villagevibe November 2008 : News and views from the heart of Fernwood
Accessibility a Challenge >> by Lisa Helps
T
he little house at 2214 Lydia St. is undergoing a big renovation. And though this was always the plan, Jill Adams and Roger Stephen now have to do things a little differently. The couple bought the house on Lydia St. between Pembroke and Denman two years ago. This was no ordinary purchase. “Part of the down payment came from the money I earned when I had a nanny job at fourteen,” Jill explains. “I wanted to have a place to grow food, to sustain myself.” And they wanted to live in Fernwood. When their real estate agent let them know he’d found a place in the neighbourhood in their price range they were thrilled. Despite the 20 tonnes of garbage they’d have to haul out of the backyard, despite that people had been squatting in the house, despite that they’d have to live in the basement for the first little while, Jill and Roger bought the place. And they’ve been
tearing it apart to restore it to its original 1911 condition ever since. In two years they’ve transformed the backyard from a garbage heap to a multi-bed, high-yielding food garden. “I’ve been moving some of these plants around with me for eight to nine years,” Jill says of her asparagus. While Roger started on the inside, for her, the priority was just to get things in the ground. But on July 12, 2008, in the midst of the ongoing renovation, everything changed. Roger was climbing with friends at Pitt Lake north of Vancouver and fell 35 feet. His T9 vertebrae was broken and dislocated to such an extent that his spinal cord was severed. Now he’s bravely and pragmatically working towards a full and active life in a wheelchair. But Roger’s come home to a house that he can’t even get into, a bedroom that he can’t manoeuvre in, and bathroom he can’t use. Since mid-August Jill has been working with the City to brainstorm options to make the house accessible, drawing up plans by hand on graph paper, and trying to be as creative as possible. The process
Out of the Rain in Fernwood >> by Susan Salvati
A
s the cooler temperatures of autumn begin, Fernwood has a unique opportunity to provide shelter to some of the city’s most vulnerable youth. Beginning on Thursday, November 6, Fernwood NRG, working with Beacon Community Services, will open its doors to the Out of the Rain Youth Shelter. Out of the Rain operates from November through April, rotating around the city throughout the week.
Out of the Rain will operate in Fernwood on Thursday evenings out of the Community Centre gym. A maximum of 30 young people between the ages of 15 and 25 will be given shelter at the site. Doors will open at 10 pm. Out of the Rain participants are greeted by two staff members as well as volunteers. Upon arrival, they are offered a warm meal. Mats will be provided for sleeping, and at 7:00am the youth will leave the facility after having breakfast. Out of the Rain Coordinator Jenn Mortimer explains that “clients are encouraged to show respect and to take responsibility for maintaining the space.” The Fernwood location is a no-pet site.
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has been painstakingly slow. So slow that when Roger arrived back in Victoria from rehab in late October, the couple had to move to an accessible suite in family housing at UVic and is now paying $2500 a month between rent and their mortgage. According to building codes if they put in an accessible suite on ground level they can’t add an extension to the house for five years (for an accessible kitchen); if they add an extension to the house, they would have to leave the basement empty for five years (i.e. no suite). If left as a single family dwelling, they would need a staircase connection between the two floors. “What is Roger going to do with a staircase?” Jill wonders. The most stressful part of the process of making the place accessible within a web of building restrictions, she says, “is that you get your head around something and think ‘okay, we’re going to do this’. But then one little thing throws a wrench into the entire plan. This is so stressful when you’re already maxed.” How can Fernwoodians help? Skilled labourers are needed to lend a hand with the renovation. For more info and to offer support head to www.rogerstephen.org
in this issue How to build your own Vibe Box Page 2 Feature: 1 in 3: Women’s Sexual Assault Centre Page 4 Metis Storyteller at Stanley Stitchcraft Page 7