March 16 2016

Jon Harstone Executive Director

St. Clare's MultiFaith Housing Society
138 Pears Ave, Box 801
Toronto, ON
M5R 3K6
416-961-2444
www.st.clares.ca
Dear Mr Harstone:
I'm writing to you regarding my friend, Jesse Larabee. Jesse is currently a tenant at 138 Pears Avenue
in Toronto, Ontario. I am lending my voice in hopes that I can help to influence some positive change
in Jesse's current housing situation.
At this time last year I was observing Jesse to be moving forward in life in a peaceful and positive
manner. Jesse seemed to be supported, safe and content with the housing and services at St. Clare's
Multifaith Housing Society (St. Clare's) at 138 Pears Avenue in Toronto Ontario.
It appears to me, from recent conversations with Jesse, that the situation has changed whereby Jesse
seems to be experiencing several difficulties with the staff and/or management at St. Clare's.
I've known Jesse for nearly 5 years and I am aware of the fact that Jesse has an intellectual disability.
I believe that the staff at St. Clare's are aware of this as well.
I've learned from Jesse that the staff at St. Clare's encourage tenants to consent to having their 'story'
posted on a public website as part of the St. Clare's Society initiatives. Jesse tells me that until
discovering posters in the building at 138 Pears Avenue in September of 2015 that Jesse had been
unaware of the website that shares life stories about various tenants. Jesse feels that this is a form of
exploitation and is very uncomfortable with the idea. Therefore Jesse has opted out of sharing
personal information in this regard.
Jesse tells me that representatives from SOY and/or from 138 Pears Avenue failed to make Jesse
aware of the fact that personal stories about tenants are shared on a website. Nor was Jesse informed
about the 'partnering agencies' that 138 Pears Avenue are aligned with. Otherwise Jesse insists to
have preferred to stay on the streets as opposed to being forced to feel exploited and exposed in the
environment at 138 Pears Avenue. It should be mandatory, in my opinion, that 138 Pears Avenue
inform all people prior to signing the tenancy agreement that they have a website that they like to post
tenant stories to and this be further reflected in the tenancy agreement.
I can appreciate, very much, how some of the agencies aligned with 138 Pears Avenue, such as the
CAS, are an emotional trigger for Jesse, mainly owning to the severe abuse that Jesse endured while
in their care. I believe that the mere suggestion of exploitation is an emotional trigger for Jesse and
that those who provide services for Jesse must take this issue very seriously.
I have listened to an audio recording and have further read the supporting transcript whereby a man,
alleged to be David Steward, told Jesse that St. Clare's has a cockroach problem because of a former
tenant who was of Native ancestry. I was personally offended by this comment and believe that David
Steward's comments were very derogatory and blatantly racist.

