To the editor,
Re: Tent city campers are just squatters, Letters, June 12.
Nobody wants to live in a tent city. Nobody wants to be homeless. Regardless, people do have these lifestyles.
It’s impossible to lump every member of Discontent City in the same category, except the general category that they all live in Discontent City. The causes of homelessness are often varied – each person’s circumstance is different. Not all homeless people are freeloaders who stomp their feet and cause chaos, as previous letters might lead the public to believe. The residents of Discontent City don’t have any other option – if they did, they wouldn’t live in Discontent City.
The solution is affordable housing with a caveat. Every resident should be given a suitable dwelling, but should have to work to keep it. If the community helps these people get back on their feet they will provide for themselves. It won’t be easy – there will be high initial costs that the community will have to shoulder – but the investment will yield great returns for all of us. Think of it as a long-term investment in the health and well-being of Nanaimo or rather the health and well-being of our fellow citizens who are suffering.
To those who say they should just get a job and stop freeloading, my response to you is this: I invite you to visit Discontent City – talk to the residents, see what supplies they have with them, and what access to resources they have such as showers, laundry machines, etc. Then I invite you to set up a tent on your property and live for a week like the residents of Discontent City do while continuing your regular work week. See how your living conditions impact your work performance, see how your colleagues treat you, then pass judgement on those who live in Discontent City.
Nobody wants to live in a tent city. Nobody wants to be homeless. But not everybody has that option.
Cole Schisler, Nanaimo
The views and opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the writer and do not reflect the views of Black Press or the Nanaimo News Bulletin. If you have a different view, we encourage you to write to us or contribute to the discussion below.