NATURE

Sea, land, river

Here I look at where homeless and ‘at risk’ of being homeless are presently staying

PEOPLES

Community

For earlier materials see Table of Contents

Homelessness

In Prince Rupert

‘out of site’

Using provincial $$, PR looked at problem here

As the mattress attests – this area is used as ‘hotel’ occasionally

NCCADI which became NCCA brought social service groups together and explored problem in PR and suggested some future directions

Here I am only looking at present situation in terms of what ‘cheap’ housing available to a single male --- often poverty accompanied by substance abuse, etc ---- most local groups seem to see the alcoholism as ‘cause’ – and not symptom

Market mechanism for poverty

Given ideology of Campbell government --- (see poverty as person problem not social and thus caused by individuals failure to get/ keep a job) – along with ‘markets solve all’ approach is that homeless etc will be housed by private enterprise – Thus this hotel is filled with homeless and welfare recipients

Story is more complex than I wish to go into here --- when Salvation Army hostel closed this was the only ‘hotel’ that would agree to house ‘homeless’ etc

	Band aid solution
	As the case load increased presumably so did the problems --- often police cars seen outside---and here a person is actually living in room with broken window

	Low Income
	I am told this ‘rooming house’ has new owner who will bring it up to standards – but did have people living in units with broken windows etc earlier in year

My earlier – new siding ordered by council
But cosmetics aside: real problem inside

Innlander

An earlier Council wanted to close Innlander down as an ‘eyesore’ that might offend tourists – after cosmetics taken care of with new siding on street side – I am told it was decided to close off one part of building and allow other side to remain open as no place available locally to send the tenants --- who are all low income or welfare etc --- there also seems to be a comradery here with people looking after each other --- the most recounted example is that though place is a fire hazard – the tenants have such weird hours that every fire (so far) has been detected by a tenant and put out

	I will return to this later to show where the ‘conversation’ terminated
	It is interesting perspective on interactions of local service groups ---- where one ‘solution’ apparently nixed by another group – etc

Created by LG on Feb 1, 2006

Last updated on Thursday, March 22, 2007

NATURE

PEOPLES

For earlier materials see Table of Contents

‘out of site’

I will return to this later to show where the ‘conversation’ terminated