While reading the Abbotsford News story about the 20 extra rental supplements the BC government is adding to the supplements already available in Abbotsford, I found myself wondering what Abbotsford City Council is really doing with all the funds it claims it is spending on cleanup and other costs of dealing with the homeless.
Perhaps the phrase ‘homeless count’ causes people to assume that the purpose – and therefore design – of the homeless count is to count all the homeless and it is that erroneous assumption that leads to the utterance of utter nonsense such as:
“Earlier this year, a homeless count found a dramatic increase in homelessness across the region from three years ago, including a 79 per cent increase in Abbotsford.
The Shorter – 1 of 2
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” Mark Twain
Twain attributed the quote to British politician Disraeli but researchers have concluded that the phrase originally appeared in 1895 in an article by Leonard H. Courtney. Ironically Mark Twain is credited with saying that “it isn’t what we don’t know that causes problems but what we know for sure – that ain’t so”.
The fault lies not with the science of statistics but with what we know about statistics that ain’t so. .
“ ‘Disturbing’ report suggests powerful drugs helped fuel 2016 jump in homeless population.”
However, reading the article reveals it is not ‘powerful drugs’ but capitalism that was the cause of the significant jump in homeless population. People were not coming because they could get powerful drugs here, but because of the attractive prices and supply.
Consumerism: whether going to Abbotsford for drugs or going cross-border shopping it’s about the price.
Unmistakably apparent, at least to a creatively maladjusted polymath, in the smooth flow of Pete McMartin’s ‘A Limit to Social Housing’ on housing in Vancouver is the root cause of the deterioration affordable housing, homelessness, the economy, Canada’s standard of living and so much of Canadian life suffers.
Actions and policies cannot effectively address the challenges and issues facing Canada and Canadians [governments, businesses, citizens] when the decisions, policies and actions are based on myth.
Continue reading Pete McMartin, Housing and Knowing So Much That Ain’t So – Part I of III