The
first was the release of the City of Vancouver study on vacant housing. When
CBC called to ask for my initial observations, I had to confess I was surprised
by the results. I
was not sure if this was because the methodology and conclusions were wrong, or
whether I, like so many other Vancouverites, had been duped into believing
there were far more vacant units than there actually are.
I
suspect the number of vacant units is higher than reported. Nonetheless, what
is clear from this report is that regardless of the precise number, this is not
the main cause of Vancouver’s housing affordability problems.
The
second story was the announcement that the City of Vancouver and CP Rail had
reached an agreement on the purchase and sale of the Arbutus Corridor. While I
would have preferred a deal that did not require so much up-front money, I was
generally pleased with how the city resolved this long-standing issue. I
was also delighted to see “pop up” city halls on Saturday inviting community
discussion on the future of the corridor.
While
each of these stories warrant further commentary, this week I want to address
the third story. It tells the tale of two Saskatchewan homeless young men put
on a Greyhound bus by the Saskatchewan government, and sent to Vancouver. This
incident introduced many of us to the term Greyhound therapy, known in the
mental health field as the practice by some authorities of buying a ticket on a
Greyhound Lines bus to get rid of someone they would rather not have to look
after.
I
agree with Coun. Kerry Jang, who said that what the Saskatchewan government had
done was “inhumane” and “callous.”
While
I understood Rich Coleman’s comments to the effect that this is a free country
and we cannot really stop people from going from one province to another, I did
not appreciate Christy Clark’s welcoming comments. Would she have said the same
if her colleague Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall was not in the middle of an
election campaign?
The
sad reality is that Vancouver and many B.C. cities are struggling to address
homelessness with inadequate help from Premier Clark. Vancouver’s shelter
facilities are operating at capacity. The night the Union Gospel Mission took
in these two men, it had to turn 12 other homeless people away.
There
was another aspect to this story that disturbed me.
A
local businessman, moved by the TV account of the mens’ arrival, offered one of
them a job. While this was admirable, I could not help but think about other,
more faceless people in Vancouver who are homeless, on disability or welfare,
who would also like a job.
I
learned about their plight first hand during the 2008 election campaign when I
was introduced to an organisation called the Eastside Movement for Business and
Economic Renewal Society (EMBERS).
It
is a community economic development non-profit organization located in
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. It helps people facing barriers to lead more
productive, fulfilling lives by offering economic and employment opportunities.
This includes job placements, training and support. EMBERS is constantly
seeking job opportunities for its clients.
Vancouver’s
homeless and welfare recipients face complex challenges. Many suffer from
mental illnesses or addictions, or both, that prevent them from holding down
full-time employment. Many have difficulty finding jobs because of their
appearance; their teeth need fixing, they need grooming and suitable clothing.
While
we can continue to build more shelters and housing for the homeless, a better
way to address Vancouver’s homelessness problem is to help people find full or
part-time employment.
EMBERS
and other caring organizations are trying to do this. However, most of us
prefer to avoid dealing with homeless people unless we happen to talk to them,
and get to hear their stories.
While
I was disturbed by the arrival of these two young men from Saskatchewan, if
their story leads to greater assistance for those already here, it may not be
such a bad thing.
Perhaps
we need to regularly profile Vancouver’s homeless on the nightly TV news.
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