It’s interesting, watching groups of people. On our block we have lots of characters, and they don’t all get along. There is long history here, people who tried to work as a team but chafed, people who are angry, people who are scared, people who don’t really understand all of what’s happening, and what’s all happening in the now has roots in other fights and distrusts not fully resolved. And distrust is something we have to fight against when working together in order to pull effectively as a team. We HAVE to work as a team, or we’re going to get smoked.

To me, really good “big tent” leadership in this sort of situation has got to be about not taking it personally and not shutting the dialogue down. And that means all the different historical friend groups, the board, the various players.

I know lots of things about operating agreements, and historical blah blahs, and thinking outside the box. What I *really* know, however, is what I learned from Camp NeeKauNis: that sometimes the best way to deal with a difference in strategy is say ‘run with it, my friend’, and that sometimes the best way to deal with anger is by listening, and that you cannot take every idea as a demand or you will die in burnout. But if you listen, and you say ‘run with it’, you have to be there to support on the other end.

This looks to be a part-time job again, at least for the summer. Plus, the other half of that novel, although I really hope this doesn’t end up muddying the story. Nor do I hope to end up the martyr, and there’s at least one martyr in my novel.

(I crossed the half way point!)

I am calming regarding the exposure and the conflict side. I am so conflict avoidant, really, but our overall conflict avoidance is a big part of what put us here and it needs to be addressed. My only problem is that I never know if I’m barking too loud or too soft or just right. I’ll keep on barking, though. Everyone has something to contribute. No one is going to die if we look this in the face. All of our voices matter.

So. 

I suppose the upshot of putting 25 hours a week into housing issues and 25 into writing a novel and working on writing, plus all that baloney laundry and dishes and meal prep and stuff - and oh, the kids? - is that I don’t have any time to worry about my Fee-You-Chure. Which is good, because being waitlisted is ass.

My cat doesn’t like drinking out of water bowls, and she doesn’t like drinking on the floor. She likes, in order - 1) The water you’re having, on a table, please, not in a glass by her bowl.  2) The bathroom sink filled with water.

That’s it.

This means that, when it gets hot, we have to be creative getting her to drink. Now that she’s an old lady, it’s even more important.

Today, in a fit of whimsy, I spiked her water with catnip. (She hearts the catnip).

She drank a tiny bit, but mainly stood by her water bowl, sniffing the air, confused.

So, here we are in the spring, 19 months into the global credit issue, and many wise economists with their big words are saying that we’re on the way back.

I’ll tell you, I don’t believe it.

Of course, I have the bugs eye view. I’ve almost always based anything I know about the overall economy on the “household balance sheet”, as they put it, and I know zippity-shit about Treasury Yield Curves.  (Which are trending steeply up, which means economic recovery, … we think.) 

I’m having a very hard time wrapping my head around what the treasury yield curves actually represent. In real terms.

What I do know are these things:

• We the consumer are in serious debt - which borrows purchasing power from the future
• We have a shrinking middle (consumer) class
• The Boomers are set to retire
• All the crap in housing is not done with: there are still Alt-As coming
• Foreclosures aren’t absorbed in the States
• Unemployment!
• EI is up!
• Etc.

So, okay. Maybe there is a change in the rate of descent - but we haven’t, as far as I’m concerned, bottomed yet. We haven’t retrenched our industries. Our housing and wages don’t make sense. There’s still a lot of work to be done. We’re all going to be OKAY, but I really think we’re looking at some stabilization and then another ride down.

But I must admit, I’m having a harder time following the intricacies of the arguments. Oh, I’ve got a handle on deflation v. hyper-inflation. But following commodities, treasuries, the bond market, etc., is more than I can process, and I must admit I tend to be skeptical anyway. Green shoots? Really? Not just inventory replacement? Not just that everybody froze when things went really shitty and are moving a little bit because they froze MORE than necessary?

