- Report: #602072
Complaint Review: Salvation Army Montreal Booth Center - Montreal Quebec
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Salvation Army Montreal Booth Center
880 Guy Montreal, H4T 1J4 Quebec, Canada
Phone:
514 932 2214
Web:
www.salvationarmy.org
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
Salvation Army Montreal Booth Center Help? Montreal, Quebec
The Montreal Salvation Army Booth Center advised it's residents of a rental increase
to the amount of 15 dollars per month under the premise of a mandatory or face expulsion after 6 months work therapy program that would lower one's rent back down and that was said to be in the spirit of the Salvation Army's origins whereby the men helped by the Salvation Army gave back to the Salvation Army in time/work.
If it sounds convoluted, wait, it gets better.
The original Salvation Army's help did not charge rent. The premise then of the spirit of the Salvation Army then is at best deceptive and can possibly be considered psychologically abusive.
Of the 120 or so residents only those who had not previously volunteered were given a rental increase. This means about 100 residents. These same 100 and any new residents were mandated to participate in the work therapy or, as mentioned, face expulsion.
100 men working the amount of time the letter suggested to offset the rental increase, 30 hours, at 1% of the new rent amount would mean an increase
in overall labor of close to 4500 dollars per month. An amount many residents balked
at the Montreal Booth Center being able to afford. And alas, it couldn't.
When an intervention worker was asked how the Salvation Army Montreal Booth Center was going to put 100 men to work the reply was there were 30 jobs
in the soap distribution alone. Seems good yet the soap distribution job though signed up for by some thus avoiding expulsion was never given to do and thus, perhaps quite obviously, never paid for and the rent increase applied.
What happened was that approximately 10 to 20 residents were actually put to work.And guess who paid for it? The other residents and those residents themselveswhose rent was increased: 100 * 15 /month rent increase = 1500$/month. Which pays for around 1000 man hours monthly.
Not bad. Increase the rent, threaten expulsion to get people who are paying rent to work and have the residents pay for it.
I have a copy of the letter if anyone is interested.
And this, believe it or not, is but the tip of an iceberg that save forthe evidential letter is rather difficult to pinpoint.
The showers are cold. The tap water in at least one bathroom burning hot.
No biggee, perhaps. Consider however the inclination a person will have to scald their hands to wash them. Next to none. And thus the chance to spread illness increases. Consider also the state of mind of men who are homeless for whatever reason. Often depressed. Now consider how inclined such a man will be to take a cold shower or one that burns them. Perhaps not none yet less than usual. Cleanliness, though spoken of, is not actionally (by action) encouraged. And this plumbing issue has existed since at least 2006. These same men who may not shower, some more delicate than others,are brow beaten rather aggressively by other residents. This is not very condusive to the mental well being of anyone. It is in fact rather stressful. I may be being overly soft here however a good temperatured shower lives little or no excuse to not take a shower other than the real problems some men might have thus letting them be more readily addressed.
The heat is shut off permanently at times of the year where rather cold days ensue.
Nearing the summer the residents are made to endure until the temperature warms up. Nearing the winter until the administration sees fit to turn on the heat. (here everyone including the employees are cold which begs the question: where are these decisions coming from?) Weakened immune systems coupled with the aforementioned neglect of the bathroom and showering facilities does not tend to bode well for the residents' health overall.
Perhaps the homeless situation is just too big to tackle, perhaps the donations not enough. Perhaps more realistically the attitude towards the residents at the Salvation Army Booth Center is not that of the donors themselves yet some administrative overlayer that sees perhaps those donations as intended for them, their salaries and their bathrooms.
Do I believe this worthy of investigation? I sent a notice to the Quebec Minister of Justice pertaining the work therapy and questioning if the Salvation Army can be held liable for fraud if they are collecting donations under the premise of helping homeless people while really assuring certain salaries etc.. and not only neglecting the health of those homeless yet, as the 'work therapy' shows, deceptively misleading those they say they help and possibly abusing them as well.
The Quebec Minister of Justice gave me, understandably, a pat "we can not give you legal advice please contact a lawyer" auto response.
