Solutions for homelessness demanded
CBC talked to several people running shelters for the homeless, and all of them say that permanent solutions are needed, not a seasonal flailing to keep people off the streets.
Can anyone tackle this issue effectively? Everyone knows that the main way to reduce homelessness is to give people stable places to live, then tackle their other problems – mental illness, substance abuse and so on. But orchestrating government assistance – especially in Quebec, where the province alternates between demanding help from Ottawa and determining to show it can go it alone – is nearly impossible.
…Thinking about this, I realize that it’s a huge task to do, and to recruit workers for, because homes for the homeless would need monitoring, cleaning, and help on a level we’re having trouble recruiting workers for, in healthcare and other settings. I’m not saying it would be easy, but it would solve problems.
Em 17:18 on 2023-01-03 Permalink
In addition to your very good point, I believe just giving homeless people permanent homes is also politically difficult at a time when so many low wage but employed people struggle to pay for shelter.
There’s a low-cost rooming house near where I live, and I’m pretty sure some of the people living there would be homeless if it ever closed. I wish there were more of those places, but I also know it’s not the kind of business a lot of people would be interested in running.