Homelessness in Calgary

[Calgarian]

I want to start up some discussion/debate about how to fix the homelessness problem that exists in Calgary today. I was in Victoria Park C-train station yesterday and there were about 30 people sleeping there. It is well documented that Calgary homeless population is exploding along with the rest of the population. I think the discussion should go beyond the affordable housing discussion (which is still valid, but only would help about half of those people on the street), and focus more on the social aspect, and by that I mean drug/alcohol addiction and prostitution. And the fact that most Calgarians (myself included) just turn a blind eye to the problem, and tell the panhandlers to get a job, or to sober up.

What do people think?

[Coldrsx]

^i have found Edmonton has a much worse problem of late as well...in a province with dire need for labor...even if unskilled manual labor.

[Boris2k7]

There are several problems of course:

1) The affordable housing situation is forcing out not only the people at the bottom rung but the people just up the rung from there. The amount of working poor is getting quite large.

2) There aren't enough shelters for those who can't afford even the affordable stuff, and there is too much concentration of such facilities in the Eastern portion of downtown.

3) There is a lack of institutions for the mentally impaired.

4) There is either a severe shortage of addiction treatment centres or they may be rejecting people. The Sheldon Chumir should help this only slightly once complete.

5) Backwards laws on drugs and prostitution have kept these people out of regulated employment areas and forced them onto the streets, exacerbating the homeless problem

6) The Downtown Business Association has done a fine job of demonizing the homeless population and Calgarians rarely understand the true issues (instead it is the usual 'get a job' attitude).

7) Employment is harder to get if you don't have a place of residence, and even worse if you are not as socially integrated as the rest of us and lack some other things, such as Photo ID, Birth Certificates, a clean criminal record (imagine if you were forced sometimes into petty offences in order to survive!), etc.

That's all I can come up with for now.

EDIT: Might as well throw this in as well...

8) The poor who do have jobs actually need to get to them. Say you can land a job out in Foothills Industrial, but stay at an affordable unit in downtown. You can't afford a car and rely on public transit. It is critical that the service be able to get you to near you workplace in a timely and inexpensive fashion. It is also critical that a strike DOES NOT HAPPEN.

[ssiguy]

With no controls on rental increases, even the homeless who find apts they may find themselves back on the street in less 6 months as their rent could hypothetically double and they have no legal recourse.

[marts1x]

there are still plenty of cheap rents in Calgary.... however its hard to just rent a room if you have a substance problem because most people will have you out in no time.

[Wooster]

Homelessness has been happening in every city in every era of civilization.

There are reasons for why a certain segment of the population are facing these problems. Having the 'get a job', or the homeless are just lazy bums attitude is just not helpful, nor is it all that well informed. It jut further marginalizes people in these situations.

The majority of the addicted and/or homeless end up where they are due to mental illness, abuse, abandonment or other issues. Unless you have experienced any of these things, it is difficult to contemplate how difficult it is to cope. Addiction usually begins with self medicating for depression, bipolar issues, schizophrenia or other issues with illicit drugs. Personally, I have had a charmed life with few problems so it is difficult to put myself in someone else's shoes whose circumstances have been so different. But it is still possible to contemplate how this can happen in someone's life.

The fact is people get into situations where they are simply not in the position to help themselves. They are mired in an addiction, or have severe mental illness. These situations are next to impossible to get out of without the proper supports in the community. In Alberta these services are sorely lacking.

[Western Spaghetti]

High rents etc.. are part of the problem, but the main issues causing this problem is the same in all cities. Most of it relates to drug addictions or mental health issues.

Very true, this is where we are really lacking. We need more programs to deal with these people.

[Calgarian]

So how can we get the City and Province to stop dragging their feet and actually do something about this problem. I hope this becomes a major issue during the next civil election.

[Wooster]

It really, really should be at or near the top of the priority list. It will leave a pretty empty feeling from this boom if the problem is not rectified to a substantial degree.

[Calgarian]

Maybe I will try to find time to write the Mayors office or Global News to see if I can press the issue.

[m0nkyman]

Number one thing to do is to get involved. Does your Chamber of Commerce, Community League or other similar organization have a commitee dealing with homelessness issues? Are they sitting down with the social service providers on a regular basis. Do the social service providers in your community have a commitee where they can all sit down and minimize duplication of services, discuss trends and strategies?

