|
By Vanessa Santilli
 WHEN Torontonians speak about diversity, they tend to limit the discussion to spaghetti and souvlaki, Bollywood and butter chicken, said Rocco Rossi. But the Toronto mayoral candidate believes spiritual diversity should be included in the discussion as well.
"At the heart of that diversity are the many faiths and value systems which underpin the diverse groups that live and prosper in the city," Rossi told The Catholic Register recently during his 'faith tour' of Toronto.
Rossi visited places of worship belonging to the city's various faiths -- and places where faith has been put into action, like the Good Shepherd Ministries and Habitat for Humanity.
Aside from celebrating diverse faiths in the city, Rossi said the purpose of his faith tour was to celebrate the contributions made by the not-for-profit community -- specifically faith-inspired not-for- profit communities.
If elected mayor on October 25, Rossi said he would call on Toronto's faith communities to continue to be true city builders by delivering more critical city services.
Continue article >>
|
"I've spoken a great deal about the need to re-invent services at City Hall and the need for outsourcing," said Rossi, who was raised in the Catholic Church.
He wants to look at a whole host of services, from social services to housing, and have more of these delivered by groups that have demonstrated they are more efficient at delivering those services than the city.
One example is the Good Shepherd Brothers who feed and shelter the homeless in downtown Toronto. Rossi said the brothers deliver a shelter bed for a quarter of the cost of what the city can do.
Habitat for Humanity is another example. He noted that Habitat can produce a home for a family for about $130,000. In comparison, the still unopened Peter Street shelter (which the city has managed) with 40 shelter beds is costing $12 million and counting. That translates to $300,000 per bed. If this money had been handed to Habitat for Humanity, 100 homes for 100 families could have been created.
"Surely, we want to work with and build on the successes of these groups and the way that they deliver services," said Rossi. "I think that the city has much to learn from the incredible progress made by many of our faith-inspired groups."
-- Courtesy of The Catholic Register. Please do not reprint without permission
September 2/2010
|
