Working to End Homelessness

(Aired on February 1, 2010)

I must laud cities like Vancouver who are anxious to make inroads into dealing with the problem of homelessness. Vancouver is looking at an action plan that will, over the next five years, come to grips with the program. Vancouver's problem is one of the most identifiable in the country. There are over 3,000 homeless in the Greater Vancouver area, and because of the climate, it's more visible than it is in many other communities.

But while I laud Vancouver's efforts, I wonder how successful they can be. This is a huge problem to defeat, partly because many of these homeless people are so seriously disenfranchised. They have become lost souls in a sea of heartbreak. They have in most cases lost contact with their families, they want to be ghosts, they don't want to reintegrate. In many case, they just want to be left alone. I've had occasion to talk to a few of them, those whose minds have been wracked by drug habits, by health issues, by mental issues, and it's absolutely the worst thing I've ever seen. The people who work with the homeless are heroes in my books. The people who run the shelters, trying to reach out to those on the street, they do absolutely magnificent work. But despite their best efforts, the problems continue.

And they're not easy to fix. Some think the government should just throw bundles at the problem, and that will cure all. Sorry, it's much for difficult than that. In fact, the problem is almost hopeless for many of these people. While we continue to need shelters, medical help and ways to meet some of their needs, the real issue is finding ways to plug up the cracks that allow these people to get to where they find their only solution is to get out in the streets to live.

This is a tough problem to deal with. It's a tragedy, and there is no real easy fix. At least Vancouver and other communities are making an effort. That's a start.