“What do we need?” is a question often posed to me. With all that is needed to begin to address the many facets of the homeless question it can be hard, especially with the complications and massive needs that are a result of neglect and/or thoughtlessly actions or inactions, to decide where to start. These days I feel there is one item that stands out because it has the promise to save lives if we can act quickly enough.
The final touches are being put on the official Abbotsford strategy for extreme weather. Truly nice to see a positive step forward in a timely fashion without hemming and hawing or a list of reasons why not. Although the project I want to get off the ground may not cause hemming and hawing it will cause screaming, massive lists of “Why nots”, NIMBY’s, and have politics rearing its ugly head. An extreme weather plan is needed, but weather conditions that are not deemed extreme can still, in our wet, rainy climate pose significant threats to health and even life.
I was homeless last winter, living through day after day of often torrential rain. Even with my car, which was a water proof shelter, the rain and wet were hard to deal with. For those without such a waterproof haven the weather was a threat. I had someone come up to me and say thank you for Street Hope. I was not an official volunteer but since I was depending on them for a warm place, hot coffee and food, and since I was capable I pitched in to help where needed. This would explain his mistake and it was simpler to accept the thanks and pass it along to Dave and his dedicated band. The point was the having finished treatment and living sober he felt he needed to express his thanks because he felt that having a place for drying out, to get dry clothes, hot coffee and food was why he was alive to become sober. He was not the first person I had heard express this belief, that someone’s life was saved due to being able to drop in. Unfortunately Street Hope was judged undesirable and the people who depended on it “expendable”. In the words of the businessman Scrooge “Let them die and reduce the surplus population”. It seems likely the scrooges of the downtown Abbotsford would include “just don’t die on my doorstep and create a nuisance”.
So a open drop-in has made its way to the top of my list as it has not only the potential to save lives but its potential to provide other much needed services. It would not be open 24 hours a day, but its hours would be long and extended to cover the hours other places of help and refuge are closed. It also needs to be tasked with working with its neighbours to address problems – just as the neighbours would be tasked with doing their part in problem solving. So here are some of my ideas. Just remember that in keeping with my views on the homeless situation I do not view this as a bible but as a starting place. Anything you undertake has to be flexible, open to trying new ideas, open to community ideas and definitely not written in stone. So, this is a framework for getting off our butts and making a start. For as I have already quoted Yoda: Try not. Do or Do Not. There is no Try”. We need to stop hiding behind “try or trying to” and Do.
I want to open the Locus of Dawn. A drop-in centre for the homeless, the poor, the lonely, those in need of help and the volunteer. The mission statement of the centre is in its name:
*Locus*: n. 1: a locality; a place; 2: A center or focus of great activity or intense concentration 3: The set or configuration of all points that satisfy specific conditions. *Dawn*: n. 1: a first appearance; a beginning; or as a verb v. 1: become clear or enter one’s consciousness or emotions; 2: To begin to be perceived or understood;
For some it will be a place for people to come to begin their journey. These journeys could be to goals such as housing, employment or addiction treatment. For some it will be a place for it to enter their minds, and for it to become clear, that they need to make some changes. For the community and others involved, it is a place to begin to perceive and understand all the facets of homelessness, poverty and addiction. It will provide a focus for the great many activities needed to begin to help people move from homeless to employment and back into society. The concentration will be on its particular mission – the homeless are to be its single-minded focus and its concentration to be on addressing the needs of the homeless community. But it will be open to all those who have a need that the centre can meet as part of its daily services provided to the homeless community, welcoming all as long as it does not detract from the mission to meet the needs of the homeless. The centre needs to have a varied set (or configuration) of points (services, knowledge, contacts, et al) satisfying specific conditions (for each differing destination).
What do I envision this centre providing? *** (Subject to revision without notice to incorporate any good ideas and suggestions). 1) Coffee; a location for church groups who wish to serve food (lunches or evenings); to ensure that a supper of some sort is available daily; a place to collect and distribute clothing, bedding, etc. a place that interested groups can use to distribute to the homeless and poormail boxes, telephones for phone access, industrial washers and dryers, shower facilities, washrooms, storage lockers, computer access, internet access, email addresses and access. 2) Résumés, cover letters, job hunting help and support, dressing & grooming for job hunting and interviews, liaising with the business community to build bridges and a portfolio of work available, job referralsliaison and or out reach point for services available from governments, churches, community services, treatment facilities, recovery houses, addiction counselinga coordinating point among all the stakeholders, mediation between various stakeholders, recruiting of groups to provide goods, services, food, support and volunteers 3) leadership and advocacy on questions, problems, ideas and on issues in conflict, housing issues: desperate need for longer-term shelter beds; transitional housing; subsidized housing; BC housing issues liveable social assistance levels – $850.00; lobbying local MLAs John van Dongen and Mike de Jong on assistance levels, grants and funding for programs to address the needs to reduce homelessness. working with our local MP Ed Fast to secure federal funding not just on the homeless issues but from funds for issues affecting the homeless such as employment, education, training, wage subsidies out reach to those who cannot seek out services, employment, housing, medical treatment, mental health help etc. on their own.
This is only a beginning list of services and goals because it is my intention the centre always be a work-in-progress. That it be constantly experimenting, adjusting, adding and (were necessary) dropping offerings, always changing always flexible. Part of the centre’s gestalt would be that it will show leadership on other pressing needs such as the need for a longer-term shelter, more 2nd stage housing modeled on the Supported Independent or for reform of the provincial social ‘assistance’ system.
Based upon my own up close and personal experiences it is my opinion that a centre of this type is the most effective and efficient way to begin to address the many varied needs of the (extremely varied) homeless community. It will provide a focal point to co-ordinate and facilitate services. In the course of being homeless I have come into contact with many good people. To some of them it would provide an ideal job, their skills, education, experiences and personalities making them suitable to help accomplish the centre’s goals. For others the centre would be an anchor point for them to fan out from in reaching out to those on the streets not yet ready to come to the centre and start their journey off of the streets. Thus, when they are ready, someone is in contact and there to help and guide them in starting their journey, with the centre and its resources there to provide support and other needs. Still others feed and clothe the homeless. The centre would provide co-ordination with these people and groups to ensure that we maximize the benefits to the homeless from the food, bedding and clothing provided. The centre would also be reaching out to others to fill the gaps of the unmet needs
.It may be ambitious but … the Churches, the volunteers, the business community and the citizens of Abbotsford on board and get them involved, we can accomplish this. In addition, with the community solidly involved we can draw in the city, provincial and federal governments to do their part in addressing these needs.It may not be easy; it may not be smooth or neat and tidy.
It will require and demand vision, hard work, passion and stubbornness – but it can be done.
