I’ve read many times online that you know because we have a shelter, and we have a transition home, that these individuals are being bussed into our area. That’s an easy way to wash our hands of the problem and say well, gee, if we just stop that from happening we won’t have this problem in our community. That’s not the truth.
I spend a lot of time as we all do looking at other communities. There’s not a community in this province, not a community in this country, that isn’t experiencing affordability, food insecurity issues, and homelessness.
I think it’s important to point out that just because you’re homeless, you’re not mentally ill. Just because you’re homeless, you’re not a drug addict, and just because you’re homeless, you’re not a criminal. I think we have to take away those type of categories and labels. These are our friends, these are our neighbors, these are our residents in our community that may be going to work every day, and don’t have the ability to pay for rent, or their mortgage payment, and food.
Councillor Paul Carr on The Hub
Municipal
statement