This is basic stuff, involving making sure that people know what needs to be done, what is already being done, and where effort and funds need to go, and communicating it to A: The people who can provide the funds, and B: The people who can provide the work.

[Boris2k7]

The province has an affordable housing task force right now that is doing a study. I believe that Bronco and Mandel are part of that group. I am interested in what solution they come up with. A rise in affordable housing won't help the core homeless population much, but it should curb the rapid growth.

The top business leaders in Calgary also have their own little scheme they are working on.

[Policy Wonk]

You can't just lump together the whole lot of them into the collective "homeless"

There are vagrants, junkies / drunks, the insane and the just plain poor. Many of those who are just plain poor do not end up on the streets, while the other three groups are highly represented on the streets.

Usually because they are unwilling or unable to follow the rules in shelters - i.e. you can't smoke crack in the mustard seed.

In the case of the insane, these people need to be returned to mental institutions - the problem is the very same people who claim to be so concerned about the homeless are opposed to forced institutionalization.

When the insane asylums of north america were shuttered, the residents did not go on to live productive lives with the aide of out-patient care and voluntary medication, they wound up on the street within days.

As for the vagrants and junkies, they just need an ass kicking, unfortunately the days of the police just rounding them up and dumping them half-way to Red Deer seem to have passed.

[Wooster]

Originally Posted by Policy Wonk

As for the vagrants and junkies, they just need an ass kicking, unfortunately the days of the police just rounding them up and dumping them half-way to Red Deer seem to have passed.

my IQ just went down from reading that.

In regard to institutionalization. Any expert will tell you that some people with mental issues will function in an institution better, and others are better served integrated in the community with the proper supports available to them. It is a case by case thing.

[Stephen Ave]

Originally Posted by josh white

my IQ just went down from reading that.

In regard to institutionalization. Any expert will tell you that some people with mental issues will function in an institution better, and others are better served integrated in the community with the proper supports available to them. It is a case by case thing.

Agreed. It's a case by case situation, but why not start by getting the people who really need to be in an institution, into an institution, and work from there.

[Policy Wonk]

unfortunately those judgements are made at a time when the patient is under their medication and supportive care by ideologues who are against forced care, not based on their potential situation while not on their medication that many will promptly stop using and rapidly fall through the cracks.

Some dear friends of mine are fighting tooth and nail to get a brother commited after multiple suicide attempts and all sorts of self-destructive behavior. They put him under observation, back on his medicine and 72 hours later say he is ready to take on the world. Several weeks later he is back on the street and the process repeats itself.

[Wooster]

Originally Posted by Stephen Ave

Agreed. It's a case by case situation, but why not start by getting the people who really need to be in an institution, into an institution, and work from there.

I agree. Just saying, oh it is their fault and they should be responsible for their own situation will not solve anything. It hasn't worked in the past, and will never work. It is just bitching. Obviously, the status quo needs to change and there needs to be action of some sort. I don't pretend to know exactly what the solutions are, but we should be studying best practices from all over the world to find out what is. It is not like resources are a problem.

[m0nkyman]

I'll disagree. Resources are a huge problem. Human resources that is. Calgary, like Edmonton is swimming in money, but there are no people available. And social services is a very labour intensive field.

[walli]

Originally Posted by m0nkyman

I'll disagree. Resources are a huge problem. Human resources that is. Calgary, like Edmonton is swimming in money, but there are no people available. And social services is a very labour intensive field.

What proportion of the homeless are not mentally ill and do not have jobs?

My old boss used to always say, go after the 'low hanging fruit' first.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by m0nkyman

I'll disagree. Resources are a huge problem. Human resources that is. Calgary, like Edmonton is swimming in money, but there are no people available. And social services is a very labour intensive field.

A very low paying, labour intensive field. Are there any institutions in Calgary that would be taking these people in?

Another question I have is about the worst of all the people on our streets, the crack dealers. Just driving by the Cecil you can see people openly dealing crack, you don't have to be a genius to figure out what is going on. You see a big group of shady people standing around another shady person with their hands out, then 30 seconds later they all scatter to the wind. Don't the cops see this kind of stuff? having beat cops walking around the area isn't going to do shit, we need plain clothes cops out there ready to slap the hand cuffs on every one of these rodents every time they see them peddling that shit.