Perspective

In my last posting, I stated that I wanted to discuss the issue of perspective. Obviously, it is an important concept to keep in mind when talking about homelessness. Our society is ostensibly constantly seeking accountability. When a problem arises, blame is quickly laid and to no great surprise, it is often contradictory and counter-effective. That is, there are two sides (at least) to every story. Homelessness is no exception. Generally, from what I have read and heard, there is an agreement that homelessness in the form that I am discussing is indeed problematic. One could argue, if one where to approach it from that perspective, that there is nothing wrong with being homeless. But one could also argue, as most do, that the consequences of homeless are detrimental enough to both the individual and society to warrant a general agreement that homelessness is bad, or wrong, or problematic or whatever. Again, however, this is a matter of perspective.

One of the main features of academic discussion of homelessness comes from an exploration of this idea of perspective. From this, two main theories emerge; theories that unsurprisingly centralize around accountability and blame, First, there is the individual model, which theorizes that personal failings – some problem with the individual – cause homelessness. In this model, difficulties caused by physical disability, mental illness and substance abuse, to name a few, lead to homelessness. Other factors include family break-up, delinquency, criminal behaviour, domestic violence, the inability to work, or poor job skills. The second model does not separate the individual from society, and explains homelessness as “an inevitable outcome of the main structural features of modern capitalism, such as unemployment, high rents, wage inequality, uneven development, and a housing system set up to benefit homeowners at the expense of tenants” (From Canadian Cities in Transition, 3rd ed. pg. 421). However, both models lack the ability to adequately describe the causes of homelessness, and “recently, a number of authors have sought to provide more holistic perspectives on homelessness and housing that link the individual agency and structural models” (Ibid.). These holistic perspectives combine these models, or arguably better yet, do away with them all together and focus on specific, practical problems. In other words, due to the complex nature of the condition, a multi-faceted model can be used, whereby the shortcomings of one model are often explained by the strengths of another.

I have a problem with theory. In university, I studied politics, which is a decent enough venue for learning some things political, but in reality, I learned very little about politics, and instead learned what a select few writers and academics think about politics. For obvious reasons (perspective, for example!) there is a distinction between these two. One of my most frustrating classes, and probably the root of my problem, was an international relations political theory class, in which I learned absolutely nothing that I can apply to my life, someone else’s life, or the world. I learned about men and women who bicker amongst themselves, and then proceed to label these arguments as “Great Debates,” as if the gears that run the world suddenly halted and waited anxiously for the outcome of the battle between neo-realists and neo-liberalists. My beef with theory, to say it succinctly, is that it is too far removed from reality and too self-righteous and sure of itself.

However, part of my problem is that I also see the value of theory, especially when it has the ability to predict real world events and foresee possible solutions. Coming back to homelessness in Victoria (or any city for that matter), I am trying to get a grasp on the myriad perspectives that exist in this city. When I walk down the street, I see both structural and individual models at work. I can look at one man sitting on the sidewalk asking for change and depending on what perspective I use, what lens I look through, come up with an opinion 180 degrees different from the previous one. For example, I might think, Oh look, there are marks on his forearms from shooting heroin, it must be his fault he is sitting there. But if I change my perspective just a bit, I might think instead, Oh look, there are marks on his forearms from shooting heroin, he must not be able to access services that can help him with his problem because they have been cut by the government; it must be the government’s fault that he is sitting there.

Because we are dealing with a situation that is so human, we are inherently overwhelmed by both the simplicity and the complexity of the problem. I don’t want to say that there is no right answer, but it would be extremely challenging to formulate one, because perspectives would always differ. Indeed, even this post has left me with more questions than answers. Perhaps this isn’t a bad thing.

Victoria Cool Aid Society

The Victoria Cool Aid Society is an organization that was born of a youth hostel established in 1968. Since then, the society, or Cool Aid as it is known, has evolved to offer emergency and long-term shelter and to become an advocate of the homeless. Cool Aid addresses issues such as accessibility, affordability, alternative housing programs and homelessness, but also related issues, such as drug addiction and mental health. The Society has established several programs in an effort to confront these issues, including the Streetlink Shelter and Sandy Merriman House, a women’s-only shelter that provides beds, health services and counselling to women who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

In addition to emergency shelters, Cool Aid manages several long-term affordable housing projects that emerged as a result of the homeless crisis that developed in the 1980s in Victoria. “Affordable housing the in the 1980s was drying up and large mental institutions were shutting down, leaving people with little support for getting off the street. Shelter workers were frustrated to see the cycles of homelessness unbroken, and the homeless themselves were trapped in an eviction cycle from whatever, often substandard, housing they could find.” (http://www.coolaid.org/) By recognizing these issues, Cool Aid developed a progressive and substantial program to deal with Victoria’s homelessness.

