I was asked for an elaboration on what I found disturbing about the gate installed to keep the homeless from sleeping in the sheltered door alcove at the Abbotsford District Teachers Building (see A Dark disturbance in the force below).

Why do I believe this is only for anti-homeless purposes? There is another door at the opposite end of the building; one door is flush with the wall of the building, the other door recessed in a well sheltered alcove. The sheltered, alcove doorway was gated, while the unsheltered doorway was left unsecured.

Exclusion. Undesirable. Unworthy. Hopelessness.

Theses are some of the major messages that this gate sends to the Homeless. How would I know that? Partially experience at being on the outside of that type of gate; mainly that I took the time to ask them how they felt about the appearance of the gate.

They know that the gate is there to keep them out, as if they are undesirable vermin or life forms, in continuation of the deliberate efforts undertaken to drive them out of the downtown area over the past several years– as if there was someplace else for them to go.

Fence them out as they are not worthy of shelter, aid or caring. Negativity, cascading negative thinking that leads down into hopelessness. This is very destructive thinking – leading to a bleakness of outlook, self image and thought that is escaped through mind altering substances.

Wonderful – more barriers to reclaiming lives.

Paying to install the gate is more of the same old irrational behaviour that government and society engages in on so many issues, not just homelessness.

We will spend money to build structures to keep the homeless out of shelter, but not structures to give them shelter. It is easier to raise money, to get a superstar singer to help raise money, to shelter cute puppies and kittens than it is to raise funds to shelter the homeless.

We will take the easy way out, build a fence, rather than undertake the harder task of helping the homeless into recovery and reclaiming their lives. We would apparently rather continue spending an average of $55,000 per homeless person in fencing them out and leaving them on the streets; rather than undertaking the complex changes and efforts that would deliver the needed services in a targeted manner at a cost of $37,000 per person.

People seemingly prefer to pay the extra $18,000 per person in order to avoid facing the reality of addiction and what needs to be done; of having to change attitudes and see what is as opposed to what they want to believe; to suspend judgement and simply do what experience has demonstrated works.

The gate is about excluding, denial of reality, avoiding and hiding out of sight; about continuing wasteful, costly and irrational behaviours.

The rational, the smart response is not to build a gate but to get the homeless into recovery, reducing the numbers of homeless and removing the need for gates.