Homelessness has long been in a state of crisis in NS. There are homeless encampments sprinkling the landscape throughout our cities with no end in sight. In response to this crisis NS has purchased and erected Pallet shelters (glorified sheds, if you ask me) at the same location as one of Halifax Regional Municipality’s existing warming shelters in Lower Sackville. The response from some people in the community was that of pure outrage.
The NIMBY people (Not In My BackYard) claim they were not consulted beforehand at which time they would have made their opposition known, I believe them and understand their anger on this point. What I’m struggling with is their opposition and anger based on misinformation and unfavourable assumptions.
First, let me just say that drug addiction, alcoholism and mental illness are not reserved for the homeless. Housed people can suffer these same plagues. The main difference is that housed people are better hidden. They would most often have a sustainable source of income and/or family to lean on. How many housed parents have a glass of wine every day or drink themselves into a good buzz in front of their kids every weekend? How many housed parents smoke weed on a regular basis? Or struggle with an addiction to cigarettes and don’t want their kids to smoke? How many housed families have one or more members who suffer from some form of mental health issue?
A common misconception is that homeless people are lazy, drug addicts, alcoholics and mentally ill. I can tell you from working with them that this is not the case. Some homeless people suffer from drug addiction, alcoholism, and mental illness, and some of them are not employable. Others have full time jobs but they aren’t paid a living wage, especially not since rental rates have risen to an unaffordable all time high. And still others have some kind of physical disability. Nobody I’ve met has made a conscious choice to be homeless and yet, there they are.
There is a vetting process (I won’t pretend I know what that entails) to determine who gets the Pallet shelters and only people who are low risk (to use drugs or offend) are accepted. I know that doesn’t mean no risk but the reality is that nobody can say no risk with 100% certainty, hence the label of low risk. I volunteered at one of the homeless encampments and can tell you honestly I never found a single needle. Not one.
I think what the NIMBY people of Lower Sackville might be missing is that this whole situation is a testament to how badly our governments and healthcare systems are failing. There are not enough supports in place for people who want to get clean and sober, or seek proper mental health treatment. There is not enough affordable housing, especially not for single and low income households.
Let’s also take a look at how the province and municipality are treating homeless people. First, they are herded* to the approved encampment locations where they are provided with bottled water, port-a-potties and a garbage bin. That’s it. Now, they are being herded* to the Pallet shelters, or Beacon House, or The Halifax Forum, or other encampments, or hotels because the city is closing some of the encampments down (just in time for the Juno Awards). The homeless people aren’t given a choice.
And did you know that when you are homeless the province takes the housing allowance from your welfare check? This reduces your monthly income to three hundred dollars. That’s not enough for food, transportation and other necessities…and to save money for a home. Not that a full welfare check is enough to cover rent let alone food and transportation.
If nothing else, remember this, nobody is immune to becoming homeless. People are ren-eviceted* all the time. Anyone living from paycheck to paycheck can be vulnerable. All it would take is a couple of bad paychecks or being laid off, or maybe just the slightest rent increase would be enough.
*Herded is a term I use to describe how the province and municipality are treating our homeless population.
*Ren-evicted refers to the practice of renovating apartments or other dwellings and jacking the price up, or the evicting current tenants in order to do renovations.
My Phoenix Rising 