Isn’t this - ”oh, rich people and traders are beginning to figure out how to extract a profit again,” which is a different picture than “we have an economy where consumers have jobs, servicable debt levels, savings, disposable income, and the ability to take risks in order to start small business ventures?”

What economy CAN exist when the aggregate consumer has no money? We’ve been borrowing our way to economy for years, and I don’t see how where we’re at now regarding jobs and housing, that the aggregate consumer base has paid for the party of the last 20 years.

ETA: What I could imagine is that emerging markets could run the global economy as here in North America things continue to be rough. Could be?

The article on the situation at Mole Hill came out. The picture, although ample evidence that I do not feel comfortable with poses and need a hair cut both, indeed does not make me look like the inflamed wildebeest that I thought it looked like. Also,  I misspoke - there are a few people moving out, but none of them have 3 kids. I was referencing the folks with 3 bedrooms and my tongue got tied.

I went to Wikipedia today to find out what various ratings meant - Tate was watching an animal show with a C8 rating, and I wanted to check it out. Their tv ratings page has all sorts of info from all over the world, and I ended up looking at various different rating systems. Seems to me that these sort of “levels of decency,” and where we set them, says something about varying cultures. Like those for whom “discrimination” being shown helps set the level.

Anyway, the Netherlands also has little content icons that they put up. They’re nice little logo designs. 

The one for sex cracked me up.

Continue Reading…

One thing has been an issue in our family’s contributions to Mole Hill Community Housing is the sense that, if you are in fundamental disagreement with a policy direction or the wisdom of the moment, you are somehow in conflict with the Society. John’s on the Board of Directors at Mole Hill. He’s not comfortable there.

Now, as I’m moving into speaking out about what’s going on - moving to take on Mole Hill’s application at the RTO - we’ve had a bunch of people mention that this puts John in conflict.

Now, John’s probably a guy who shouldn’t be privy to planning Mole Hill’s STRATEGY to take us on - but nor should any tenant board member who will not be able to pay their increased rents. Yet John is a representative on the board of those of us whose rents are going up. The culture on the Hill makes it the common wisdom that one cannot be both landlord and tenant; these are combatative roles. Yet it works for Co-ops. This strikes me as a repressive problem, this fear of ”conflict of interest” - although from my days on the board, I can say that being a tenant member sucked rocks for exactly that reason.

However, I will quote Mole Hill Community Housing Society’s Constitution:

” 3a) To ensure the current residents have access to and control over housing in the Mole Hill redevelopment which is consistent with their shelter needs. This clause is Unalterable.

 
b) To build upon the existing fabric of rooming house uses in the houses on the block in order to best preserve the heritage qualities of these houses while serving lower income people’s housing needs.

….

d) To ensure the existing historical Mole Hill community is maintained and enhanced in perpetuity. This clause is unalterable.”

To my reading, any ACTION THE BOARD TAKES ON BEHALF OF THE SOCIETY that will unhouse a *historical* (ie: pre-redevelopment) tenant - which this certainly does - is already in conflict with the Society’s own Constitution, full stop, and those of us who could be considered an “enhancement in perpetuity” of the community had some reason to believe the warm and fuzzy promises that this was our community have reason to complain about our abandonment as unconstitutional too. (Although it is a full AGM that may have to clarify that for us.) So I call foul on those who suggest that, somehow, standing up for tenants as a board member is… is what? Unpatriotic? It is certainly not in conflict of interest; tenant interest is built into the constitution of the society, and you cannot represent it if you are unable to speak to it.

There is NOTHING stopping the society from acting less like a landlord and more like an activist board. There is nothing but lack of political will. It is possible to regard Mole Hill’s constitution and proudly stand in defence of tenants, suggesting other sources of funding, making a stink, saying to the political forces of the day:

“No, you cannot pull our funding and unhouse people who by design could not pay the market rents of a rapidly gentrifying area. Our operating agreement was forged in a climate without a ”geographic increase” loophole. Your actions are abandoning people who we all made a promise to, and we, on behalf of our members, vigorously object and ask what other options there are besides forcing long term members of our community to move.”

