B.C.'S ILL-CONCEIVED AND HEAVY-HANDED SHELTER LAW

The BC Alliance on Mental Health/Illness and Addictions represents 21
dedicated agencies and individuals working together to ensure that
every citizen with a mental health or drug problem has timely access
to services that provide the best opportunity for recovery and
community inclusion.

The alliance is concerned about the B.C. government's recent passing
of the Assisting to Shelter Act. The act would give police the power
to force a person to seek shelter when an extreme weather alert is
issued. Not only does this bill challenge the rights and freedoms of
individuals, it further moves toward stigmatizing those living in
poverty or with mental illness and/or addiction.

The effectiveness and logistics of the bill are also questionable. The
legislation is B.C.-wide, but resources vary among locations and there
are not nearly enough shelter beds available for every homeless person
in the province. Shelters may not be able to accommodate the unique
needs of some individuals who may face barriers due to mental or
physical illness, addiction, behavioural problems, having pets or
having more belongings than a shelter can store. While we commend the
excellent work of shelters and their staff, we also acknowledge that
some people purposely choose not to use shelters, based on negative
experiences, a disliking of the rules or a feeling that they are unsafe.

While police can accompany people to shelters, they cannot force them
to enter and shelter staff cannot force them to stay. Police will face
additional risk as some people will resist being forced to shelter,
and some people's mental illness will be aggravated by the experience.
Some people could end up in jail or seriously hurt due to
confrontation with police. This legislation may also endanger people
by pushing them to hide farther away from areas with resources (such
food and healthcare) where police or outreach teams will be more
likely to find them.

The act does not deal with housing or address the root causes of
homelessness as
identified by homeless people in the auditor-general's report Homelessness:
Clear Focus
Needed (March 2009). The top two reasons cited were a lack of affordable
housing and low
wages relative to living costs. Unbelievably, Canada is the only developed
nation
without a national housing plan. The Alliance firmly supports Bill C-304
which calls for
a national housing strategy. What is necessary to combat homelessness is
housing and a
viable poverty-reduction strategy. We need to increase permanent affordable
housing in a
variety of types that can meet diverse needs (i.e. supportive, low-barrier,
dry, family,
etc.).

In the short term, the government could care for its vulnerable
citizens by increasing the availability of safe, lower-barrier
shelters where people can bring their pets and possessions with them.
They can also develop more low-barrier drop-in centres that can act as
cold-weather refuges for those who choose not to or may be unable to
access shelter. That said, we would like to note that shelters are not
solutions.

The alliance believes this piece of legislation is ill-conceived and
questions the timing and motives behind it. Minister Rich Coleman is
framing the act as a way to prevent tragedies and connect people with
services, but why do we need to take such a heavy-handed approach?

Wouldn't making housing and mental health/illness and addiction
support more abundant and accessible, be a way to reduce the risk of
tragedy without violating rights and freedoms and further stigmatizing
those with mental illness and addiction?

Dr. Jean Moore is chair of the BC Alliance on Mental Health/Illness
and Addiction.

DISCLAIMER: As non-voting members, the VPD and RCMP prefer not to
express an opinion through the alliance.