With so much negative talk and emotions surrounding men’s shelters these days and the homeless population, it’s hard to know which way the wind is blowing.
A lot of coffee shop chatter tends to be judgemental and along the lines of wishful solutions from exiling them from our community, to stop enabling them by giving them free food, clothing, used cellphones etc.
As for a new shelter in Lloydminster, everyone within the vicinity of a suggested location predictably has a “not in my backyard” sentiment, and who can blame them? Nobody wants the extra security risks that come with it or a loss of property value.
The problem, it seems, is not the men’s shelter itself but the men being sheltered.
In the past, the stereotypical homeless man was that of an unemployed, harmless person, down on his luck.
Nowadays, the reality is, some homeless men are on addictive, mind-altering drugs that lead to all types of petty crime and violence. Homeless men who are addicts have become feared.
Because of that, I think more resources should be funnelled into non-profit programs and services like those provided by organizations such as Residents in Recovery. They have the expertise to get people off drugs, and into homes and jobs to be constructive citizens.
That’s a better return on investment than expanding shelters to add to our social problems. It would be nice to see a little tough love conditions on homeless men—have them do some community service work each day under supervision to get a free meal and a place to stay warm etc.
Also I don’t think cities should get involved other than passing bylaws where a shelter can be etc. along with working with police to disband encampments where they are not allowed.
I realize these are just more coffee shop solutions, but nobody wants to see people freezing to death in the cold or starving either if they have an addiction.
For those who are homeless addicts with mental issues, treatment should be the top priority.
Read more: Opinion: Customer service can go viral
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