A person speaking on behalf of tent-city residents in Nanaimo last week told them to stand together because “the eyes of Canada and the eyes of the world” were on what happened there.
Probably not. Other places are already too busy wrestling with problems associated with their own tent cities to pay much attention to what happens in Nanaimo.
That is not to disparage the struggle in Nanaimo or anywhere else — it points to the ubiquitous problem of homelessness, of which tent cities comprise one symptom. Tent cities have become a recurring nightmare for municipal governments on the Lower Mainland and the Island, including the growing encampment in Saanich along the Trans-Canada Highway near the Uptown Mall.
Eviction is only a short-term solution. Close down a tent city and it will quickly pop up somewhere else.
Homelessness is problem that goes far beyond municipal bounds and municipal capabilities. A cohesive, long-term strategy is needed, with provincial and federal governments taking the major role.
Tent-city residents and their advocates demand housing, and of course, that is an important first step. Beyond housing, though, the ultimate goal should be self-reliance for those who are capable of looking after themselves, given the right opportunity, and a safe environment for those who are so damaged or ill, they cannot care for themselves.
Housing is needed, no doubt about it, but as we build housing, let’s not lose sight of the need to build people.