In addition to emergency and long-term shelter and housing, Cool Aid developed several health-related institutions in Victoria, including Cool Aid Community Health Centre on Swift St., and the REES Network on Pandora Ave. The Health Centre is one of the oldest of its kind in the city, having provided health and dental care to homeless people or people in need since 1970. In 2001, the provincial government recognized the importance of this institution and provided funding to turn the clinic into a fully fledged “comprehensive community health centre.” For example, some of the services offered at the centre include “nurse practitioners, physicians, a mental health and addictions counsellor, nutritionist, acupuncturist, pharmacist, dentist and dental hygienist, and visiting specialists, such as psychiatrists…” (http://www.coolaid.org/) The establishment of this institution not only provides needed health-care, but it also helps professionals collected much needed information on homelessness in Victoria, data which allows more effective prevention and treatment opportunities to take place.

Secondly, the REES Network on Pandora Ave. (REES: Research, Education, Employment and Support) “is consumer driven and works in partnership with mental health consumers, family members and professionals to provide training, peer support, opportunities for education, community integration and life enrichment.” Additionally, REES acts as a “community casual labour pool” that connects “those who are looking for short term work placements with employers seeking their services.” (http://www.coolaid.org/)

One of Cool Aid’s most well known shelters in Victoria, the Streetlink Emergency Shelter, can be found on Store St., in an area that has experienced intense gentrification over the last few years. Originally the harbour-side street of the “old town,” Store St. was an industrial area dominated by warehouses and noticeably populated by the residents of the Streetlink Shelter. In recent years though, Store St. has expanded its repertoire of business and now hosts numerous tourist-attracting shops, including Ocean-River Kayaks.

This has prompted Judith Lavoie of the Victoria Times-Colonist to write an article entitled “Homeless Under Siege,” (http://www.avi.org/node/view/815). In it she claims that this new amalgamation of the homeless population and the “shoppers, condo residents and hungry knots of people on their lunch hour heading to pubs and bistros in the newly trendy area” leads to inevitable conflicts. The article, written in the fall of 2004, calls for new shelters and housing opportunities for the ever-growing homeless population of Victoria. Is this an effort to help the homeless who she claims are “under siege?” or is it an effort to allow the newly trendy areas an unfettered opportunity to expand? Perspective in this issue is vital, and groups such as Cool Aid, which appear to offer an honest and objective service based on immediate necessity rather than future developmental plans are an important component of this necessity.

In my next blog, I hope to address this issue of perspective further, especially in the context of gentrification and the resulting strain placed on the homeless population.

The Homeless Initiative Community Plan

In the late 1990's, the municipalities of several Canadian cities, including Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria, declared homelessness a national disaster. This was in conjunction with numerous other organizations, including hospitals, health organizations, AIDS services and faith organizations.
In 2000, Victoria completed a three-year community development initiative that focused on the challenges brought forth by a lack of affordable, supportive and safe housing in the city. As a result of this initiative, eight key principles where formulated: community solutions, participation, commitment, openness, language, cooperation, sharing and leadership.
In late 2000, the Victoria Steering Committee on Homelessness was established in an effort to tackle this perceived national disaster. The membership of the Committee included the following organization: Downtown churches, Victoria Housing Providers, Community Center Network, Community Economic Development Corp., Downtown Service Providers, City of Victoria’s Social Planning and Housing Advisory Committee, Victoria Native Friendship Centre, United Way of Greater Victoria, Canadian Homebuilders Association and the Intercultural Association. (All levels of government where also represented.) What is interesting about the makeup of this committee is the various, diverse views that are represented. From my urban explorations so far in my new home of Victoria, I’ve noticed a large degree of church involvement, especially on an active, “grass-roots” level. Other organizations such as the Victoria Cool Aid Society, which has been “building hope, lives and community since 1968” ( http://www.coolaid.org/), and the United Way, also play a very active and involved role. Other organizations tend to view homelessness as in a different light, perhaps more negatively. For example, discussions in the media about what is “lost” due to the homeless “problem” in Victoria in terms of economics and tourism is an oft repeated claim. (http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?
id=5f61f1f1-3123-48bf-89fe-3bd06f11e2c9, for example)
The views and opinions of this diverse group of organizations are telling of how homelessness is perceived in our society in general. What people say, and how they say it, is an issue that I will begin to explore next.
(Most of the information gathered for this brief post is from the following website: http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/currentprojects_homelessness_pln.shtml)

Victoria, B.C.: Homelessness in the Capital

Over the course of the term, I will follow what has become a major issue in Victoria, homelessness. Drawn in by the favourable weather, people come to this city of about 180,000 from around the country. According to one homeless man, Victoria is "the best place to be homeless" in Canada. (http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=beb620ce-84c7-4dbe-8bbc-e1fb52c11209&k=263)

Because of preparations for the 2010 Olympics, substantial energy has been put into "cleaning up the streets" of Vancouver, allowing political figures like Sam Sullivan the opportunity to say endearing things like "I think today is the day that we begin to turn the tide on homelessness." (http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=d54161ac-3d07-4482-a69d-a566c47807d2&k=99938)

Will Victoria be left out of this surge of enthusiasm? Do city planners and municipal politicians care about homelessness or do they care about what visiting tourists might think...? What is being done, and as importantly, why is it being done?

The First Post

Hi Everyone,

Herein I will post my thoughts on "explorations in Urban Geography." My specific subject is yet to be determined, but with hope, I will begin soon. I am looking forward to this; who knows where it will lead...

All the best, Tobias.