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i 10 economist suntribune social issues thursday oct 10 2002 homeless shelter faces budget shortfall with osteoporosis a fractured hip could be a life sentence from page 3 osteoporosis society of canada call 18004636842 for more information this message brought to you as a community service of the economisttribune were braving the elements in the alley behind home base ms foster said i must tell you it was pretty horrify ing to find out what was happening to the kids she said they were sleeping in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags in an alcove behind home base because this is where they felt safe ms foster agrees with service providers that the next natural step in the development of youth services in york region is to establish a shelter and resource centre she recognizes however the difficul ty facing regional and local municipal governments in addressing this need there simply is no room in munici pal governments for this kind of pro gram ms foster said so the councillor is lobbying for youth services as richmond hill council considers how to disperse some 140 million the dividends of the sale of the municipalitys hydro utility ms foster said an investment of 200000 to 300000 a year over five years would have a significant impact our dream to be honest with you is a youth shelter she said the first thing youve got to provide these kids with is a safe place to stay overnight and then you go from there h ome base staff agree with the need for a shelter preferably on yonge street where kids from around the region can go by using public transit ms harkness said it can be heart breaking to close the dropin centre at 8 pm knowing there are kids who will sleep on the street we desperately need a shelter for young men and women in york region all roadhandlei and dunlop tires on sale our lowest prices ofthetiar 1b1 roadhandler voyager lx tires j63000 series sears reg 1389920499 salefrom 6799 each p17570r13 2 order r2884 ne102a2 at sssibssilfa- lowest prices of the season roadhandler maximizer plus passenger tires twooo series sale from 5609 each p17570ri3 other sizes sale 63799734 each order r2884 ne102a2 b 1 120000 km tread wear0ut warranty roadhandler roadhandler voyager lx tires 160000 km tread wearout warranty size sale each p18570r14 7649 1 p19570r14 7999 p20570r15 8749 p21570r15 9249 p18565r14 8099 p19565r15 8749 p20565r15 9149 p21565r15 9399 p20560r15 9549 f p22560r16 9899 other sizes also n sale w2 joseum 1 iamaw dunlop citation tires 822000 series salefrom 5039 each pi5580r13 other sizes sale 67199179 each 22 order r2884 ne102a2 c 1 115000 km tread wearout warranty complete warranty details at sears l auto care sale prices end saturday october 19 2002 while quantities last auto centre direct line 9058826194 hours m0nfri 730am9qopm saturday 800am600pm sunday 1100am600pm ontarios drive clean motorist 11 assurance program 4tahoahos fon automotive riptam accredited test repair facility nd02akj2 2002 sears canada inc ms campbell said its hard to do other work until basic needs are met the main obstacle is of course money its not just about funding shortfalls its also about using our existing resources effectively and efficiently and its also about making- sure our service providers work together home base is struggling with budget shortfalls and has taken its cause to the community the response from busi nesses churches and individuals has been heartening marg campbell said still ms campbell believes regional government will have to become more involved to establish sustainable youth services they will have to be a player she said theres no doubt about it newmarket mayor tom taylor chairperson of the regions social services and housing committee said while there is political will to address youth issues there isnt always a way thats because there simply isnt the money to fund youth initiatives to the level being called for by advocates mr taylor said among the most pressing needs identified in studies forums and discus sions is stable affordable housing mr taylor said we desperately need a shelter for young men and women in york region we just do not have the financial capacity of providing all these things mr taylor said from my point of view it is proba bly one of the key areas we should be addressing the problem is the level of funding staff photossteve somerville that comes york regions way from the province mr taylor said york lags far behind other gta municipalities in per capita funding for health and social programs if you looked at these stats it would blow you away mr taylor said we have got to make a strong case to get what the other municipalities are getting that case has been made repeatedly but so far little has changed susan taylor director of human serv ices planning with york region said while funding must be addressed there is also a move to make the most of avail able resources its not just about funding short falls she said its also about using our existing resources effectively and effi ciently and its also about making sure our service providers work together life hasnt been easy for many young people in york region like toronto we have our share of homeless disadvantaged and displaced kids opening in june of 2000 home base youth dropin centre on yonge street in richmond hill is the only facility of its kind in the region and is regularly utilized by kids as young as 14 above the main room of the centre is equipped with computer terminals a pool table telephones lounge tv stereo and a jar filled with condoms 4 v i i i