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Node Kitchener (65-79 Madison Ave S) | 4 fl | Proposed
#16
I get what he's trying to do. Co-living now seems popular for young professionals in locations where renting on their own would take up too much of their income - in some cases exceed it - that being said, I question the location. Ultimately it might be okay - because you have people committing before they get to KW and they know nothing about the area only that "hey I'm only an 11 minute walk or just a 5 minute bike ride to NetSuite" for example if they work there or +2 minutes further by bike down the road to Communitech.

Little do they know the poverty in that area and the shelters below their feet. But that's with a lot of DTK and coming from some big cities they may care not.
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#17
I think you overstate the "issue" in the neighbourhood. Many people drawn to an urban environment wouldn't even notice.
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#18
(06-26-2019, 09:34 AM)panamaniac Wrote: I think you overstate the "issue" in the neighbourhood.  Many people drawn to an urban environment wouldn't even notice.

I live here, I notice, it's unpleasant, but it's not a problem or issue, I've never had a person who appears to be homeless or have mental health problems harass or attack me.  I'm sure it does happen, but it hasn't to me in the many years I have lived in DTK.  (I have, on the other hand, been attacked by motorists for riding my bike.) Seeing it does motivate me to support things like the SCS and affordable housing.

Makes me a better person, I hope.
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#19
"Wouldn't be put off by" might have been better phrasing on my part than "wouldn't notice".
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#20
(06-26-2019, 10:02 AM)panamaniac Wrote: "Wouldn't be put off by" might have been better phrasing on my part than "wouldn't notice".

Smile...perhaps yes.  Although I'm sure there are some who do not notice.
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#21
(06-26-2019, 08:47 AM)Momo26 Wrote: Little do they know the poverty in that area and the shelters below their feet. But that's with a lot of DTK and coming from some big cities they may care not.

I walk through much of Cedar Hill almost every day. Your description is IMHO quite exaggerated. How often have you walked or bicycled through there?

Yes, it's a less expensive neighbourhood than, say, Victoria Park. Yes, there is a mix of housing types (single-family, plex, mid-rise and high-rise). But there are very few houses that are run down, and there is little evidence of poverty.

Other than, of course, the homeless shelter on Charles St. You can see homeless people there, especially in early mornings, but they are neither aggressive or threatening. And during the day, you will see more of them on King St than at the shelter. And if people are moving from downtown Toronto, for example, the number of homeless people will actually appear small.

I don't even find this unpleasant. But it's a fact of life, and something that we as a society should work on.
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#22
I live on Church a block away, and in the 1 month I've lived here there have been constant people everyday walking up and down the street screaming, many arguments and shouting including threats, people walking down the streets drinking straight from bottles of vodka, and the occasional "other" characters (eg, a man who walked in a circle in the Church / Eby section for what I saw to be at least 30 minutes, holding both hands in the air, giving the middle finger to no one in particular) Twice so far, I've found a used needle in my driveway.

Mind you, they've never been threatening (to me, at least. To each other, definitely). As such, I also don't mind that much.

But to say there's no poverty or that it's exaggerated is simply not true.
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#23
(06-26-2019, 04:45 PM)GtwoK Wrote: Twice so far, I've found a used needle in my driveway.

This is why needle exchanges should be exchanges, not free needle handouts.

Better yet, safe injection sites — no needles allowed off the property.
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#24
Is the Duke St safe injection site open yet?
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#25
Homeless people, yes. And many of them stay at the shelter, so this is why you see them in the area. But poverty otherwise? There are some low-income people renting in the area, yes, but Cedar Hill is no slum.
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#26
Cedar Hill has always had the reputation of being a bad area. 15-20 years ago, perhaps it was, but now it's not that bad. You still see some characters and petty crime but it's really not much worse than anywhere else in the downtown, which is to say not very bad at all.
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#27
(06-26-2019, 06:25 PM)ijmorlan Wrote:
(06-26-2019, 04:45 PM)GtwoK Wrote: Twice so far, I've found a used needle in my driveway.

This is why needle exchanges should be exchanges, not free needle handouts.

Better yet, safe injection sites — no needles allowed off the property.
You are bang on,  I work in Peel Region, I was at a meeting where the Health Departments were giving their stats.  They stated that they had given out 500 k needles in their exchange program.  When I asked how many they took back, they indicated they were not sure but it was less than 100k  I stated that it isnt an exchange program then and that 400 k if needles are floating around in the community.   I didnt make any new friends that day...
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#28
(06-26-2019, 09:56 PM)ac3r Wrote: Cedar Hill has always had the reputation of being a bad area. 15-20 years ago, perhaps it was, but now it's not that bad. You still see some characters and petty crime but it's really not much worse than anywhere else in the downtown, which is to say not very bad at all.

This.  The residents of the neighbourhood deserve a ton of credit for the work they've put in to help reshape this area
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#29
Demolition fence is now up.

   
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#30
(06-27-2019, 09:17 AM)Spokes Wrote:
(06-26-2019, 09:56 PM)ac3r Wrote: Cedar Hill has always had the reputation of being a bad area. 15-20 years ago, perhaps it was, but now it's not that bad. You still see some characters and petty crime but it's really not much worse than anywhere else in the downtown, which is to say not very bad at all.

This.  The residents of the neighbourhood deserve a ton of credit for the work they've put in to help reshape this area
Indeed! I have had the chance to work with some of those folks and they have put a lot of time and energy in helping create the community it is today. I think it's unfortunate that its past 'reputation' is still held on to by many. I think it's a lovely neighbourhood with a wide variety of housing, amenities, transit options, and more. That's not to say there's no issues, I just think they tend to be overstated.
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