Homeless in Abbotsford, BC

I may not want to listen …

…but in regaining my mental balance I may have lost the ability to not hear. I certainly had to listen when the article I had started on this topic went elsewhere on me. I had to write the article that demanded expression and then had to go back to express the original thought/point I had wanted to make. These days, even if it is something I feel is wrong, if it is from a source that could be correct I have to consult trusted advisors. Sometimes I would rather not listen/think about what was said and try to ignore what was said – but these days ignoring what I do not want to hear seems impossible.

I was sitting in Compassion Park discussing the difficulties some of the homeless would face in transitioning off the streets. The other party in the discussion commented that I could have some trouble myself. Me? Ha! No way! We carried on our discussion, but try as I might I had hear/listened to the question which now sat at the back of my mind. In me this is where thoughts sit to ferment.

The upshot was that I could see that as much as I would like to ignore it there was a possibility that I would have trouble adjusting to indoor life again. So rather than bury my head in the sand I began to consider what I should do. From this came a plan that should enable a smooth transition.

The point is that because I could not listen, I had to think about the matter. In doing this and coming up with a transition plan to address possible problems, I hope to have ensured that transition from the streets and homelessness should not rise up and bite my a*s. Significantly reducing the chance of failure and a return to the streets.

If we all had to listen, we would all be forced to think about not only what we wanted to hear, but about the though questions, issues and decisions. Being forced to think about things our decision-making would improve. Of course then we would have to accept responsibility for what the outcome of our decisions – without having the recourse of blaming someone else.

Listen

One of the downsides that does not occur to you as one seeks improved mental hygiene is the side effect of improved listening. I can hear all those voices as people shout: ‘What, I am already a great listener!’ as they close their eyes, ears and minds. Just as so many citizens of Abbotsford chose to ignore those, who for years had tried to draw their attention to homeless issues that needed to be addressed while the problem was relatively small and thus more manageable. This willful ignorance continued until homelessness grew to a size where it could no longer be ignored, a size where the problem was much larger and a great deal more complex. This is so often the case when we do not hear what is said even as we claim to be listening. With things we do not want to hear, see, think about or that disagree with how we believe the world is, our minds shut down so that what is said goes in one ear and out the other – leaving no trace or impression on the mind. How many citizens looking at “Compassion Park” see only what they want to see, a camp of homeless people. The choose not to hear, see or think about the reality that this is the tiniest tip, a small visible indication of a much larger and complex national issue. They spend all their time screaming “Not in My Backyard” to avoid the need to listen to, and then think about, the real and pressing larger issues. Apparently people prefer ignoring problems by not listening, then complaining about the Fallout because it is much easier not to listen – at least in the short run. In this manner they avoid actually having to think about what was said and the issues connected to what was said.

Take as an example the Conservative parties promise to increase prison sentences, crack down on (what they consider to be) crime, re-criminalize things (such as marijuana) they do not approve of, etc. Voters liked what they heard, but did they really listen? Listening requires concentration and critical thinking. We can all agree that probation for a drunk driver who kills or maims someone is unacceptable and that there are other specific situations/areas of the law and sentencing that need attention. BUT if you listen to and think about what the Conservative party was saying, you soon realize the Ed Fast was making a vast understatement when he stated the government would not close any of Abbotsford’s prisons because they would be needed to house ALL the prisoners after the Conservatives change the criminal code to their liking, matching it to their beliefs. If you think about it, with all the new people the Conservatives want to throw in prison and the longer (in some cases much, much, much longer) sentences they propose the prison population is going to soar explosively. Incarceration is going to be a booming industry. I do not intend to argue the philosophical or moral issues of this proposed mass incarceration, nor the effects upon Canadian society. Still, it is obvious from the election outcome the voters of Abbotsford do not want to consider, ponder or think about those issues/questions with no easy answers. So let us consider a related issue on a topic the city has demonstrated its love of: Money! The citizens of Abbotsford loved hearing the promise of cutting taxes, but also the promise of not cutting funding to popular programs such as medical coverage. The Conservatives promised a massive increase in incarcerating Canadian citizens. This is going to require building prisons, more prison guards and administrators, an expanded court and police systems, etc. The conservative promise in this area will require billions of dollars to keep, on top of the billions they have promised to spend on the military.

Cutting taxes means the federal government have less money to pay for all these promises. Either they run a big deficit, cut Medicare or raise taxes. The voters will scream about broken promises, when they bear the responsibility. If they had listened, thought and Questioned, their choice may have been much different. People so often prefer the easy answer/way, if it sounds nice they do not really ‘listen’, avoiding the trouble (or Pain) of thinking, Then complain about the fallout of their own choices and actions.

