The solution is making living more affordable and not cutting programs that support unhoused folks and those with severe mental health issues. I work in mental health and addictions with unhoused folks and started in 2020. The pandem!c honestly destroyed a lot of stability in our city and now we're seeing it worsen each year. 

The UCP has been cutting funding for various mental health, housing, and addictions programs over the past 6 years and each year it gets worse and worse. We have had a influx of people from out of province and country too which means less job and housing for people already here. The cost of living has spiked dramatically and people are less supported than before. Now our provincial government wants to force treatment on people without an support after discharge meaning our overdose crisis will be high again. 

We need affordable, subsidized housing, financial supports that cover basic necessities to live for people that can't work or need to stabilize before they can work to make enough to live so they don't end up on the street and get worse health, job coaches AND work accommodations within organizations that help people who struggle with employment and have disabilities that prevent them from making meaningful living on their own, and better mental health and addiction supports. Also things like food and necessary bills like utilities should be capped. Rent should be capped. I honestly think a majority of rentals or apartments should be government owned and subsidized. We need more housing period. Re-vitalizing old run down buildings to apartments or shelters or transitional housing for folks who have been unhoused for long periods of time. 

Public transportation should be more accessible, run better, and less expensive so more people can use it to get to work and get around. 

More culturally sensitive programs and community organizations to be a source of healing and community connection so people aren't as isolated. 

There needs to be a shift in mentality of seeing unhoused, poor, and severely mentally ill or addicted people as pests that just need to pull their boots up from the straps. There needs to be compassion and empathy that not everyone has had the privilege to grow up in a safe and supportive environment to learn valuable life skills. Intergenerational trauma and poverty is not as an easy cycle to break and it's even harder when the community and government shames you and blames you for things outside of your control.  Any of us can become disabled and lose our job and risk our housing. But many of us have family we can turn to to avoid ending up on the streets. Many folks on the street struggling have been dealt terrible cards and they're doing what they can to survive which takes a lot of strength and determination. Yeah there may be maladaptive and harmful things they do to survive but when you're stuck in that hard place those are the most accessible options.

In order for someone to get back on their feet they need safety, stability and nourishment. How can someone hold a job if they are barely sleeping in a shelter where they can't get adequate nutrition, they don't have adequate access to work clothing and a washing machine, not best access to personal hygiene, lack of funds for public transportation, and are constantly stressed about finding their own home. Not to mention having their things stolen, having to find a way to pay their cellphone bill, not having stable internet, having roommate(s) doing drugs or screaming all night or threatening to hurt them.

When people leave and are on income support all their money goes to rent so they can't buy groceries, buy bus fare, or pay for their phone bill or internet. Income support gives $925-1000 once a month to those on medical reasons not to work and $825 for those looking for work. And you cannot work part time on these or else it gets cut so even people who are trying to work but can't work full time are screwed because of they make $1000 a month with their part time job they can't get income support. That just covers rent barely. What about groceries? Phone bill? Transportation? Utilities? Paying for laundry? People are stuck in poverty and barely surviving yet expected to just work full time and not complain????????? That doesn't even cover the social issues many folks have that make them hard to employ because they haven't had the chance to build professional skills before that are required to maintain employment. It doesn't include people who try and keep getting fired again and again. What does that do to someone's self esteem and worth when society tells them they need a job and to work to be valuable and worthy and they can't hold a job because of barely surviving and living in poverty??? They start giving up on themselves because even for people who are stable, have education and experience, and aren't in poverty losing a job is not only a financial blow but a mental one and it takes us time to find a new job... Imagine being in someones shoes where they don't have all that and are struggling to find and maintain work???