Change The Way We Look After The Homeless, Start By Asking Someone With Knowledge

By Ben Meisner

I was taken aback last week to find that the head of the BCGEU, Darryl Walker had never ever been approached for his input  on the homeless. Nor were the workers in the various hospitals that were disbanded in the early 80’s putting the people back onto the street.

Walker had worked as a health care worker and activity worker at the forensic Psychiatric institute and Riverview hospital since 1973. During that time one would assume that he had seen it all and any input he could give to correct the plight of the mentally challenged homeless people would be of great value .

One would assume that, but Walker has never been asked, nor has he sat on committees seeking a solution to the ever growing problem of mentally challenged on the streets.

If you also consider that Walker worked his way up through the ranks to become the head of the 60,000 strong BCGEU he would be someone who, at the very least, should be asked what he thought would fix the problem.

Well he hasn’tbeen asked  frightening as it may seem, from the days of Bill Vanderzalm who closed the facilities, tothe  NDP , and now the Liberals who control government .

Well let’s put his thoughts on record, because they belong there.  

Walker says there needs to be a several pronged program. Yes housing is important to him, but it must come only if we are prepared to provide supervision on a 24 hour basis, undertake to ensure that these people have a meaningful task that they must perform every day, so as to give them a sense of purpose, and it must not be for profit.

The head of the BCGEU then went on to say that we have entered into a service for profit in the handling of our mentally challenged and the results show it has been a failure. Profit he says has come at the expense of those in need. "I ‘m not against for profit work" he said, "in some cases it has worked out well, but the mental health area is one case where it doesn’t."

When you look around this city you can quickly see what he is talking about.  There are countless agencies all trying to cash in on the street people many who have social problems.  Many of those agencies are no more than agencies that while they operate as a society, provide full time work for a few people who head the agency. They don’t want to see their flock go elsewhere because  that means less funding and so the circle goes round and round with those in need watching from the outside.

Housing for the homeless is okay, but does it address the problems and the goals that Walker points out?  No.  So while we pour more money into various programs, (according to some as much as $53,000 dollars per homeless person per year) what is coming out of the end of the pipe is a growing service sector with fewer results.

Before we head down the road seeking answers from places such as Portland in the USA and from a former Premier, how about going back to the basics and asking a front liner his thoughts on how to fix the problem, or is that simply to easy?

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us