The Tyee had an interesting piece last year where they detailed seven different ways the city could potentially help the homeless. These seven items apparently were based on real-world examples of efforts in other cities that ultimately helped.
I encourage everyone to head over to The Tyee and read the original article, but I’ll give a short list here.
- Idea One: Trade Fairs for the Homeless
- Idea Two: Raise the Welfare Rates
- Idea Three: Train Young Workers
- Idea Four: Spread the Love Around
- Idea Five: Buy a Few Hotel
- Idea Six: Give Addicts Time to Heal
- Idea Seven: Bring Governments Together
The details of each item are too involved to list here, but please go over and read the original article. Feel free to discuss what you think about each item below. I particularly think the Trade Fairs is a great idea, as it amounts to a one-stop-shop for the homeless to obtain help and to understand what means are available to assist them.
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I was prepared for silly, uninformed solutions, and instead the article contained rock-solid ideas and solutions (not that I’m any expert. I just have grown a lot in my understanding of the issues and complexities, given where I live). Thanks for pointing out this excellent article again.
One further nuance – what housing *does* get built needs to account for the unique needs of addicts, such as what the Portland Hotel Society does – eg., ceilings that don’t create means of suicide, toilets that can’t be destroyed, plumbing etc.