The Editor,
Some thoughts gleaned from Megaphone magazine (megaphonemagazine.com):
Tent cities are popping up all over B.C. and, with them, much controversy. Shelters are full, low-income rentals are non-existent and the government spends time, money and police resources to dismantle tent cities. People who have run out of options are criminalized.
Seattle has the same problems that we do but has taken a different approach. In Seattle, land is leased and authorized camps are given funds for basic services such as sanitation, toilets and garbage pickup. Since the people living in these camps now have a fixed address, it is easier to get them plugged into much needed services such as treatment of drug addiction, mental health, etc.
Could authorized, government-supported tent cities work in B.C. as a first step toward solving the problem of homelessness?
J. St. Pierre, Maple Ridge
