Hamilton Indigenous Housing

Celebrations started on Friday June 19, 2015 outside Hamilton City Hall, I showed up in time to watch the native children hoop dancing for the small crowd.   Then I ran into my neighbor Debbie we talked for bit then preceded to the free BBQ, hot dogs, potato chips and bottled water plus cake for dessert was offered.   May I suggest next time serve fried baloney sandwiches with mustard we natives consider it a delicacy.   The HOW’s Lynda and Christine were there and only a few tenants hung out with them. Saturday morning I was on my way to the store when I saw a group of KMHC tenants waiting in the courtyard for the van.   Pick up time was for 9 30 am, due to lack of communication among the KMHC staff the Native elders were left sitting in the courtyard for two hours waiting for a ride to the Aboriginal Pow Wow held at Gage Park. The tenants were pissed off and rightly so.  Finally little Debbie took the initiative to call a staff member and remind them “Hey!...

Another casualty in the land of UNH’s happened earlier this week, Debra the tenant transportation driver/receptionist was “thrown under the bus” a metaphor meaning she was fired in a unconventional manner.   Imagine showing up early for work on Monday morning usually at 8:15 am, do a run, come back to the office and be handed a dismissal note from HOW Lynda Jones. :(  Like anybody else you would be shocked and upset this is similar to what happened to former HOW Stephanie Hager some years ago.   Main reason for being fired: being too close to the tenants.   The only time I use the transportation service was during the Christmas holiday season to the Annual Native dinner held at a banquet hall on Kenilworth Ave.   During this time I found Debra to be friendly, cordial and professional.   It’s unreasonable to think a UNH’s staff member will sit with us at a dinner function or drive a tenant to their destination and back and not have a light conversation. ...