There. That wasn’t so hard.

( It IS true that over the past 6 years I’ve been here, they’ve missed the opportunity to raise our rents 3 times. Mistakes based on a faulty understanding of our operating agreement. As I’ve said: our family has budgeted for a rent increase each year, and I, for one, would be willing to phase those missed rent increases in *for our family*, with the understanding that not all people on the block can afford 3 years made up in one jump.)

I remember John coming home utterly defeated the *first* time this came up, a year and a half ago, told by another board member not to take it all so much to heart. To which I call bullshit - lots of us “take this to heart”.

Of course we take this to heart. We are people who invest in space, community, and geography; not your most active of activists, but committing in small ways every day. It is why we’re in Vancouver still, when every pragmatic bone in my body (and calculator) says that Vancouver is a losing economic game for us. It’s insanity. But we’ve got all our close family and most of our friends in BC, and our commitment was first to providing community support to the kids. We’re both of homes without complete parental stability. We promised to raise children in community and consistency.

Other people may not value the way we do, and that is their business. But the village that raises the family is my first priority; John and I might fail, but our kids have a safety net made of people, and I will work to be a safety net for others. It’s why we didn’t just move.

I do wonder why having a stake in the discussion has given Mole Hill tenant board members such a bad name.  From my own experience it seems there are two approaches; either looking contrarian, or going unheard. I was completely open to this being a personality defect in me, at first, and indeed I’m long winded and passionate both. It’s why I stepped down. However, I’ve seen it with others, too. It’s not just me, or even just me and John.

But when you’re a tenant, you’re obviously ”biased” on your own behalf. Otherwise, you don’t give a damn about having to move - so why would you volunteer?  I think this is why the people who’ve been on the board for a billion years aren’t generally tenants, and tenant recruitment and retention is a problem. It doesn’t work to be told to be disinterested in your own housing situation.

Yet Co-ops manage to run, because everyone shares the same self-interest, so it’s not impossible.

What strikes me as so interesting in all of this pressure is that it’s really a microcosm; of the backbencher who must vote with the party, (although in this case, there’s no party unity on the board), of the whistleblower, the order follower, those who are told to sit down they’re rocking the boat. It’s intense, that tribal pressure. Intense enough that I finally understand how all sorts of bad things can happen in its name.

Housing is one thing - I have lost sleep, lost all sorts of stability here. But my kids aren’t being threatened; we can decamp. If their lives were on the line, I now know I would crumble. The pressure really exists.

It’s interesting, because on the other side you have flame wars on the internet. People who have no problem thumbing their noses and screaming.

Our tribal ingrouping, accidental or intentional, is an incredibly, incredibly powerful tool. You find the lever to speak to and for people, and you can move the whole world. I understand better, and it is both liberating and scary.

To those of you who are mothers; to your mothers; to all the mothers through history who have made sure we’re all here. Moms made us all possible, historically primary caregivers, often making sure kids ate first.

And also, because it’s been going over in my head today, thanks to all the mothers and women who fought for my right to vote, own property, and go about as an equal in public.

Yesterday was a pro-D day and Ripley stayed home. It was a day of much laundry and errands and talking to people about the situation on the block, and therefore not as exciting as it could be - and both yesterday and today John had some overtime to do.

So today we took a mental health day. Ripley stayed home from school, and we went out to play - we took his “active adventure passport” - a collection of tickets to sporting things put out by the government to encourage movement, and which, other than swimming, have by and large been far LESS active than what we’re used to, consisting of mainly walking and standing in lines.

