We have won riches, but lost ourselves

On one of his trips to Nova Scotia, the great Canadian Jean Vanier spoke about the fear of differences. He pointed out that we cannot legislate open-mindedness or expect officials to enforce it. In theory, we would like a community that’s open to the poor, the lame and the troubled, but the reality is often closure.

By sharing one’s life with the mentally handicapped and the poor, Vanier believes a great unity can be achieved in the world. Only recently I became aware of some residents of the village of Greenwich who do not promote Vanier’s dream.

It wasn’t the first time local property owners failed for those with differences. I can remember loud opposition to the construction of the group home on Main St. in Wolfville and righteous consternation about the addition of the Cornerstone workshop to L’Arche Homefires.

At the time, Rhoda Colville wrote a wonderful letter to the editor, pouring oil on troubled waters. She said people had been nice to her all her life and she thought we ought to treat the disabled nicely. Cornerstone went ahead and has become a welcome part of the neighbourhood.

Homefires has had a home in Greenwich since 1986 when Emmaus House opened. Three years later Nineveh House was purchased. By 2000, it was in need of investment or replacement.

Community was shocked

Ingrid Blais, director of Homefires community, while reluctant to comment, confirmed that the community had been in the process of seeking approval to replace Nineveh for five years. Just lately the community received support from its funders to proceed.

Plans were in the very preliminary stages; that is, drawings had been sketched for a new new house on the adjacent empty lot on Eden Row, but no commitment for funding was made, nor permits applied for.

Then I became aware of a petition against the building plans, which was presented to both Community Services and the Homefires board. Blais says the community was shocked when this petition with 36 names arrived. Some of the signatures were a surprise.

On May 6, a core member living in Wolfville suffered a seizure. Blais attended and noted a house for sale. It was then she decided to choose her battles and opt out of the Nineveh house project. “Suddenly we had an option and rather than enter into what might be a difficult process, we were able to move forward. We had to give up the dream of a day-away space for assistants, but we would still be able to have a home for three core members and their live-in caregivers. In the future the home may be able to welcome one or two more core members and caregivers.”

Don’t they have a right?

Vanier said we have won the riches, the houses, the money, but lost our sense of community, solidarity and commitment to one another. Don’t the disabled have a right to live where they want to live and shouldn’t society support them?

L’Arche Homefires might be an institution to some, an unknown for others, but I know it as a warm, spirit-filled community for those with mental challenges. Assistants from all over the world choose to live with core members as equals.

The L’Arche community wants to learn from this experience and wants to continue to reach out to its neighbours. They want to be good neighbours and Homefires will continue to have Emmaus House in Greenwich – along with four homes and three day programs in Wolfville.

Relationships are two-way streets. In a recent address to high school students, Vanier said that we need to learn wisdom in order to resolve conflict. "Be yourselves, but be open. The danger of our world is of closing up. Keep your love in flower as it's the only important thing. If you do that you will discover how precious you are to the world."