I’ve written about the deeply flawed notion of “fixing” addiction and homelessness through force before. As someone who has been on the other side of this issue, let me be blunt. If you tried to force me into rehab back then, it would’ve been a waste of your time and taxpayer dollars.
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Addiction doesn’t start in a vacuum. It’s a complex outcome of trauma, mental health, poverty, physical pain and disconnection.
You can’t treat it like a broken leg. There’s no single pill, no one-size-fits-all solution.
What works is building stability. Step 1 is solving the basics: housing, food, clothing and safety. Without those four daily needs, people stay locked in survival mode. They can’t think past the next 24 hours, let alone imagine a future.
Only after that comes the deeper work. That could mean trauma counselling, proper pain management, access to a doctor who listens, or having a support worker help set goals. That process is different for every person.
I know it’s not popular to say in some circles, but providing a hand-up works. It’s not coddling. It’s smart money management.
Studies from Calgary, Ontario, and Vancouver show that every $1 spent on supportive housing can save $2 or more in healthcare, justice and emergency costs.
A 2022 study by the Canadian audit, tax and advisory company KPMG found that supportive housing can reduce downstream spending by up to 60 per cent.
There’s currently an application before the city’s planning department for a new supportive transitional housing facility in the current Saskatchewan Provincial Court location.
Individuals will pay rent, work with a support worker and use it as the hand-up many need.
It’s precisely the kind of proactive, cost-saving initiative we need more of. This is an opportunity to invest wisely and show leadership. Let’s not waste it.
I may sound like a broken record, but you can’t complain about the unhoused and then try to nix any form of help that may be offered. It’s
hypocritical and inhumane.
The cold truth is this: we already pay. We pay when people use the ER as shelter. We pay when they overdose, get arrested or bounce between agencies that weren’t built to handle ongoing homelessness.
You can either continue paying for failure or invest in something that works.
I didn’t choose the circumstances that led to my addiction, but I fought like hell to get out. It wasn’t a jail cell or a court order that helped me; it was
having someone meet me where I was and ask, “What do you need to get better?”
That saved my life. It could save someone else’s, too.
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