Reaction to billeting plan reveals prejudice

Re: “Helps: Could billeting of homeless ease crisis?” June 14.

The vitriolic reaction to Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps’ proposal of billeting as a way to address the housing crisis demonstrates that the challenges around housing are not limited to infrastructure. Evidently, people without housing face tremendous prejudice and misunderstanding.

Homelessness is not limited to the “hardto-house” population of people dealing with mental-health and addictions issues — although these folks are the most visible. Homelessness can happen to anyone — students, grandparents, families and the employed.

According to Victoria’s 2016 homeless count, our homeless population consists of a disproportionate number of children and youth (17.5 per cent), elders (20.8 per cent) and aboriginal people (36.9 per cent).

Victoria’s vacancy rate is 0.5 per cent, and while the supply of rentals dwindles, rental rates skyrocket. This leaves many people couch-surfing, or living in cars or motels while they look for housing. Unfortunately, getting an address without having one is extremely difficult, given the misconceptions about homelessness.

The chronically homeless are not a threat. They are far more likely to be victims of crimes than perpetrators.

So the mayor proposed creating a focus group to discuss billeting as a possible means to address homelessness, and people have reacted with outright horror. What does that tell us about the roots of this crisis?

While billeting in my view is not a remedy for decades of provincial and federal neglect of social housing, I am glad we are having this conversation. Clearly, it is needed. Jordan Watters School trustee, SD 61 Victoria