Heroes need houses

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/05/2009 (5715 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Faron Hall could probably have named his price after becoming an instant hero for rescuing a drowning boy from the Red River this week. All the homeless man wanted, however, was a chance to see the Goldeyes play, a new pair of shoes and a bus ticket home to see his father. The only other things he requested were respect and understanding for people like him, which may be the most difficult gifts to deliver.

He did not ask for the one thing he really needs — a place to live. A humble and thoughtful man who suffers from alcoholism, Mr. Hall says he believes that only he can change his life. Like many homeless people, he is actually proud and self-reliant. Unfortunately, he is also wrong if he thinks he can pull himself up by his bootstraps without getting a place to live first.

The philosophy of personal redemption has been changing in recent years. It was once the view that the down and out had to sober up before they would be considered for services and opportunities. That attitude is being replaced by new research that shows homeless people with addictions are served best by providing them with a place to live, and then providing the services they need to improve. It’s a turnaround from the Victorian-era mentality of blaming the poor for their predicament.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada is getting ready to launch such a project in Winnipeg on a trial basis, focusing on homeless aboriginals like Mr. Hall. The commission found that other countries that tried the approach enjoyed an 85 per cent success rate. The research shows that homeless people who are mentally ill or suffering from addiction are only motivated to get help and take their medication after they have been placed in a stable situation. Very few people who have lived on the street for a long period of time are actually able to pick themselves up without someone, or something, to help them.

It will not be cheap, but it already costs about $400 a month to provide shelter for homeless people, plus other social, medical and policing costs. As a cost accounting, then, it is cheaper to help the destitute than it is to ignore them, yet the problem is getting worse. Last year, for example, the Main Street Project admitted people to the Intoxicated Persons Detention Area or drunk tank 10,446 times. That was a 15 per cent increase over the 9,060 admissions in 2007 and a 29 per cent increase over the previous year. The number of people being admitted to emergency shelters has also risen dramatically in recent years.

Mayor Sam Katz displayed great humanity and kindness in giving Mr. Hall a medal for valour, as well as season tickets to the Goldeyes and anything else that the homeless man might request. Unfortunately, the mayor did not use the opportunity to stake out a leadership position on homelessness and poverty.

Mr. Hall, meanwhile, hasn’t asked for much, but it turns out he has given the rest of us much to think about, as did Brian Sinclair when he died a horrible death in a hospital emergency ward after waiting 34 hours for attention that never came. Most of us have been content to ignore people like them, to walk over or around them.

It’s unfortunate that homeless people have to do something spectacular before they can be recognized for what they really are — human beings with hearts, souls and minds. They aren’t that different than the rest of us, they just need a little understanding, respect and a roof overhead.