FINDING A SOLUTION TO HOMELESSNESS

A Capital Region Survey Of Those On The Streets Shows We Have The
Means To Fix This Problem

We take the latest report on the capital region's homeless population
as a remarkably encouraging document. Despite all the problems and
the worsening situation, the issue remains manageable.

With a modest investment of money and energy -- and with a genuine
commitment that has been lacking -- we can make real, lasting progress.

And by doing that, we can avoid decades of future problems and costs,
heading off a whole range of health and social issues before they
even happen. It is one of those rare chances to make an investment
that is certain to pay off.

The survey found 1,242 people in the capital region were homeless or
on the edge. That's an embarrassingly large number for a society with
our overall level of affluence.

But practically speaking, it's on a scale that we can still manage if
we act now.

That's especially true because the survey revealed that for many, a
little help for a short time might be all that's needed to move them
out of the harried world of the homeless and into a more stable life.

Our images of homelessness tend to be shaped by the dramatic cases --
the seriously damaged people struggling with addiction and mental illness.

They are a challenge we have to face. The survey found that 41 per
cent of the homeless in the region cited alcohol and drug issues as
one of the factors that kept them from access to regular housing.

Addicts' lives are often chaotic, meaning they are unable to find
places to live or keep them. The solutions -- already successfully
tested in other places -- lie in strong outreach support services and
housing options that recognize the challenge some of these people
will pose and their need for long-term support.

But the survey also revealed how little help some people would
require to change their circumstances.

In many cases, all it would require is the most basic support -- help
in filling out forms, access to a phone, temporary housing that
didn't require them to sleep in a shelter and then push their
belongings around the streets all day.

There are still significant problems, including the shortage of
affordable and supported housing.

But addressing that shortage is well within our fiscal capacity. All
that's needed is the will and a decision that, as a community, we
don't think it's acceptable for people to be unnecessarily forced
into homelessness.

That's the missing element. Governments talk about task forces and
meetings and studies and spending increases.

But other communities, like Calgary, have taken action, using
approaches proven in other centres. We have not.

And as a result people are suffering and we face far higher long-term
costs because of our failure.