The funding for the Warm Zone, a three-year project funded by the city, provincial and federal governments, has come to its end.
According to these government offices, it was not a success. Those who feel this way should talk to our ladies and find out what these people feel about the Warm Zone and the fact that this facility which offered them safety, security, food and counselling is being taken away by uninformed individuals.
Government officials are putting our ladies back in harm’s way. Do you have a family member or a friend who is having addiction or mental health problems? Maybe one of these days that situation will be yours to deal with. Where are you going to go for help? Probably not to our city council! Probably not to our provincial government! Certainly not to our federal government!
These ladies reside here in Abbotsford. Many have addictions and mental health problems that need help. Abbotsford does not have a detox centre. The Salvation Army is doing a wonderful job, but they are overwhelmed by the numbers on the street. Our food bank is also in need of support.
But what does our beloved local government do? They would rather fund (or partially fund) a golf course and a hockey team rather than help those who really need and deserve our help.
Who else are they supporting? Time to take a reality check and ask them.
I love hockey but I don’t think our teams, no matter what league they are in, would sacrifice a women’s life for their sport. I don’t think our golfers would do it either.
Let’s get on board and let our governments know what we want, where we want our monies to go and what we want our elected officials to do for us (and that includes our ladies on the street).
Julia Gully
