The numbers speak volumes – there are a lot more people looking for housing than there are homes.
Especially hard-hit are those at the lower end of the income scale – pensioners, minimum-wage earners, and those who live on government benefits.
The province’s solution appears to be reducing red tape, environmental protections and other constraints that prevent developers from building higher-end homes. The idea is that when these homes sell – and they will – smaller, more affordable ones will eventually become available. It is a long-term solution for an immediate crisis.
When waiting lists for various kinds of supported housing, be it rent-controlled apartments, subsidized rent or mortgage assistance programs, are growing by leaps and bounds, it is a given that the lists of people without any kind of housing are also growing. That means people are living on the streets right now. A government program to help the homeless that will take years to have an impact is less than worthless; it is cruel and potentially deadly.
The fact is, while some of us are decking the halls with boughs of holly and glittering baubles, there are people in this community who have no idea where they will be spending the holiday.
With any luck, most will have some place warm to sleep. For more than a few, the “some place warm” will be a shelter or motel room. It is better than a sleeping bag in an unused shed or quiet doorway, but not much.
This is not a city problem; it is our problem. These are not people who live two hours away; they are our neighbours.
We can tell ourselves this is someone else’s problem, that these people are addicts or have come to this community from heaven-knows-where. The fact is, though, that they are still our neighbours. They may not be our child, sibling or friend, but they are someone’s child. And they are here.
Whether they are victims of their own poor decisions, or are victims of bad luck, they all need a safe place to sleep.
When the snow starts flying, the not-in-my-back-yard mentality is about as effective at alleviating homelessness as… building more million-dollar houses. This is not just a provincial problem, a county problem or a health issue – it is all of the above, as well as being our problem.
The various levels of government – including local municipalities – have to work together, and they have to include the social services sector, developers and builders.
There are a lot of elements to homelessness. It is a legal problem. Homeless people do commit crimes, but are far more likely to be victims of crime.
It is a mental health issue. It is difficult, if not impossible, to arrange counselling for someone who has no address, and who is more concerned about finding food than keeping a medical appointment.
It is also a transportation issue – when community supports are here, and an affordable apartment is 20 minutes away by car, it may as well be on the other side of the world. The high cost of gas means even the working poor who may have a car, may not afford to operate it – which leads to job loss and worse.
It is a communication and technology issue. Should an apartment or rented room become available, contacting a prospective tenant who has no cell phone or address is a problem. While computer access is available at public libraries, getting to one, and knowing how to use the computer, are potential roadblocks.
It is an inflation issue. Incomes, especially those at the lower end of the scale, have not kept pace with the cost of living. When someone who survives on a fixed income, with no way of supplementing it – seniors and those on disability benefits, for example – cannot afford a decent apartment and nutritious food, the problem is both high rents and inadequate income.
One thing is certain – our present policies on alleviating homeless are not working, and they are expensive. Apartments are a much cheaper housing option than hotel rooms, homeless shelters, hospital beds and jails.
