Sometimes I wish I had the robot from the old TV series “Lost in Space” so that I could send him, waving his arms and proclaiming “Warning! Warning!, to get the attention of the movers and shakers of this City. Some weeks this wish is stronger than others. This week it is very strong as a result of reading my Email. On the one hand I read about the ground breaking for “Our Place” a 45 bed shelter and drop-in centre in Victoria with day, residential and outreach programs (a facility of the type that Abbotsford so desparately needs) on the other hand was a communication concerning the possibility of having a meeting at the end of June to begin to consider cold/wet weather shelter plans – with the arrival of October and the winter rains looming ever closer. Remember, not only do we need to devise a stratedgy, we need to make all the arrangements and to implement it.

Having been on the streets through last winters deluges, I know just how important shelter is. I ran into a fellow, 112 days sober, who wanted me to pass along his thanks to Street Hope for his survival and sobriety. He believes firmly that it was only because of the presence of Street Hope, providing dry clothing, food and a place/chance to warm up, that he lived through last winter. Further he feels that not only did Street Hope keep hime alive, but that it was the quiet, non-judgmental support and the chance to talk things out that helped him make the choice to seek treatment for his addiction. Unfortunately, Street Hope was evicted, forced to close its doors. Worse, nothing is currently being done to fill this critical need.

It is easy, and to a certain extent understandable, not to feel a sense of urgency when you have a nice warm place to shelter from the elements and no experience at being at the mercy of the elements. We need a drop-in centre, more stable shelter availability and to maintain human contact/caring. We really need to make haste less slowly.