“ ‘Disturbing’ report suggests powerful drugs helped fuel 2016 jump in homeless population.”
However, reading the article reveals it is not ‘powerful drugs’ but capitalism that was the cause of the significant jump in homeless population. People were not coming because they could get powerful drugs here, but because of the attractive prices and supply.
Consumerism: whether going to Abbotsford for drugs or going cross-border shopping it’s about the price.
Given the media coverage, misunderstanding and misapplication of the results of the homeless count it is clearly important to understand what the homeless count IS and IS NOT. Failing to understand what the homeless count is and isn’t is what makes the homeless count one more behaviour that contributes to the growth of homelessness.
Continue reading Understanding the 2017 Homeless Count Results
Part I spoke to the need to exercise due diligence and caution when choosing how and what you measure to judge what you are achieving and the need for a clear understanding of your goal[s], what achieving your goal[s] will in fact – versus what you expect – look like.
Failing to exercise due diligence can lead down the same path of self-sabotaging, self-destructive behaviour that had GM paying extravagant bonuses to executives to run the company into bankruptcy.
If your goal is to reduce the number of homeless on the streets what do you need to achieve?
At least to the creatively maladjusted.
A letter from Michael Marchbank, the [relatively new] CEO and President of the Fraser Health Authority [FHA], to the CEO of BC Housing concerning the lack of supportive housing in the geographical area Mr. Marchbank is in charge of providing healthcare, mental healthcare and substance use services to [FHA] ends up as fodder for media.
A letter that cites numbers – parroted and passed to the public by the media – that may provide strong support to FHA CEO Mr. Marchbank OR are disinformation that misinforms and misleads.
Knowing I had volunteered to setup, tear-down and cleanup for the Blue Bus, a friend brought me a copy of Regina Dalton’s July 29th Abbotsford News Letter to the Editor when he came to access the meal, foodstuffs and clothing provided by the Blue Bus two Sundays a month.
Being July 31, once cleanup was finished I headed home to pay September’s rent before heading to find a spot to write about yet another absurd decision by politicians and bureaucrats to waste money on an ineffective ‘get the homeless off the streets’ boondoggle. Another demonstration of politicians masterful ability to increase homelessness, poverty, economic disadvantage, their salaries and the levels of Irony in Canada.
