen@ottawacitizen.com.
查看原文...
