Category Archives: Federal

Addiction, Federal, Homeless

A Tale of Two Addicts

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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

The opening lines of Dickens “A tale of two cities” came to mind the other day, following encounters I had with two members of the homeless community I have known for several years. After years of addiction both men had found the desire and strength to go into treatment.

The first gentleman was fresh out of treatment, looking fat and sassy, full of life, humour and joy. Bright-eyed and full of plans he spoke of going to UCFV.

The second gentleman had also been full of life and plans when he was fresh out of treatment several months ago. This day found him looking thin and tired, slipping back into addiction.

The true tragedy here is not the second gentleman losing his way and his life to addiction once again, the true tragedy is this is “business as usual”.

People struggle to find the will and strength to get into treatment to get clean and sober. In treatment they are provided shelter and plenty of food, programs and support in dealing with their need, their addiction.

One to three months later they are released to homelessness. Just reaching the point where they are capable of getting solidly on the road to recovery they are abandoned. We forsake them, failing to provide the programs and support to continue on the journey of recovery.

Three months later and they are again losing their lives to addiction again. This is the cycle for all but a miniscule percentage of those dumped back onto the streets from treatment. A painful, wasteful cycle that we choose to allow to happen; I say choose because we know what needs to be done to be far more successful.

Personal experience has taught me how much time, hard work, and sheer strength it takes to get and stay on the path to recovery and mental health. I have experienced how important having the appropriate, the needed resources and support is to recovery

With the advantage of hindsight I can see how lucky I was, not only to find the programs (VOICE, WRAP etc.) and support I needed, but once having found what was needed there were resources available so that I could receive support essential to my continued recovery.

I see, unacceptably often, what happens to people who do not find what they need or worse – find what they need but there is no space, no resources, to meet their needs.

Those who find the programs, the resources, the support, prosper. Those who don’t find a way to fill these needs end up in the misery of homelessness and often addiction.

This is also the reality for those struggling with addiction. Not really surprising given that at least 50% are estimated to suffer from the concurrent disorders of mental illness and addiction.

One or even three months does not “treat” or “cure” addiction, even if we label facilities and programs as “treatment”.

Recovery is a continual journey of learning, self knowledge, personal growth and change. During the first year(s) of this journey one needs programs and resources to guide and promote this learning and growth, with support not only through the rough patches, but from day to day.

We can keep doing what we have been doing, hoping for a different outcome. Which as anyone familiar with Alcoholics Anonymous can tell you is the definition of insanity.

Or we can change our behaviour, put in place the programs, resources and support that research, current knowledge and experience tell us is needed to reclaim lives from the scourge of addiction.

We can continue to waste millions, hundreds of millions, of dollars to achieve little success. Or we can choose to spend our money wisely, saving hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars, and starting to reclaim lives by intelligently addressing the affliction and torment that is addiction.

Lao Tsa in his “ART OF War” writes: “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

Reality is that recovery from addiction is, like recovery from mental illness, a demanding and arduous years long journey, not a quick easy fix.

To deny this reality, to resist the changes needed only creates more sorrow. Let reality be reality and provide the resources we know are needed for people to flow forward into recovery.

Federal, Homeless, Provincial

Callousness, irrationality or amorality?

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I was pondering the fact both the provincial and federal governments are pursuing policies that de-house people, forcing them into homelessness; and the fact that both levels of governments continue to choose not to engage in policies to re-house people. Leaving me to mull over why both levels of governments seemingly aspire to increase the numbers of homeless, as opposed to decrease the number of homeless on the streets.

The only rational explanation would appear to be that these are anti-terrorism driven policy choices. Drive enough Canadian citizens into life on the streets; make it difficult, if not impossible, to get back onto their feet and into housing; force them to live under bridges, in, around and under other pieces of infrastructure; you have in place a solid first line of defence against any terrorists targeting our nations infrastructure. While perhaps effective, this entails a callous disregard for, and devaluing of, the people being (ab)used.

Alternatively, we are dealing with government behaviour, thus there is a high probability that these are simply your average run of the mill, day-to-day irrational government behaviours.

Of course, given their ideology, there is the distinct possibility that the BC Liberal Party and the Canadian Conservative Party just lack the ethical and spiritual values that would make the levels of homelessness and poverty unacceptable; values that would necessitate pursuing policies to reduce homelessness and poverty.

Mr. Campbell, Mr. Harper: is it cold -blooded anti-terrorism, irrational behaviour or a lack of ethical and spiritual values?

Federal, Homeless

Tragically …

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… the irony of earmarking $105 million to help children in Africa and Asia, is lost on Mr. Harper and his fellow Ideologues in the Conservative party.

A government that vigorously refuses funding to provide the support and programs Canadian children need to get them off to a good and healthy start to their lives and schooling.

This refusal to do our best for ALL Canadian children results in a privileged class of children gaining a decided and unfair advantage from the start of their lives over their less wealthy peers. Adding to the growing imbalance and unfairness of Canadian society.

To add insult to the injury Mr. Harper is doing to these most vulnerable young Canadian citizens, he also vowed to double aid to Africa by 2008-09. This promise of increased aid to Africa comes on the heels of the UN report censuring Canada for the number of citizens living in “3rd world living conditions”.

When a government chooses to pursue fiscal and economic policies that promote the transfer of wealth to a privileged class favoured by government policies, the government has a moral responsibility to ensure that those Canadians forsaken by government policy do not find themselves living in “3rd world conditions”.

Given the federal government’s pursuit of policies that result in the creation of an ever faster growing class of Canadians unable to afford basic shelter, the federal government must either change policies or formulate ways to ensure the availability of affordable housing for all Canadians, not just those privileged to be economically enriched by government policies.

Affordable housing is a necessity, not just for the fairness and balance of Canadian society, but for the continued growth and health of the Canadian economy. Similarly programs that promote the wellness, health and education of all Canadian children promote the Canadian economy. Both are part of the infrastructure needed for Canada to compete and prosper globally.

In an increasingly integrated world, Canada simply cannot afford the ideological blindness of our current government policies. Indeed, Canada cannot afford the competitive disadvantages contained in the policies espoused by any current national party.

Federal political parties and politicians must formulate policy based on what is needed for the long-term health and growth of the Canadian economy not on ideology. Otherwise Canadians must look elsewhere for the leadership needed to thrive in a fast changing world.

Or we may well find ourselves looking for foreign aid, as more and more Canadians find themselves living in what we think of as “3rd world conditions”. The conditions far too many Canadians, and a shaming number of Canadian children, currently live in.