Housing and Help

The Canadian Mental Health Association is spearheading a program to provide "...five individuals" with "...transitional housing as part of a pilot project to stop the cycle of homelessness." Statistics say "...80 per cent of those suffering from mental illness are unemployed and 60 per cent have some form of substance abuse." "While in program, they (the five individuals) will be provided with mental health case managers, an after-hours emergency on-call case manager, 24-hour safe bed access, trusteeship program access, concurrent disorder specialist consultation and referral to services." I don't think you have to look into a crystal ball to see how this project is going to turn out. It will be an obvious success. Providing help to people who need it will obviously improve their situation. The real question is "why is everyone not getting this treatment?" This pilot project is going to cost "$108,000 of one-time funding..." That's the answer right there. As a society, we have to commit our resources to the ethical treatment of our fellow human beings. Severe suffering is the outcome if we fail to do so.
Tragically, "shelter occupancy rates in Niagara exceed 85 per cent, according to a report from community services commissioner Brian Hutchings." "Welland Tribune" So more money must be put into helping those with mental illnesses; because if we do not offer these people a means to treat their illness, these large numbers of homeless will never decrease. Its the only fair thing to do.
Another issue that must be dealt with is the issue of affordable housing. Nowhere is this felt more heavily than in Labrador West. In that area, "The price of a single family bungalow has increased more than 120 per cent in recent years, from about $100,000 to about $220,000. Rental properties have increased their rates as well, with people now spending about $1,000 a month on apartments that used to go for about $500." So the ridiculous inflation of house and apartment rental prices is not a problem limited to the large metropolitan areas like Toronto and Vancouver. Apparently, to deal with the problem, "municipal councils in Labrador City and Wabush are encouraging local real estate developers to build new homes of all sizes in an effort to make housing more affordable." "cbc.ca" Encouraging? Why are our governments falling on our knees to beg these developers? Why are the governments not being more proactive, putting caps on the rents and sale prices? Why aren't they building the affordable housing people obviously need? I think they want to keep the lower-income and middle-class people out, thus making the cities a bastion for the wealthy. It is time for the citizens of these cities to stand up against the condoization (I'm trademarking that phrase) of our country. When I return to my hometown of Ottawa, I am disgusted by the sheer mass of condo buildings that seem to multiply like rabbits. They take over previously interesting and historic neighbourhoods and make them disgustingly generic. Let's fight it.