I'm told by Jesse that after Jesse made valid complaints about the staff at St. Clare's that the staff at
St. Clare's made false allegations of a sexual harassment against Jesse and that the allegations were
later dropped by the staff member(s) who originally made the allegation. Jesse believes the
allegations were dropped after Francine Larabee, Jesse's Mother, attended the building to support
Jesse.
False sexual harassment allegations are very serious, as we all well know, and can not only ruin a
persons overall life but it can and quite often does have long-term devastating consequences to a
person's emotional well-being, even if the allegations are dropped in the long run. I know that Jesse is
very upset that the allegation was made in the first place and that Jesse feels at risk, and rightly so in
my opinion, that the staff at St. Clare's may one day make further false allegations against Jesse,
especially as tensions seemingly continue to rise between Jesse and the staff at St. Clare's.
On January 18 2016 Andrea Adams, Operations Manager at St. Clare's, wrote Jesse a letter
requesting that Jesse change the name of a YouTube account as the name of the YouTube channel
used the address and name of the building where Jesse resides. Jesse feels that differential treatment
has occurred whereby the Peer Community Hub is seemingly permitted to use the address of 138
Pears for their own purposes but Jesse is not permitted to do the same. Jesse tells me that after
viewing the Peer Community Hub using the address for 138 Pears Avenue that Jesse felt nothing
wrong with doing the same. I understand that Jesse is attempting to change the name of the Google
Account and is experiencing difficulty in doing so. I feel that Jesse wouldn't have felt compelled to
create the YouTube account in the first place if Jesse's important and sensitive issues were originally
validated and appropriate resolutions were further attempted by the staff at St. Clare's.
Jesse and Francine Larabee attended a meeting with representatives of S.O.Y and St. Clare's on
November 25 2015 which Jesse recorded for Jesse's own protection. Jesse was told at that time that
complaints in regards to 138 Pears Avenue cannot be followed up on and that each complaint is
secret. Jesse tells me that staff at St. Clare's were once willing to respond to verbal complaints about
138 Pears Avenue. I verified this to be true when I read a letter to Jesse from St. Clare's dated
November 25 2015. Then on January 28 2016 Jesse received a letter from St. Clare's stating that the
only way that St. Clare's staff will follow up on a complaint or a concern is if it is put in writing. The
rules seem contradictory, even to myself, and as such Jesse struggles to understand why there is an
inconsistency with these rules.
Jesse has told me that the Peer Community Hub provides services for Residents at 138 Pears
Avenue. Jesse tells me that the Peer Community Hub services were requested, especially due to
Jesse's intellectual disability, to assist Jesse in creating a document that would detail complaints in
regards to the housing issues at St. Clare's. Jesse tells me that the Peer Community Hub refused to
provide this assistance.
I'm respectfully requesting that the Peer Community Hub provide accommodation for Jesse's disability
by assisting Jesse, at Jesse's own request, with putting the outstanding housing concerns into a
written format. Surely assisting Jesse in this regard is a relatively minor and simple process for those
offering services through a Peer Community Hub.
If services cannot be afforded to Jesse Larabee by the Peer Support Hub I would think it suitable for
Jesse to be informed of the decision in a written format with supporting reasons for the denial of
service.
In a recent email to me, Jesse stated the following:
I am frustrated how 138 Pears Kim Hinton printed lots of posters and allowed me to put one in each

