Loading ...By DON EVANS
24 HOURS,Wednesday,January,11,2012
’Tis the season for dreaming … for a white Christmas,a perfect family dinner,visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads and the best present ever.
But what if we began to dream differently? What if we imagined a world where everyone had a place to call home? That’s not such a crazy idea.
The Christmas story began with a couple,expecting a baby,arriving in a strange town. They were looking for a place to stay,a shelter,a home … and being told,“There’s no room.”
That’s a story that keeps getting repeated everyday in our city. And surely,the deep hope of Christmas is that this is not okay – there has to be a place for everyone.
So dream big and imagine a Vancouver where no one has to sleep in the streets or parks. Where people with addiction and mental health issues receive understanding and proper care. Where shelters truly are a temporary stop-gap on the road to ensuring that everyone has adequate housing,with proper support services — a city where everybody belongs.
A crazy dream,you say. Impossible or too expensive. Well,as it turns out,this is actually a money-saving dream.
Did you know it costs $55,000 annually to have a homeless person cycling through the system in prisons,detox,hospitals,shelters and the street? And did you know it only costs $37,000 to offer someone supportive housing. Even Scrooge would be in favour of this Christmas dream.
But it goes deeper,doesn’t it? This dream — everyone deserves a place to call home — isn’t just about housing or economics. It’s about the real spirit of Christmas – love,justice,community,caring for each other and a dream of a changed world.
Did you know 65% of people who are homeless come out of foster care? About 70% of the homeless suffer from mental health and/or addiction issues? That in Vancouver,24% of the homeless are aboriginal?
So maybe we have to expand the dream,and work harder at preventing homelessness in more detox and addiction facilities,a national housing strategy (Canada is the only G8 country without one) and adequate social assistance levels.
It’s this kind of dream that makes me really want to celebrate Christmas and invite everyone to help make this dream come true,to create a city where we can say,“There’s room for you in Vancouver;everyone deserves a place to call home.”
Now that’s what I call a real Christmas dream!
Don Evans is co-chairman of the End Homelessness Now and director of Resource Development at First United Church
