We need to shift thinking on homelessness

Re: “Thirteen deaths in one day linked to drugs,” Dec. 18. Many mornings I wake and wonder if someone I know died of an overdose in the night. This year, Victoria and Vancouver Island have been hit hard with an unprecedented number of overdose deaths. People have lost sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles.

The street community has been hit particularly hard. These losses add to the already-high rate of deaths associated with homelessness. They compound the loss of home, treasured possessions and the shattering of the pieces that make up our very lives.

Wednesday — Dec. 21 — is the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. It is the day many people in many communities, including ours, will gather to remember with respect those who have died throughout the year as a result of homelessness.

Many of these deaths are preventable. Many people, agencies and organizations are trying to help glue the pieces together with limited resources and a patchwork of programs and policies.

In 2017, we need a radical shift in our thinking about homelessness. We need to stop judging and criminalizing individuals. We need to decriminalize drugs and provide the full range of harm-reduction and treatment services. We need to raise income-assistance rates and continue to invest in housing. These changes will take time.

On Wednesday, we need to recognize and observe the losses we share. Bernie Pauly Centre for Addictions Research of B.C. Victoria