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Addressing the Homeless Phenomenon

The problem of homelessness is not something that has only recently come to light. It has, in fact, been with us for decades but only been brought to the forefront of our social conscience within the past few years. While I don't consider myself a socialist, I do believe it is the responsibility of every industrialized nation to ensure that all its citizens have access to three basic needs…

The problem of homelessness is not something that has only recently come to light. It has, in fact, been with us for decades but only been brought to the forefront of our social conscience within the past few years. While I don't consider myself a socialist, I do believe it is the responsibility of every industrialized nation to ensure that all its citizens have access to three basic needs…

T he problem of homelessness is not something that has only recently come to light. It has, in fact, been with us for decades but only been brought to the forefront of our social conscience within the past few years.

While I don’t consider myself a socialist, I do believe it is the responsibility of every industrialized nation to ensure that all its citizens have access to three basic needs:

  • A roof over their heads
  • Food on the table
  • Access to quality medical care

Who then is responsible for ensuring all Canadians (and Americans) have adequate housing? In my judgement, it is not the responsibility of individual communities to ensure that everyone who happens to arrive in their area is entitled to free or subsidized housing.

I do think, however, that someone who is an established resident of a community and who falls upon hard times due to job loss, severe illness, or some other problem beyond their control, should be entitled to some form of temporary support funded by their fellow citizens. This assistance might include housing. This is a very different scenario, however, from someone who simply arrives in a community with no assets, no income source, and no job prospects and thinks he (she) is entitled to free housing.

The housing shortage is not limited to a small number of urban communities. It is, in fact, a national phenomenon. So-called “tent cities” have recently appeared in Vancouver, Toronto, Victoria, Halifax, and a host of other Canadian (and American) cities. It is logical, therefore, that being a national problem, the resolution must be addressed by the federal government.

There is no simple panacea but there are some ideas worth exploring. The federal government owns thousands of hectares of undeveloped land, some of it in or near established communities. The government could build modest housing units and make them available to homeless people. There would, of course, need to be strict criteria for eligibility and rules enforced to ensure responsible resident behavior. Such behavior as illicit drug use, drunkenness, and destruction of the project’s assets would result in eviction from the community. A manager would be required to ensure responsible behaviour on the part of the resident population.

As is the case with many social initiatives, financing is often the main stumbling block. There is no doubt a federally financed program of this magnitude would be very expensive. It would, however, probably be less expensive than the financing currently in place to deal with the problems associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also, federally financed housing is not without precedent. Between 1941 and 1947, the crown corporation “Wartime Housing Ltd.” constructed approximately 26,000 housing units which were made available to civilian workers engaged in the war effort and returning veterans. I remember quite clearly as a teenager growing up in Kamloops, BC, when the federal government financed the construction of 100 single family dwellings exclusively for returning veterans and their families. In 1953, Wartime Housing Ltd. was replaced by the Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

During 2020, the BC government initiated an unusual approach. They began purchasing existing motels and converting them into accommodation for the homeless. This is, I think, a short-term remedy to a long-term problem. Many taxpayers also found this approach objectionable.

Another approach that could be explored is involvement by the private sector. A model involving private investment achieved considerable success in the 1970s when the federal government introduced the MURB (multiple unit residential building) program. Without going into detail, the program provided significant tax benefits for those willing to invest in new multi-unit housing projects.

There may be other appropriate approaches, but procrastination is not one of them. The opioid problem shows no signs of abating. Home ownership has become out of reach for all but the well to do. Well-paying manufacturing jobs are disappearing as many of these once cornerstones of our economy have been shifted to third-world countries where low wages and few benefits are the norm. We also are experiencing the threat of jobs disappearing due to robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence.

The fundamental problem, however, is the unequal distribution of wealth in most nations. When 80 percent of a nation’s wealth ends up in the hands of 15 to 20 percent of the population, some type of restructuring is clearly required. There is, in my judgement, something fundamentally out of balance when some members of a society have assets and incomes in the millions of dollars while others are sleeping under bridges and in public parks.

The only permanent solution, I suggest, would involve a restructuring of the taxation system. ♦