So here I am, thankful that others have witnessed a less charitable side to the Salvation Army and have been courageous enough to speak of it openly since so doing has encouraged me to come forth as well.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Joe
Austin,Texas,
U.S.A.
SOUNDS TYPICAL
#2Consumer Comment
Tue, September 21, 2010
THE SALVATION ARMY DONATIONS ARE WAY DOWN HERE TOO BECAUSE A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO USED TO GIVE THROUGH UNITED WAY AND THE RED KETTLE DRIVES HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS OR ARE LIVING ON UNEMPLOYMENT AND HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR THEMSELVES. IN FACT, MANY OF THEM ARE HAVING TO COMPETE WITH THE PROFESSIONAL STREET BUMS AND WINOS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS-- WHO WERE TURNED OUT OF THE AUSTIN STATE HOSPITAL WHEN THE STATE DECIDED TO CLOSE MOST OF THE PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT FACILITIES DOWN AND LET SOME REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER SCUM MAKE A YUPPIE SHOPPING CENTER OUT OF MOST OF THE GROUNDS. NOT EVEN THE DEAD WERE SAFE --NO RESPECT IN LIFE OR DEATH--THERE WAS A HALF-HEARTED ATTEMPT TO DIG UP THE DEAD PATIENTS' BODIES AND RELOCATE THE TOMBSTONES. MAYBE SOME YUPPIES ARE SIPPING THEIR LATTES OVER DEAD PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS FINAL RESTING PLACE. ALL OF THOSE POOR PEOPLE WHO WERE TOTALLY UNABLE TO CARE FOR THEMSELVES TURNED OUT WITH A MONTH SUPPLY OF MEDS AND ENDED UP AT THE SALVATION ARMY.AND ALL THE ONES WHO NEED TO BE KEPT IN INSTITUTIONS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES WILL NOT HAVE THAT OPTION BUT WILL BE ON THE MOVE FROM SHELTER TO SHELTER UNTIL THE DAY THEY DIE.
PERSONALLY, I HOPE SOME OF THOSE SNOTTY YUPPIES WHO ARE NOW HOMELESS GET HELL BEAT OUT OF THEM BY THE HUSTLERS THEY USED TO SPIT ON AND LAUGH AT AN D THROW GARBAGE ON--AND A SHIV OR TWO WOULD BE OK WITH ME.
WHEN I WAS IN THERE, THERE WERE BEATINGS, DRUGS, SODOMY AND THE COPS WERE IN AND OUT AS OFTEN AS CENTRAL BOOKING --GRABBING GUYS AND HUSTLING THEM OUT OF THE DOOR FOR WHO KNOWS WHY...IMPOSSIBLE TO SLEEP. SOME GUYS WHO HAS BEEN TDC INMATES SAID IT WAS JUST LIKE PRISON.
THEY HAVE A WORKER'S DORM WHERE YOU CAN STAY AND PAY RENT. I GUESS YOU CAN STAY THERE IF YOU WANT TO BE KILLED OR HAVE ALL YOUR THINGS RIPPED OFF.IT IS A REAL NICE PART OF TOWN --LOL. THERE ARE SOME S & M NIGHTCLUBS AND AND ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT WHERE THE GAWKING TOURISTS, RICH COLLEGE KIDS, LEGISLATORS AND ALL KINDS OF HUSTLERS COME TO WIPE THEIR BUTTS ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND EVERYTHING IN IT. GETTING DRUNK AND PICKING UP WHORES OF BOTH GENDERS IS HISTORIC BUT I THINK SOME YUPPIE FOOL REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE ANOTHER RIP OFF PLACE LIKE BOURBON STREET IN NEW ORLEANS. LOTS MORE HISTORY THERE AND LOT BETTER RUN. THIS SIXTH STREET DISTRICT COMES ACROSS AS NOTHING MORE THAN A CHEAP IMITATION. THEY HAVE COPS BABYSITTING THE DRUNKS. THE RESTAURANTS GOUGE THE CUSTOMERS AND WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY AND SITTING OUTSIDE OF THE SALVATION ARMY SHELTER,AND WATCHING THE DECADENT PARADE STAGGER PAST, YOU CAN'T HELP BUT HATE THESE BASTARDS WHILE YOU STARVE.
