McMaster Graduate Student Residence | ? | 31 & 10 fl | Complete

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

yep. That area of downtown is a shitshow. We need police to enforce the law. Whatever happened to that idea?

I can't pretend to know what the solution is, but I have to imagine that a stronger police presence would be a small step in the right direction.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by TheHonestMaple

yep. That area of downtown is a shitshow. We need police to enforce the law. Whatever happened to that idea?

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/7443c07...1-53d6bc5dc350


I think we need the provincial and federal governments to step in and acknowledge that this isn't a city problem, and work on solutions (there won't be a magic bullet, but perhaps an array of policies and funding streams may help)

It's a widespread issue across all provinces in the nation. Hamilton is exemplary, but hardly unique.

[TheHonestMaple]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/7443c07...1-53d6bc5dc350


I think we need the provincial and federal governments to step in and acknowledge that this isn't a city problem, and work on solutions (there won't be a magic bullet, but perhaps an array of policies and funding streams may help)

It's a widespread issue across all provinces in the nation. Hamilton is exemplary, but hardly unique.

I agree. Can't wait for the Conservatives to get elected federally. They've made it quite clear that the drug/homeless crisis is a top priority for them.

[downtown_eddie_brown]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/7443c07...1-53d6bc5dc350


I think we need the provincial and federal governments to step in and acknowledge that this isn't a city problem, and work on solutions (there won't be a magic bullet, but perhaps an array of policies and funding streams may help)

It's a widespread issue across all provinces in the nation. Hamilton is exemplary, but hardly unique.

Since the problem fundamentally stems from the cost of housing being egregiously out of whack with wages in this country, I don't know how any problem could address homelessness long-term without a massive investment in affordable housing (to the extent that it actually has knock-on effects to make market-priced housing cheaper) or, worse, a complete housing crash to knock prices back to mid-2000's levels.

One of the reasons Hamilton became a regional hub for people on the margins was that comparatively cheap housing could be found. This led to a clustering of social and addictions services, and because of the lower-city/upper-city divide they're all clustered in the core instead of spread around the City.

Even with a tough love approach, without affordable places for people making minimum wage to live, very few people will be able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps into some semblance of an independent life. I don't see any solutions that wouldn't be massively expensive.