(cont.)
CONCLUSION
Ending homelessness begins at the door to the shelter.
Shelters can play an integral role in a person’s journey towards being at home with themselves, no matter their address. Shelters are not a single point on a continuum of general social care. They are ‘the hub’, the central point of departure from the street where individuals find the necessary resources to put themselves on track within their lives, no matter their condition.
Shelters do not force someone away from where they want to be. They make space for them to be the way they are, and then help them find ways to become comfortable with their place until they no longer fit the space they’re at.
It is in the shelter where those who have lost trust in the world around them may learn to trust again; in themselves, in the ‘system’, and those reaching out to offer them a hand. It is in the shelter that individuals can begin to take charge of reconstructing their lives, step by step. In the shelter, they know there will always be a place for them to be who and how they are without fear of losing their place to stay, while being actively encouraged to improve their lives by exploring alternatives and directions. With fear of eviction removed, they can take the necessary steps towards self-determination and self-efficacy.
Homelessness must end before it ever begins. And for that to take place, we must stop doing the things we do to pave the way leading to the street. Abuse, addictions, family violence, divorce, poverty, mental illness, all play a role. But so too do structural factors and economic decisions to build ‘bigger and better’ without accommodating those who are often faultlessly displaced by our “progress”. Until we change what we do, and how we do it, to create a better world without negatively impacting those on the margins of our prosperity, we will inevitably continue to see evidence of homelessness on our streets.
Ensuring no one is left out in the cold is vital if we are to create caring and inclusive communities. Providing safety to those who do not fit into the “status quo” or do not “comfortably comply” with our social norms or exhibit behavioural issues that are culturally not appropriate, is the central point of contact for those whose needs cannot be met by solutions designed to get them out of the shelters where they have found a place to belong. For a street-conditioned population, sometimes there is no other place to call home other than the shelter.
Always interesting to hear the different perspecitves of homelessness.
Thanks for giving me a well written description of how life is on the cold and wet streets of Calgary. It took me a long time to finally find an organisation who is doing exactly what our organisation is doing for the past 12 years
If you wish to compare organisations, please do not hesitate and check out the streetlife in the heart of Europe; namely Luxembourg.
I am a canadian who has resided in Luxembourg since 1980 and am an active volunteer in the redaction since the year 2000.
Keep up the good work you are doing in Calgary and try not to give another bald headed man a comb or a toothless man a nice juicy steak. You can help some people, some of the time, but you can’t help everybody, all of the time.
Heads up and I hope to hear from you in the near future.
Yours Truly,
George E. Nixon
Thank you George for your encouraging words! And thank you for what you do. I shall definitely check out the work in Luxembourg.
so true — you can help some of the people, some of the time, but you can’t help everybody, all of the time.
Cheers!
Louise