I THINK YOU HAVE 90 CONSECUTIVE DAYS PER YEAR TO STAY HERE BEFORE THEY THROW YOU OUT AND THEN, YOU HAVE TO CONSTANTLY BE ON THE MOVE WITH A BIG PILE OF YOUR THINGS THAT MEAN SOMETHING TO YOU AS YOU START OUT AND THEN ARE FORCED TO SELL THEM OR THEY ARE STOLEN FROM YOU AND I GUESS YOU END UP WITH NOTHING. WHEN YOU DIE, YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING EITHER SO MAYBE THE BUDDHA WAS RIGHT.
THE PLUMBING IN THE BATHROOMS WHERE WE STAYED WAS WAY UNDER CODE AND THERE WERE ROACHES, BEDBUGS, LICE ,FLEAS -- YOU NAME IT. FLIES AND MOSQUITOS. THE KITCHEN WAS WORSE THAN ONE OF THOSE DUMPY GREASY SPOON JOINTS --AND YOU COULD GET SICK FROM THE "FOOD" MADE IN IT. I DID.
THE IDEA IS TO MAKE IT SUCH HELL FOR YOU THAT YOU WILL LEAVE AND ANOTHER VICTIM WILL COME IN. THEY CONSIDER THAT YOU ARE EVIL OR A BAD PERSON BECAUSE YOU CAN NOT FIND WORK AND THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR IT!
THE WORK CENTER WHERE DONATIONS ARE PROCESSED IS IN SOUTH AUSTIN AND IT LOOKS LIKE A CONCENTRATION CAMP OR ONE OF THOSE OLD FASHIONED FACTORIES WITHOUT THE SMOKE STACKS. " ARBEIT MACHT FREI" AND "ABANDON HOPE ALL YOU WHO ENTER IN". FROM WHAT I HEAR, IT IS FOR MEN ONLY. THE SALVATION ARMY SHELTER IS DOWNTOWN AND I HEAR THEY CHARGE YOU A LOT FOR TRANSPORTATION TO THE WORK CENTER.
BOTH THE SHELTER AND THE WORK CENTER ARE ON PRIME TIME REAL ESTATE.
I IMAGINE THE CONSTRUCTION WAS SO SLIPSHOD BECAUSE WHEN THE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER DONOR HAS GOTTEN THE FULL TAX BENEFIT, THEN HE WILL TAKE THE PROPERTY BACK, DEMOLISH THE SHELTER AND MAKE CONDOS ON THE SITE THE WAY THESE COCKROACHES ARE DOING TO ALL DOWNTOWN.
WHERE WILL THE POOR PEOPLE GO THEN?
DO YOU THINK THESE FAT CATS REALLY GIVE A d**n?
OUT OF SIGHT AND OUT OF MINE AND THE POLICE TELL YOU: "MOVE IT ALONG, JUST KEEP MOVING!"
BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HAVE NO PLACE TO MOVE IT TO --AS MORE AND MORE AMERICANS ARE FINDING THEMSELVES HOMELESS NOWADAYS????
IT IS STARTING TO REMIND ME MORE AND MORE OF THE DAYS BEFORE THE FRENCH REVOLUTION!
NOBODY CARES WHAT HAPPENS TO THE DONATIONS OR TO THE MONEY AND ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HELPED BY IT ALL. THE WHOLE IDEA IS TO KEEP THESE LOSERS OUT OF SIGHT AND OUT OF MIND. NOBODY WANTS TO SEE THEM. THEY DO NOT WANT TO THINK THAT THEY ARE REALLY ONE OF TWO PAYCHECKS AWAY FROM BEING HOMELESS THEMSELVES.
LOOKS LIKE THAT IS HOW IT IS IN CANADA TOO.
Report Attachments
