Homelessness and Solutions

By Diana Smardon

Michael Shapcott, the director of the Affordable Housing and Social Innovation at the Wellesley Institute in Toronto (), is one of Canada's leading community-based housing and homelessness experts. He has worked with Canadian cities, communities, First Nations, and the UN and OECD in support of sustainable housing for all Canadians.

The Coalition To End Homelessness, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, Chiefs of British Columbia, and members of the Committee to End Homelessness met at the University of Victoria the evening of February 16th for a forum entitled "Homelessness or Homefullness? Creating a Blueprint for Canada's Future" to find solutions to the affordable housing crisis which now virtually exists in all parts of our country. Shapcott stressed over and over again that the federal government (whoever they may be since an election has been called in the meantime) must address this looming question immediately instead of steadily divesting itself from this responsibility to the Canadian people since the l980s. They must start to reinvest in affordable housing. He is suggesting we need a Vision 2020 plan with 600,000 new affordable homes built over 10 years with repairs to 200,000 existing homes in the same period of time. He indicated that this national housing crisis could be affecting up to 3million Canadians who either have no housing, temporary housing, unsafe or inadequate living conditions, and couch surfers to name a few since no totally accurate statistics exist. Shapcott and the other groups present laid blame directly on the federal government for the lack of timely, affordable and sustainable housing.

Shapcott also emphasized that it is totally unacceptable in a rich country such as ours, considering that Mr. Harper thought nothing of buying unneeded airplanes at $150,000,000 a pop, which would have cost $600,000,000 in 20 years with costly maintenance and parts, while ignoring our housing crisis. He wanted to spend 27 billion dollars on totally defective planes that top brass in the air force have insisted are poor in handling and function, as well as being costly to maintain according to a CBC Radio, "As It Happens" interview in February 20ll. He somehow found the money for these white elephants but would not invest in much needed critical affordable housing.  The former prime minister also wanted to spend 13 billion dollars on the privatization of unneeded prison facilities. This only goes to show you that if the former conservative government had enough money for basically nonfunctioning airplanes, and prisons, he had enough for social housing. It's a matter of priorities. They had the political won't not the political will. The next government, whether it is a majority or a coalition, must make timely and affordable housing its highest priority. We need a government that serves the people, not one that steals from the people to give our money to the big oil corporations and other destructive businesses like forestry companies which, for example, cut down the Amazon Rain Forest, the lungs of the world. These nature-destroying businesses are costing us the world!

In conclusion, Shapcott has stated that the governments of the day, both federally and provincially, are responsible for providing timely, adequate, affordable and sustainable housing immediately. We must return to our 1970s federal commitment to provide homes for the homeless, the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and the homeless. Our housing crisis, affecting up to 3 million Canadians, must be dealt with immediately! We have the money to do so. We can't afford not to.