This is what the downtown business people and association has to say to both the other business people in the city and their fellow citizens of Abbotsford. Street Hope is closing as a result of being evicted from their location at 2467 Pauline Street as part of the effort to drive the homeless and poor away from the downtown area. Since it was related to me second hand (no not by a street person, one of the homed who appreciate their blessings enough to want to help the less fortunate) I will not point a finger but this individual, when it was pointed out that the homeless were not going to just disappear (as discussed previously in “an unsightly sight”), but move elsewhere in Abbotsford replied “I don’t care where they go as long as it is not here”. Not In My Backyard appears alive and well, yet people complain that society is much less civil than it use to be in “the good old days”. Yes, those days when people (including business people) helped those less fortunate and people considered the affect their actions would have on their fellow citizens. Seeing as Abbotsford is well known as a Christian community I suspect that many of those business people will be found in churches on Sundays saying the words while the rest of the week they fail to walk the walk. In fact their actions add to the general misery of their fellow residents – not just the homeless. With “enemies” like these “good christians” evil certainly does not need any friends in order to spread suffering in this city.

The irony is that it is the other business people and citizens who have paid for this turn of events. The gentrification of the downtown is a result of the large tax breaks and advantages that the property owners and business people receive for being located downtown. All of which everyone else in the city pays for. And pays for, and pays for ……. They also are contributing large sums of money through the use of city resources in driving (or attempting to drive) the “unwanted element” out of the downtown and into their own neighbourhoods. In “you are already paying” I wrote about the large number of your tax $$$ the city wastes dealing with the homeless. Now they are going to waste more taxpayer dollars – to drive the homeless into the taxpayers own neighbourhoods. How Truly Ironic. And a true waste of resources. As has been seen and demonstrated in Vancouver all that happens is that you move them from one area of the city to another. When the citizens of that area get upset they are moved along to another are, and another …. Until they arrive back at the area where they started out. In the end what does all the money spent on this process accomplish? Nothing!

There are more homeless every day. It seems to me that the intelligent way to approach the problem is not to continue to try to sweep it under the rug (as it were) but to put in place programs that address the causes, to reform our assistance system so that it in fact it assists those who want to find work and get on their feet to do so (as opposed to the way it currently hinders becoming employed), to reform the social assistance system to assist the “clients” and society in dealing with the root causes and effects of homelessness and poverty. The City needs to wake up and see reality. Moving people from area to area within the city is a pointless waste of money. Stop wasting it and spend it on things such as coordinating the many charities and programs so that the effects are maximized. Take the lead in organizing the citizens’ response so that it address issues such as shelter, training and finding work. Get together with the other municipalities in getting the provincial government to reform the system and implement programs that the addresses problems instead of contributing to enlarging those problems. Look to see what federal employment programs could be used. Coordinate, take proactive actions and show some leadership. Think instead of reacting and stop wasting large amounts of taxpayers dollars.

Of course I do get a laugh from the thought of all those self-righteous business people and citizens of Abbotsford who look down on and ignore the plight of the homeless are paying to drive the homeless out of downtown, on behalf of the downtown business people they subsidize so heavily, into their neighbourhoods.

A few thoughts on the cities, citizens and business peoples actions in addressing homelessness in Abbotsford:

Insanity is doing the same thin over and over and expecting a
different result.
AA, Al-anon

Only two things are infinite,
the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.
Albert Einstein

Never underestimate
the power of human stupidity.
Robert A.
Heinlein