In the recent past, Vernon voters may have heard candidates Scott Anderson, Darrin Taylor and a few others state that local social service agencies are part of the problem and not part of the solution when it comes to the homelessness crisis our city shares with the rest of the province.
The non-profits they are referring to are the ones that have stepped up to the plate for decades in this town providing residential and treatment services for the less fortunate, be they mentally ill, addicted, running from abusive upbringings/relationships or other circumstances that render them the “bottom of our social barrel” as some might like to think of them as.
For years these services have worked well for all concerned. Homeless people have been housed, fed and provided treatment and employment opportunities to help them escape the nightmare that is street existence for all but a very few. As a byproduct of this assistance, the citizens of Vernon have received a very much elevated level of community safety, but things are direr now. Vernon, B.C. and all of Canada are in the midst of a national housing crisis for which even gainfully employed citizens find it almost impossible to rent acceptable living space, let alone buy it.
For many, housing of any description is simply an unaffordable luxury. To exacerbate the problem dramatically, the drug trade have chosen now as the time to distribute highly addictive and ridiculously cheap drugs like crack and crystal meth that are nasty and toxic, but do provide users with the momentary sense of well being they crave in their chaotic and painful world. One addict we know described the need for the next fix of this poison like the need a drowning person has to break through the water’s surface to catch a full breath of air. It is that powerful.
At the recent 2018 UBCM Convention, Housing Minister Selina Robinson identified Vernon as one of, if not the most progressive and best-resourced communities in B.C. when it comes to non-profit agencies addressing issues like homelessness.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of those aforementioned agencies, almost 90 new low-income housing units will open up in less than a year and there is the clear prospect for many, many more if we elect the right people to keep the positive momentum going. We cannot even hope to effectively address the addiction issues until we can help people find safe and affordable accommodation. “Revolving Door” solutions are expensive, futile and ultimately endanger community safety more.
While ALL candidates for public office should be commended for their willingness to serve, there are several who reject the notion that this is simply an enforcement problem. We respectfully suggest that it has never been more important for voters to research the positions of all candidates.
While there is no question that enforcement is an important ingredient, what we the undersigned believe is much more important is that we need to elect a City Council made up of reasonable people working hard and well together with their non-profit partners to develop meaningful, compassionate and lasting solutions to these difficult and extremely complex problems.
There will be no quick or easy fixes and don’t believe anyone who tells you there are.
Now is absolutely the worst possible time to start dialling back on the services and approaches that have made Vernon a model of highly effective non-profit/government collaboration.
Rob Sawatsky, Retired GP and Former Mayor
Blair Peden, Retired Youth Probation Officer
Steve McVarnock, RCMP Chief Superintendent, Retired