HOMELESS NEED MORE REAL HELP

Our Failure To Address The Issues That Plague Our Streets Shows Our
Indifference

It is discouraging to hear people continuing to offer empty platitudes
about the homelessness, addictions and mental health problems that
plague Victoria's streets and the lives of too many residents.

This time it's the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, reacting to a
Vision TV documentary that exposes the uglier side of this beautiful
region. The film, a look at Rev. Al Tysick's work at Our Place,
examines homelessness, street chaos and the community's failure to
come to grips with the crisis.

Chamber chairwoman Lindalee Brougham fears the negative coverage will
leave the impression no one cares.

That's not true, she says. Business, government, social agencies --
the community is pulling together.

"I'm amazed at how many people are working on this issue," says
Brougham. "Maybe it's gotten worse but people are trying really hard."

We don't mean to single out the chamber and Brougham. Others have also
cited efforts we are making as a community to solve homelessness on
our city streets. But it's not true.

When this community wanted the Commonwealth Games, it tried hard. More
than 13,000 people volunteered, governments -- including
municipalities -- contributed $110 million and the problems of
bringing the world here were solved.

When we finally decided an arena would be useful, Victorians voted to
spend $30 million on the project.

Rotarians here joined in an international effort to eradicate polio,
at a shared cost so far of some $750 million. Big problem, big vision,
big effort.

Those are examples of what can happen when people of good will direct
their best efforts toward an issue or a project.

It is impossible to claim the same effort or money has gone into
dealing with the problems on Victoria's streets. A few extra detox
beds, a dozen housing units, lots of meetings and talking -- none of
this shows a significant effort to do something meaningful to fix the
problem.

If we were really trying, things would not be getting worse.
Conventions would not be cancelled, property crime wouldn't be
spiking, businesses wouldn't be suffering and the numbers of the
dispossessed would not be increasing.

Ultimately, this is not a complex problem. The people on the streets
- -- especially the hardcore, most difficult homeless -- need three things.

- - Proper treatment for their mental illness and addiction to help them
regain control of their lives.

- - An income to bring stability, which would in turn reduce crime,
panhandling and disorder.

- - And an appropriate place to live, often with significant
support.

We can experiment with different ways to meet those three
needs.

But we know that if people are addicted or mentally ill, have no
income -- including no realistic access to welfare -- and no place to
live, then their lives will be miserable and our streets blighted.

Our failure to act seriously on any one of those three aspects of
homelessness is even sadder because we have the means to address these
problems.

The number of hardcore homeless remains in the few hundreds. We have
the money to get them off the streets and into a better, more stable
life, which in turn would create savings and benefits across society.

We're not really trying. Our failure to acknowledge that unpleasant
reality is dishonest and destructive, for the people on the streets
and our community.