Quote:
Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple
I recommend you read about the open drug scene in Zurich in the 1980s and early 90s. This is not a homeless problem, it's a drug problem. and until people come to terms with that nothing will change. No amount of handing out food, clothing and wishful thinking is going to put an end to this problem.
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You're only partially correct.... yes there is some degree of a "drug problem" many of the drug problems though are a symptom of "homlessness" to a degree but the majority of it is due to the mental health crisis we have, not just in this city but across our entire country.
We most certainly do have a homeless problem which has been exasperated since the pandemic began and with the insanely fast rising rents (inflation in general) and lack of housing more and more are being forced on to the streets and these are people who have jobs and don't do drugs people who would be considered "normal good people" in your eyes. It was only 5yrs ago headlines were saying almost half of Canadians were one paycheque away from defaulting on rent and bills. 5 YEARS AGO..... look how bad things are now!!!
Then the
mental health crisis is affecting EVERYONE rich to some degree and poor especially. And we all know how ones mental health can destroy a persons life without the proper help & support!
You can't simply call this a drug a problem because it's not! There are too many underlying issues that our governments of all levels are not properly addressing and are outright failing us.
We need a massive infusion of cash into mental health supports (facilities, doctors, therapists, nurses, programs, medical leave, rehab centers, detox centers & care facilities for worst cases) and a massive construction boom of housing mainly focused at affordable housing, affordable rentals all aimed at the lower & middle income earners and because housing has become so commodified and a rich persons game all levels of government will need to help fund and incentivise the construction of this much needed housing because it won't get built without the feds intervening. Think wartime housing, it needs to happen again because we are absolutely in a crisis.
We also need to look to
Finland's Housing First strategy as proof of strategy for ending homelessness and greatly helping their drug & crime problems!