To the editor,
Re: Count tallies more than 500 experiencing homelessness, April 17.
Your recent article on homelessness caught my attention. A lot of work obviously went into gathering the data on all those poor people out there. Congratulations to United Way and the Canadian Mental Health Association for doing that.
I was shocked at the figures their count – an undercount, they say – came up with, 500-plus. So many.
It must be acknowledged that our hard-working local government, the B.C. government and I’m sure the feds are doing all they can. So is the RCMP and the many public-sector workers who serve people experiencing homelessness in a variety of ways. But that is only half the picture.
The other half is us, the everyday people who share the streets with our homeless fellow citizens. We too have a role to play, but what?
There are many selfless souls here in Nanaimo who, moved by the sad plight of these people, have come up with their own answers, both individually and collectively. The Salvation Army has been there for people experiencing homelessness forever, just about. The 7-10 Club has also been around for a long time, serving daily breakfast to them. Stone Soup is out on the street every evening, offering supper, and there are other non-government organizations here in town, doing some great work as well. The many faith groups here in town also do likewise, offering meals and other kinds of support on a regular basis.
Let’s also acknowledge the many caring individuals who get out there on their own and do what they can. I met one kind-hearted couple who were dispensing a hearty homemade chicken stew in one of the warming shelters. One of my fellow choristers with the Yellow Point Singers has taken it upon herself to go out regularly with sandwiches she made with her own hands.
So what drives them? It has to be love – as important a part of the solution as the political one, I say. Let the two go hand in hand.
Lewis Beck, Nanaimo
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Latest homelessness count shows approach isn’t working
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