Modular cabins not final cure for homelessness

“Look at what we’ve done! We’ve housed 50 people, out of homelessness!” city Coun. Keith Riel announced on Monday night, referring to the modular homes now nestled on Wolfe Street. “We’ve done a yeoman’s job here — everyone.”

“You have been such tremendous leaders, movers and shakers to make this project happen,” Coun. Joy Lachica added as she thanked city staff and councillors for their actions.

Based on their reactions, the public might think, “Whew, that problem is solved.” But this awful struggle is far from over.

On the same Monday night, I waited in a George Street convenience store while the clerk respectfully and repeatedly asked a homeless woman to leave as she lashed out at him in desperation.

The next day, my husband reported the long line of individuals outside One City Peterborough at the former Trinity United Church. Clearly, while the Wolfe Street encampment is cleaned up, we will have hundreds of individuals living hard-scrabble lives in our midst.

Why does this happen? Countless friends have asked me the same question.

Here are my top three answers:

■ A more polluted drug supply derailed people seeking to relieve their pain and trauma;

■ The 2004 flood wiped out a large swath of basement apartments, beginning an erosion of cheaper accommodations; and

■ Some landlords have sold their units to get out of the stress of the business, turning rentals into owned homes and ousting more tenants.

Of course, there are several other factors, but these ones don’t blame the person living on the street. No one wants to live this way.

During the run-up to the 2022 municipal election, a prospective candidate invited me out to learn more about why the housing crisis was so dire. She has stopped taking her children to Millennium Park since she feared the tent dwellers there might hurt them.

That message nearly knocked me out of my chair. I took a deep breath.

“If you were homeless, hungry and tired, would you attack a child? These individuals are just trying to survive,” I countered in the calmest voice I could muster.

Next, she listened to a lesson on how housing is a continuum. An unhoused person cannot simply move into an apartment. On a practical level, they don’t have furniture, dishes, linens and other purchases to set up a household. Emotionally, they need support to rest, heal and plan out their next steps.

Ideally, a person can move from the street to a shelter, then transitional housing before going out on their own. Each step takes specific supports for them to thrive.

If you think that’s too much public investment, remember the city paid $2.4 million to build 50 modular cabins, plus $1.9 million every year going forward for social service workers, security guards, meals, etc.

So, how can the average citizen help unhoused individuals.

First, be kind. How would you feel if someone pulled their children away to avoid you? Make eye contact and engage them in conversation.

To build greater capacity, you can also contribute to organizations who help people on the brink of, or recovering from, homelessness.

Most of all, teach your children to care and not look away. This problem will persist well into their adult years.