But
for a brief period living in Montreal and then Toronto I’ve lived the majority
of my life in Oshawa, Ontario which is in Durham Region. Like much of Canada
there is a huge homeless problem in the region. The problem has gotten so huge
that it’s, in my opinion, negatively affecting some of Durham’s health resources
as well.
Let
me address the homeless issue first. Durham needs more shelters. There is only
one men’s shelter (Cornerstone) and one women’s shelter (Muslim Welfare Home) in
the region. Cornerstone has a two week stay and one cannot re-access the services
for 45 days – it used to be 21 days. I don’t have the exact numbers for the
Muslim Welfare Home but believe them to be similar. Those who stay at the
shelter are supposed to be looking for housing and there are workers on-hand to
aid in the search. It’s extremely hard for someone to find housing in just two
weeks especially if they have some of the barriers that many homeless people
face (i.e. – mental health; addictions; are on OW or ODSP so have very little
money for rent). Add to that the fact that shelters (in Durham and elsewhere)
are requiring people to show ID to prove they are from the region where the
shelter is. Having worked with the homeless population I’m quite aware of the
fact that they are quite transient and often lose their ID on a regular basis.
This inane rule came about as a result of an influx of refugees welcomed into
Canada (by the Federal government), with no thought about where the money would
come from to house them. But I digress. There is one youth shelter for
men/women/other 24-years-old and under as well as four shelters for women fleeing
violence (these are not open to women who are “just” homeless). The shelters
are full on a regular basis leaving many without a place to sleep. Hence tent
cities have been springing up around the region, most notably in Oshawa.
Due
to lack of resources to help the growing homeless population they are seeking
shelter wherever they can, and who could blame them. Thus they are taking up
beds designed to help those suffering from addictions and/or mental health
issues. Durham has one withdrawal centre, Pinewood, for those seeking help
coming off of drugs/alcohol. Pinewood is considered a hospital emergency room service
so does not have the right to turn someone away if a bed is available (and the
person meets the criteria to access a bed). As a result people who have no
interest in getting sober or don’t even have an addiction are seeking and
receiving beds at Pinewood thus taking up space needed by those legitimately
needing the bed because they want to recover from their addiction. Durham
Region also has three mental health crisis houses, run by Durham Mental Health
Services (DMHS), that offer short-term stays for people in a mental health
crisis (e.g. – people needing a break from the stress of their daily lives;
people wanting extra support to prevent self-harm; etc.). These beds are now
being taken more and more by people who are homeless thus preventing some from
getting the mental health support they need and flooding our hospitals causing
wait times at the ER to go up.
The
solution is simple. We need more shelters for the homeless, including a family
one. This will take the pressure off of Pinewood and DMHS and allow them to
focus on what they were set up to do. The current homeless shelters need to
increase the time one is allowed to access them to at-least 30 days and return
to the 21 day re-access period. Even these measures won’t be sufficient but
they are a start. In the meantime it would be great if Durham set up some sort
of street outreach program. There is a great one in York Region where a van
goes out into the community from 1:30 PM to 9:00 PM seven days a week. It
travels to different parts of the region on different days and times. People
are able to call the van and set up appointments for things they need. The van
has ready-made food for homeless people and also has a selection of clothes
(including underwear, shoes/boots), blankets and sleeping bags. It has dog and
cat food for people with pets. The van also offers food to people who have a
place to stay but need the extra help to feed themselves and often their
family. It offers a needle exchange program too.
The
government should also take away the emergency room status of Pinewood so it
does not have to take people who are not serious about their recovery or have
no addiction issue at all. People should not be able to access the withdrawal
centre several times a month, which is what, happens, preventing someone who is
serious about recovery from getting help. By allowing someone ongoing access we
are just enabling them in their addiction which doesn’t help them in the least.
Another
solution to the homeless problem would be a guaranteed income. Sure someone people
would take advantage of such a program but they are already taking advantage of
the current programs. A guaranteed income would cut down on hospital visits and
cut down on crime. If implemented correctly it would save a ton of money too. Currently
people on OW or ODSP are barely scraping by. They are always in a state of
emergency. With a guaranteed income these people would have some breathing room
as their essential needs would be taken care of and they concentrate on going
to school and/or looking for work. In the long run it is the best for society
and the economy.
Just
a few ideas I thought I’d share.
Dave
the Dude
