Comment: Solution to homelessness is to build homes

Cool Aid’s Kathy Stinson’s comment in today’s Times Colonist.

Hundreds of homeless people are spending the night in Victoria’s municipal parks and a city report says it costs more than $600,000 a year to deal with the problem. City council has quadrupled its housing budget, and some councillors talk of a temporary village for homeless Victorians. There’s no denying that homelessness is again top of mind for the region. It’s a burden that is unnecessarily high for taxpayers, given that the solutions are more cost-effective, better for suffering youth, families and adults, and improve the quality of life for all of us. There are different strategies to help homeless people, but the best one is “housing first.” Build homes, then everything else follows that important first step: medical care, a start on finding work, counselling, friendship, social activities.

Read the Comment: Solution to homelessness is to build homes

Source: Times Colonist