http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/winnipeg-woman-forced-to-choose-between-her-two-sons-124635724.html
Osborne House executive director Barbara Judt says shelter staff work closely with clients and Manitoba Housing to try to find safe and affordable housing.
"It's challenge," she says. "It is a challenge. There is a shortage."
Judt says women are often forced to use their food money to top up rent. Osborne House offers food hampers and donations when women move out. They can receive furniture, clothing and toys.
Many women flee their homes with little more than their children.
"There are a lot of people in need," Judt says.
In May, I appeared at Executive Policy Committee and City Council and told our mayor and councillors to think about earmarking tax dollars from the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to groups such as Osborne House, MacDonald Youth Services, or food banks, rather than unanimously voting it be rebated to the pet project of millionaires (which could surely raise a paltry $3.6 million 12 years from now when the kickback would be handed over).I cannot repeat the personal attack made about me at city hall, for daring to suggest that the concerns of Osborne House and other social service agencies, charities, and worthy causes be an option for that money.
I believe Lindor Reynolds has proven my point on that one - but it isn't only the priorities and attitudes of city councillors that she should be calling into question.
We were to kick off a major fundraising campaign for Osborne House on the day the show was canceled, November 8th.
Barb was coming into the studio with one of her clients to tell the campus radio audience about their challenges, and we were going to do something about it. Our target was to generate $10,000 by connecting OH with listeners, sponsors, and supporters of TGCTS, and doing ongoing segments and special live events.
No one who reads Lindor's column, will have any doubt that Barb Judt could have used our reach to help her clients and their children.
And no one who listened to our radio program would have any doubt, the community that participated in our show would have rallied to this cause.
Two people who did not listen to the show, were Red River College president Stephanie Forsyth, and Lindor's boss, Winnipeg Free Press editor Margo Goodhand.
After some "communication" between them, the show was suddenly made to disappear by the imaginary "Executive Committee" with no notice, after bypassing the authority of the station manager.
The first person outside of the RRC/Kick-FM/ WFP triangle to hear a leak about the show on the chopping block, was Barb Judt, 3 days before it happened.
When she started asking questions, College officials misled her about what was being done to the show and why, misled her about being on the Board of Kick-Fm, and tried to hide their involvement with the decision to silence the voices of women and children and ashcan the fundraising campaign.
The person who directed the cancelation, Stephanie Forsyth, didn't care about the resulting effect on the women's shelter or other community causes. Heck, Forsyth didn't even care there were rules about how complaints about Kick FM shows were to be handled.
Forsyth did seem to care about what Margo Goodhand had to say, even though Margo admitted that she had never listened to the show and therefore, also didn't care about the work we were doing with Osborne House, or about the community and students who participated in our show. Or even though the newspaper claims to care about fair treatment for radio shows -- outside Manitoba.
Six months later, when I brought Barb Judt's message to city hall, a councillor crowed about how I had been eliminated from the media and mocked the sincerity of my advocacy. The people disagreed.
Clients like 'Barb Stevens' have needs, and canceling TGCTS has not made the need go away. All it did it was make it harder for the public to learn about that need, and about how to contribute.
Aside from voting in civic elections and calling the mayor's office with complaints about bike paths and holding the bias of mainstream media to the light of truth, TGCTS proved to listeners that You Have The Power to help local agencies by getting straight information about their work and the hurdles they face from bureaucracies and the donor fatigue caused by the monolithic Museum.
Perhaps Lindor should find out, why a city councillor, the College president, and her own editor think it was acceptable to take that power away from Winnipeg campus radio listeners who relied on TGCTS, and ask, exactly whose interest it served to silence our platform from Osborne House and the public?
And while she's at it, Lindor could ask what those 3 friends of rich and influential folks have done with their own power, to help Osborne House replace that $10,000 in the last 6 months?
On second thought, I am sure Lindor could find out from Barb Judt if she calls her to ask. It won't be a long conversation.
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PS - It has come to our attention that Kick-FM Board director Russ Tyson walked the plank yesterday at the Corus-held GROOVE 99.1 jazz station, where he served as program director.
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