A CIVILIZED SOCIETY MUST LOOK AFTER ITS POOR AND HOMELESS

According to the latest regional figures, the number of homeless in the
Lower Mainland has soared from just over 1,000 in 2002 to more than 2,100
this year.

Now, this does not appear to have much to do with economic hard times. In
fact, the regional economy here has been booming, and unemployment has hit
record-low levels.

Also, it is hard to generalize about the homeless and the reasons for their
homelessness. Many are young people who have come to Vancouver from other
parts of Canada out of a sense of adventure or a desire to put their past
behind them.

Many are addicts drawn to the notorious drug mecca that Vancouver's
Downtown Eastside has gradually become.

Others are mentally ill people who are lost in so many ways, but still can
appreciate that Vancouver is one of the best places in North America to
find a free meal.

Yet others may be those whom an earlier generation would have described as
hobos. Loners by nature, they prefer a night under the stars to one in a
shelter or single-room-occupancy hotel.

Not all are unemployed. Indeed, the number of homeless who are employed has
risen to 12 per cent from five per cent three years ago.

All deserve our deepest compassion, our kindest help and our firmest guidance.

The measure of any civilized society is not only the way it generates
wealth -- but also the way it treats those who are having a hard time
calling it home.