Last week the city of Toronto dispatched some 1,600 volunteers and spent $90,000 on a "comprehensive survey" of homelessness in Toronto. Writing in the National Post, CFRB talk jock and professional bleeding heart, John Moore stated, "Homelessness seems to be one of the few social issues that people have firm and often belligerent opinions on even if they know close to nothing about it." Moore indicated that the "study" was an important first step in dealing with the problem of homelessness, as it would give us some sense of the true scope of the problem.
Moore, who volunteered to help count the homeless, claimed to be "thoroughly sick of those who sought to discredit the exercise without even knowing precisely what it was about."
My sense is that those who discredited the exercise have been doing so out of a sense of utter frustration, given how long politicians and those working in the poverty industry have resisted the initiation of this type of survey. additionally, people who are working and paying taxes have developed an aversion to the callous disregard with which politicians redistribute wealth. There appears to be a pervasive sense of entitlement, not only among Liberal politicians from Quebec, but among those who believe that other people's tax monies should be utilized to deal with a variety of social ills.
To listen to politicians, one could come away with the impression that the most important people in society today happen to be those who contribute the least. While I do not advocate the "sink or swim" policy of most social Darwinists, I do believe there is no such thing as a free lunch, nor should there be. Given the sheer number of social services available today and the amount of money the city spends on welfare, homeless shelters and other social services, one would think that the problem of homelessness would have been eliminated decades ago. Instead, we are advised on an almost daily basis that the problem is worsening instead of improving and that we need to do more still.
Many so-called homeless advocates are linking the issue to a lack of "affordable" housing and that could well be one of the major contributors to be sure. However, Toronto, like so many other large cities around the world, is an expensive place to live and the concept of "affordable" housing to accommodate the needy is quaint, if not unrealistic. What's more the lack of affordable housing within the city has come about in large part through a voluntary moratorium on the construction of new rental housing, following the enactment of a series of draconian rent-control laws by successive provincial governments and a Landlord-Tenant act that serves as a disincentive for being a landlord.
This is by no means an effort to minimize the problem of poverty and homelessness, but is appears whatever it is the city has been doing to "fix" the problem is costing ever more money and making things worse, to boot.
People are homeless for a variety of reasons. These include mental illness, substance abuse, bad luck, lack of education or skills and lifestyle choices. Given all the money allocated for social services today, I do not understand why we are spending between $150 million and $300 million per year (depending on who you're listening to) on the homeless without apparent effect. What would be wrong with taking those who are mentally ill off the street to protect them from the elements? What would be wrong with offering treatment to substance abusers to help them break away from addiction? What would be wrong with helping people find work through education or job training? and finally, what would be wrong to enforce the laws against vagrancy for those who chose to live without a home?
Yes, these are tough answers to equally tough questions, but they aren't rocket science. I suppose a survey to count the homeless is as good a place to start as any, albeit I'll be really surprised if the actual number of homeless people is ever made public. My guess is the results of this survey would be embarrassing to a lot of politicians.
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2024 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2024 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement