The recent article about homelessness May 1 got my attention, and I feel compelled to respond in favour of Medicine Hat’s mayor, Ted Clugston.
With so much negativity regarding the tent villages that are springing up everywhere including Abbotsford, the model that has been used in Medicine Hat is a refreshing and positive alternative.
I am fully behind people retaining their dignity in hard times and a community that shows their concern for the welfare and safety of all its citizens, rather than snubbing our noses at the homeless. Having never been in their position and never hope to be, how would we feel if that was us that we heard our community talking about?
Not all homeless are drug addicts, (although many are) or have mental issues, (although many do). Many if not all are not there as a first choice, but as a last resort. We as their community should be concerned that people are finding themselves without a safe place to live a home.
The April 2014 issue of the magazine Mother Jones tells the story of what Utah did to help people in the same situations that Mayor Clugston used – give them a place to live. They chose to provide individuals a place to live under a controlled setting and offer help as needed.
The positive outcomes of sobriety and stability were overcome. It was because of the housing arrangements that had been supplied. This model has a high success rate in people recovering from mental issues, and stability for individuals to still have a place to live for many years after their initial set-up. The cost for health-related treatments, emergency services costs and the burden of health care by frequent hospitals visits were dramatically reduced. Utah’s model has moved into other cities like Seattle, Portland, Maine, and California.
It is my belief that as a community we can be part of the problem or part of the solution. With the examples of Medicine Hat, and cities in the U.S. using the model of housing first with its many success stories, maybe we should embrace a proven method as well.
Anne McIntyre