mailbox regarding the crown ward class action suit and explain that is how I got my friend (name
removed for confidentiality purposes) another tenant to come with me to Queens Park and explain
how the Hub idea was her idea and also explain that if Kim Hinton never gave me permission to put
on in each mailbox my friend (name removed for confidentiality purposes) maybe never would of
came to me to Queens Park and also Kim Hinton comes off as not supporting but patronizing me. It
also feels like 138 Pears Avenue is trying to take this away from me as a form of a punishment. Also it
feels like 138 Pears Avenue never supported the class action suit and they were patronizing me when
they printed the posters and gave me permission to put one in each mailbox and the reality is 138
Pears want the hub down because CAS is one of their partner agency.
I personally believe that it is very important for Crown Wards, whether current or former, to be able to
network through a hub. Ontario Crown Wards have been through hell and back, in my opinion, and
deserve support from their community and a safe avenue to network with one another.
I read a transcript and then listened to the actual recording of Jesse placing a telephone call to you Mr.
Harstone. I was absolutely appalled to hear how you spoke to Jesse in response to receiving the
telephone call. Your demeanor towards Jesse was very unprofessional in my opinion. I understand
that Jesse's intentions for placing the phone call may have been unclear to you, however, the way that
you responded to Jesse was very rude to say the least. I don't believe that your personal attitude was
a conductive approach to solving problems, especially problems that revolve around your building.
Jesse has watched the same video that I have, found online, titled CAIC Why Charities and NonProfits Need Access to Capital whereby you discuss the financial aspect of St. Clare's. To me, you
seemed like a very nice man in that video, and I can understand why Jesse thought it appropriate to
contact you in attempts to resolve the problems that Jesse is experiencing at 138 Pears Avenue.
Jesse was, and still is, worried about the false sexual allegations made against Jesse by staff at St.
Clare's and simply attempted to reach out to you for assistance as you are the Executive Director at
St. Clare's. Jesse has an intellectual disability and perhaps Jesse did not start the telephone call the
way that you would have liked, however, this is the reality of dealing with people and their respective
issues in life Mr. Harstone. In my opinion you only sought to degrade and ridicule Jesse for calling you
and I believe that there were far better ways that you could've chose to handle that phone call whether
you felt the telephone call itself was appropriate or not.
On January 28 2016 The Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (C.E.R.A) wrote a letter to you
Mr. Harstone, highlighting some of the problems that Jesse is claiming to experience with the Staff at
St. Clare's. C.E.R.A further recommended that the staff at St. Clare's receive information and take
training in matters of anti-discrimination as well as sensitivity training about Aboriginal issues, mental
health, and gender identity and expression. I agree with the recommendations from C.E.R.A and hope
that you take the recommendations seriously.
I understand that Jesse has an intellectual disability and I therefore take the time to understand the
issues that Jesse is presenting. I offer Jesse positive and creative solutions to manage the issues at
hand. I feel that the staff at St. Clare's should be willing to do the same for Jesse. Listening to a
person, understanding their concerns and responding in a proactive manner is not that difficult, if so
desired, in my opinion. If a positive solution is actually offered to a particular problem that Jesse is
experiencing I find that Jesse becomes very productive in working towards that positive solution. Also
in my experience, Jesse will stand firm ground if experiencing opposition in an unfair situation. Jesse
is very intelligent and is a reasonable person, and in my experience, Jesse is willing to respectably
work with those who are willing to respectably work with Jesse.
Jesse's perceives that forms of reprisal are being employed by the staff and/or management at St.
Clare's and that Jesse's rights are not respected as are the rights of other occupants at 138 Pears
Avenue. For example, Jesse tells me that a Catholic worship service is honoured on Sundays in the

basement at 138 Pears Ave, but that Jesse, and and others, are forbidden the right to observe their
own religion through Aboriginal dance and other related sacred Aboriginal ceremonies.
Although not particularly desiring a move at this time Jesse feels forced to leave 138 Pears Avenue at
this time and will be doing so on April 30 2016, though still wishing to return occasionally to visit with a
friend in the building. Jesse's reasons for leaving 138 Pears Avenue revolve around not having valid
complaints taken seriously, being harassed and feeling potentially exploited due the website that
exposes personal tenant stories.
Jesse and Jesse's Mother, Francine Larabee, propose to meet, for a second time, with
representatives from 138 Pears Avenue on April 11 2016. Jesse respectably requests, should the
meeting transpire, that the Operational Manager, Andrea Adams be in attendance. The proposed
agenda includes discussion around the false sexual allegations that were allegedly made by Kim
Hinton as well as future remedy in regards to the failures that Jesse claims to have experienced at 138
Pears Avenue. Jesse is interested in remedies for the sake of public interest and wishes to discuss
potential training for staff at 138 Pears, specifically in regards to issues of gender identity, Native
issues and mental health issues as recommended by C.E.R.A in the letter sent to you on January 28
2016.
I hope this letter can affect some positive change for all of those involved in this matter, especially
Jesse.
I kindly urge you to be proactive and fair as you consider services for Jesse Larabee in the future. I
appreciate your time and efforts and I thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Brenda Everall
38 County Road 1
Picton ON K0K 2T0
brendaeverall@gmail.com
cc:

Jesse Larabee Tenant at 138 Pears Avenue Toronto

Francine Larabee Jesse's Mother
Andrea Adams Operational Manager, St. Clare's Multifaith Housing Society
Katie Plaizier Program Manager, Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation
Bev Lepischak, Leslie Chudnovsky SOY Managers