However, we’ve had fun, so that’s good. Today we walked down to BC Place to go to the “BC Sports Hall of Fame”. They had an active challenge there to try, although our main activity was the walking to and from, because their active challenge was so LOUD it scared the pants off both my kids. There was a cube, a tent like thing filled with gym equipment, and one side of it had projections of various sporting events - a hockey goal, or a basketball hoop, or what have you - and you were supposed to throw or kick or shoot your way to success. Only it didn’t work very well, and it was really really really loud and pulsated and boomed and blasted to call people to it. In the room with the yelley sports cube, there was also a track which timed your run, and the kids (hands over ears), ran through it a bunch of times to try to beat each other. Noted: my younger and elder have identical times, although the elder is taller.

We wandered around in the exhibits, and I think would have stayed longer, but they were drilling something into the floor of BC Place, and that was loud too. We spent a good long time in the Terry Fox and Rick Hansen’s rooms, though, and both the kids took turns wheeling the wheelchair. The elder was faster. The kids played a very confused and active game of bubble hockey, and we left, where we found a young girl no more than 8 playing Ginormous Surreal Basketball (made from a yoga ball wrapped in basketball fabric). We played with her awhile, while I tried to ascertain WTF. Her male friends (who I’d seen), were in the hall of fame, but her mom hadn’t wanted to spend the money on her, and so she was waiting out just in front of the hall of fame playing with their Ginormous Surreal Basketball, but her mom wasn’t in there.

We went completely outside and I saw why: her mom was in a wheelchair, and BC Place has mainly revolving doors, with the disabled enterance on that side blocked off for repairs.  I was going to go out to ask Mom if it was okay if I bought the girl an admission, but then all four - 3 boys and the girl - came revolving out from the doors at screaming high speed. Okay, then.

So we went to the library and read books and ate frozen yogurt, and then came home in time for supper. A good day, overall. A day of playing hooky.

Only now I’m too sun-weary to do my daily fiction, so instead I’m going to watch TV and then go to bed early.

It’s beautiful out there. We’ve been piling outside and playing, and it is awesome.

You know what’s the best? Monster flying discs. We found one at Canadian Tire, which, ahem, I drove to, almost like I was a Canadian Grown Up or something. These discs are made of foam and fabric and are large and soft enough for Tate to throw around with ability and without breaking everything in sight - although he really seems to understand frisbee dynamics without much prompting.

The ones at those link are 24″; ours is EVEN BIGGER, 30″. Alarming.

My mom and I made molé on the weekend. (Also donuts.)

Molé is the uber-super-perfect food.

It finally happened, and the storm cloud that I’ve been trying to blow at to keep at bay has burst. Ahhh, rain! I must admit, it’s sort of a relief to have it out there, and not just me sitting there with my knees hurting, blowing into the wind and muttering “Storm’s a’comin’, get the chickens inside.”

An application for extraordinary rent increase just went through at Mole Hill. For some of our residents, this means 28%  rent increases in year one, and 20% rent increases in year two: some of one bedrooms are going from about seven hundred to about a thousand fifty over two years.

Now some people who are just new to the West End might think this looks reasonable. There are two things they’re missing: first, the West End has traditionally been a lower end neighbourhood with some high end buildings (richer than east van, poorer than the rest of van west), and second, our suites are not what you’d think.

Some of those one bedrooms are 413 square feet. Some of the bachelors are almost criminal. Open your oven and hit the end of your bed criminal. Jail cell criminal.

My family will stay until I find out whether or not I get into school; we need the childcare spot on the block. But we can make the first rent increase, and can live here for a year, therefore, if I’m in school - after that we’ll move. It’ll be after the Olympics, and Tate can start kindergarten elsewhere. And you bet rents will be cheaper - they’re already trending down. I’ve been watching craigslist, because when I thought I hadn’t gotten in, I was planning a summertime move.

So, a quick run down on what’s happening with Mole Hill, with the Provincial Government, and with housing generally. For the explanation, which may be useful to the others on the block, and which - hey - if I’m going to talk to media I need to be more precise. I know almost too much, here. Lots of discussion under the fold. Continue Reading…