So it is with the current homeless situation in Abbotsford. For years citizens and politicians refused and/or chose not to listen to the people who advocated: “We should address homelessness”, because it was far easier not to listen. Only now that the problem has grown so large are people listening, well at least some of the people. But far to many do not want to listen and be required to actually (shudder) think. They focus on and scream about the existence of Compassion Park to avoid thinking about the larger problem that the Park is only the tiniest symptom of. Think about it, what happens if you chase them from the Park? They will not evaporate, they will just move somewhere else, until they are chased and chased and chased and chased and chased and chased and chased and chased finally returning to the site they were originally chased from. Why wouldany one want to go right back to the pointless, costly policies and actions the city pursued before? Nothing accomplished and the homeless numbers permitted to continue into an even more overwhelming problem.

The best solution is to solve the problem of homelessness; then there is no (need for) Compassion Park. Unfortunately this ‘best solution’ is as unrealistic as many a politicians promises. Listening and thinking about the homeless situation one soon realizes how complex the situation is; one sees that it is highly improbable (OK, impossible) that you could ever reduce the number of homeless to zero. Reality is that even as you reduce the current members of the diverse group of people lumped together as homeless, new homeless are being created by government policies and policy choices. Reality is also that some of those currently homeless will, for a variety of reasons, remain homeless. While this may make one want to throw up one’s hands and give up, that is not rational. The only Rational Choice is to begin. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. We can as a city, or as a society begin to take steps to address the issues that have led the homeless into homelessness. We can reduce the current numbers of homeless, helping fellow Canadians to get back the lives and ability to choose that they lost when they began their slide into homelessness.

We do this by putting in place the services, support and aid they will need to transition off the streets. By co-ordination and co-operation among the organizations, groups and churches that step forward to act. By co-ordinating existing services so that the homeless can find the right help. It does no good to have a service available if those who need it cannot find or access it. By encouraging the homeless to seek and find the help that is already in place we maximize the effectiveness of the existing services. Co-ordination also allows these existing services to maximize the good they achieve by avoiding duplication. We also need to think about (and encourage the homeless themselves to think about) what services are needed to get off the streets.

We must remember that just getting them off the streets is not a solution. If we fail to address their needs for getting their act together and making sure they get aftercare and support, follow through (as opposed to abandoning them) they will just slip back down and onto the streets.

We need to be flexible and to remember we are dealing with people. This means problems, failures, headaches etc. It also means success, triumph and lives reclaimed. We need to be committed for the long haul.

Above all else we need to begin. To take the first steps in this years long, thousand mile journey that is needed to address the issues associated with homelessness. Otherwise we risk talking the homeless to needless pain and deaths.

Perhaps what is truly needed is motivation. I suggest we move all those involved in this issue in Abbotsford into Compassion Park. Not having nice comfortable homes to go to at the end of a day spent talking about homelessness should serve to provide the decision makers with first hand experience of conditions and needs. As an aside: I would be willing to house sit for the transplantees as I am sure several of my fellow homeless would be willing to also house sit. In fact we could do the planning and discussing as the transplantees gain in dept experience with the frustrations of homelessness. I am sure we could stall … I mean discuss the matter for a year or two. This innovative proposal on transplanting should be highly motivational in getting those first steps taken and giving back to the homeless something most have lost – HOPE.

The Core is the Problem

Sometimes it just seems that the little bit of rain that must fall into everyone's life is turning into a deluge. With my knee/hip/back putting a serious limit on the distance I can walk I depend on my car to be able to get around to accomplish the varied tasks of the day. When the heater core/coil on my car decided to start leaking on Thursday it was a major problem; a threat to my ability to accomplish anything.

A quick consultation revealed that replacing the core was a $900 job. $900!!! If I had that kind of money to spare ... but these days having that type of cash is something I can only fantasize about. Even the suggestion that something could be done for around $100 to get the car running again was well out of my reach. Fortunately the assumption of most people that the members of the homeless or recovering addict communities are stupid is totally incorrect. In fact the members of these communities have a wide variety of skills, experience and intelligence that reflects the great diversity of the people in the community. The result was that my car is currently running perfectly well, although without a functioning heater. I was only required to spend $7 (just under the actual cash I had available) for parts. Labour charges were taken care of by assumption of debt by me on behalf of the person performing the repair, a not usual financing tool in the world of corporate takeovers – or on the streets.

So I have a car that I need that now runs and although it did take all the cash I had, given my budget it was an effective use of cash. On the positive side it did ensure that I got a lot of rest and relaxation over the long weekend. R & R I really needed. So when Tuesday rolled around I was ready to go. Still I certainly hope that any further ‘rain’ hold off until I have the opportunity to acquire some spare cash – just in case it decides to deluge again.

You see, but you do not observe ...

I was at an organization that shall remain nameless, let us call them SA for convenience. I was planning to attend an al-anon function (through the generosity of fellow members) celebrating 55 years of good work. So I sought out a washer and dryer so that in return for their thoughtfulness, I too would be thoughtful and have clean, sweet smelling garments. I turned on the washer and asked for the gift of laundry detergent. I was handed a sandwich sized baggy cantaining a mysterious white powder.

I have no doubt that if many of the writers of 'letters to the editor' and their like minded citizens had seen this exchange they would wrap themselves in self-righteousness braying "see, I told you they were all druggies!". What then when I poured this white powder (laundry soap) into the4 washer? Well, heads into the sand with the other 'Spuds' lest they see something that disproves theiir vision of reality.

