LETTER – Homelessness is not a way of life any individual chooses

Dear editor,

Re:Stolen bicycle at protection conference symbolic of rising downtown Courtenay worry

Indeed, I have compassion for the enterprises and citizens in downtown Courtenay who are remaining impacted by Courtenay’s homeless population, but homeless folks never come to feel risk-free possibly. They are normally at danger of going hungry, acquiring ill from sleeping outdoor, becoming assaulted (in particular women of all ages), shedding their possessions, remaining not able to come across any place exactly where they are welcome. They need to have our compassion way too.

Homeless quantities haven’t improved considering that the Link Centre opened on Cliffe Avenue mainly because anybody thought “oh, there is this awesome place identified as Join. I assume I’ll turn out to be homeless and dangle out there.” It is simply because housing in the Valley is so tight and so highly-priced that far more and more folks are unable to locate anyplace to live. Even men and women with positions are ending up unhoused. Connect is one of the couple of spots that will provide them some comfort and ease. A toilet, a telephone, a warm drink, a place to get out of the rain and cold, a put to sense welcome.

No one chooses to grow to be homeless. It is a series of unlucky situations that induce men and women to finish up on the street. Most likely they are not ready to perform or hold a job, or cannot get employed, due to the fact of psychological sickness, medication, overall health concerns, learning troubles, or deficiency of occupation competencies. And it’s not easy to demonstrate up on time for a job if you’re sleeping in the woods. Welfare or disability payments provide $375 a month for “shelter.” Any individual who’s been having to pay awareness appreciates you simply cannot obtain even a place in a shared residence in the Comox Valley for $375 a thirty day period.

Sure, homeless persons are below the same legislation as every person else is, but they really do not have the exact same kind of lifetime everybody else has. Their life are hard, unsafe and unpredictable. Possibly if governments can not figure out any way to property folks they could at least offer them with shopping carts. But evidently the plan now is to just get them out of sight somewhere.

Ellen Rainwalker,

Cumberland

Comox ValleyHomelessnessHousing