Herb Jamieson Centre | ?m | 2s | Hope Mission | Brian Allsopp

What do you think of this project?

  • I like it a lot

    Votes: 2 15.4%

  • I like it

    Votes: 8 61.5%

  • I neither like nor dislike it

    Votes: 3 23.1%

  • I dislike it

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • I dislike it a lot

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    13
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Progress as of yesterday. Looks like there are planters on the roof
 
I for one am not celebrating another shelter. Fact of the matter is that we need to move beyond temporary shelters and into housing. Shelters should be phased out or converted to backpacking hostels, etc. We are creating a shelter system without realizing it where vast numbers of aimless and destitute persons are turned out every day from the shelters to roam the downtown streets, prey and be preyed upon by others. Unacceptable!!
 
But how can you just build permanent housing for those who neither can afford it, or afford the maintenance costs? If you just provided permanent housing to those with no skin in the game, wouldn't the properties, on average, just be destroyed within a couple years? Honest question though, because I believe shelters seem to be a pivotal part of homelessness strategy, as there probably needs to be a certain level of supervision to ensure some safety for residents, and preservation of the actual structures. Is there much evidence of this not being the case?
 
jason403 said:
But how can you just build permanent housing for those who neither can afford it, or afford the maintenance costs? If you just provided permanent housing to those with no skin in the game, wouldn't the properties, on average, just be destroyed within a couple years? Honest question though, because I believe shelters seem to be a pivotal part of homelessness strategy, as there probably needs to be a certain level of supervision to ensure some safety for residents, and preservation of the actual structures. Is there much evidence of this not being the case?
Click to expand...

My understanding is that shelters have always been just a stop gap measure. In most cases they provide temporary shelter and food and some supportive services but they are essentially limited to just that. It's not a sustainable approach for the people that need it most. Many of these folks need varying levels of consistent supportive housing, which is why (imo) government funded/operated non-profit housing tied to support services is more impactful. Capex/maintenance costs for infrastructure required would be handled by whatever government body is created/assigned to handle this. Ultimately this housing would be transitory for some folks and longer term for some. It's really up to the various levels of governments to fund/build a system that supports the homeless population, because it's not going away anytime soon. I've had the opportunity to speak to many homeless people and social workers who work with them. Shelters really aren't the answer at all, they are an interim measure that doesn't go far enough to helping the most vulnerable. Most of the larger shelters have strict rules and religious parameters that many folks (especially Indigenous) aren't comfortable with, not to mention they kick them out in the mornings, thus the influx of wandering homeless people downtown during the day, and limited spots at night mean not all of them get in.

This new Herb Jamieson Centre will hopefully help in some ways, definitely a major upgrade from the trailers they were using before.
 
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