Me, I just poured thje soap into the washer and looked forward to tomorrow. After all in its 55 years Al-anon has helped many of us acheive a clear veiw of reality.

Follow Up?

With a little forethought and patience the city is emptying Compassion Park of inhabitants quietly, without a confrontation for the media. Getting the people of the Park onto Social Assistance has given these homeless the ability/option of finding a roommate (with the unrealistic provincial shelter rates you NEED a roommate) so as to have accommodation. Having been together in the Park and on the streets will hopefully allow them to find a roommate they can live with – at least long enough for both people to get onto their feet. Helping the few percent of the homeless that were camping in the Park still leaves the vast majority (96 – 98%) of the homeless on the street and outdoors. However, having reminded the reader, that so far only a tiny portion of the homeless on the streets of Abbotsford have been helped, there is another very important issue connected to the process of helping that needs addressing. FOLLOW UP.

What happens now with those the city has succeeded in helping these people, this one small group of homeless, in getting onto assistance and (hopefully) into shelter? Most have, at one time or several times, been on assistance before. Being on assistance and in accommodation did not stop them from ending up on the streets homeless. Which is were (with high probability) they will end up again if all the help they get is to get them onto assistance, into some form of shelter – and incidently, out of the Park and the city’s hair. Which begs the question: Was the city’s purpose to merely get them out of the Park quietly OR was it to help them get life together?

As I stress the homeless are not one single thing, but I also stress the need to be realistic in addressing the issue of the homeless. Being realistic, if you have ended up homeless and on the streets, there is a strong likelihood that one has barriers other than just the need to get onto social assistance and into shelter. If those who would help do not acknowledge and plan for the need to address these underlying barriers they have, in the mid to longer term, accomplished nothing as those in need of non-existant support slide back down and back out onto the streets. I have all to often watched people come out of treatment and back into the same circumstances that they were in before they sought treatment. Slowly they slip back into their old habits and behaviours, then back into their addictions. In the same way, merely getting those in the Park into housing is only the begining of getting them back onto their feet and into mainstream society. If we do not establish some system to - get them help in addressing any barriers, help in making better choices, help in establishing a support system for the rough patches, help in finding employment, getting them engaged with 'normal' people and activities and some touchback system to maintain contact so that if there is a need it can be (one hopes) addressed before they crash and burn; what will help them to avoid landing on the streets once more?

Getting them onto assistance, into shelter and off the streets (or out of the Park) is the easy part. Getting together and delivering the support needed to aid them to make the lifestyle changes needed to get on with life and to not slip back down and out onto the streets of Abbotsford is complex, tricky and hard. It is also the the most important aspect to success in aiding the homeless.

Ready vs. Not Ready

Ready? Not Ready? For what? To make a change, to embrace making the change with all your heart and mind, since if you are not totally committed to making the change you will fail. This is why the experts say not to make New Year’s resolutions and expect to turn over a new leaf on January 1st. Rather, they say, you should begin whatever it is you want to do when you are mentally ready to change your behaviour and work hard to achieve your goals. Why is this important to realize and take into consideration? Because it is as true for an addiction as it is for starting an exercise program or quitting smoking. It is why it is so crucial to have the facilities (detox, treatment or recovery) available RIGHT THEN, at the point in time when the addict is ready to change from addiction to recovery.

I grew up in an addiction (alcoholic) household which resulted in me having ways of thinking and acting that are the same as if I had and addiction myself. In dealing with these bad mental habits I have learned just how powerful a disease it is. To me it is a disease since it can be passed to others even if they have no addictions. As someone said to me “It is a disease all right, with its own special brand of insanity. Who would choose to live life in the manner of an addict if they were sane.”

Life experience has given me an appreciation of just how powerful addiction is. Empathy and sympathy mean that instead of running you maintain friendships and acquaintances over time, seeing what is happening in people’s lives as a result of their addiction. It is also what causes anger at the lack of resources. You watch someone destroying themselves until they reach a point they can and are ready to make a choice, a choice only they can make for themselves. They reach a point where they want to get out of the cycle of addiction, begin to recover and get on with living. They choose to seek and except help. If they are lucky, there is a spot open and they begin their journey of recovery. To often they are scheduled for a ‘spot’ not available for a week or two weeks. You see them on the day they were scheduled to enter treatment … and they are high and totally in thrall to their addiction again. Any help for this person will have to wait until they themselves cycle to a point they are ready to make a choice and commit to the hard work of recovery.

Addiction is not like cosmetic surgery where one can schedule the procedure when convenient and surgeon and facilities are available. Addiction is more akin to the deadly bacterial infection I picked up at the end of January. In order to survive and live I needed to begin antibiotics immediately. Fortunately the resources for me to live and recover from the bacterial infection were available immediately. This is why facilities and resources need to be available – NOW. If this does not result the most efficient scheduling and use of facilities … to bad, we are talking about saving lives – NOW.