Homes for Homeless, Tratment for Addicts

Daphne Bramham was written one of the best and most comprehensive editorials I've ever read on the subject of the DTES.

Her conclusions about the neglect of all levels of government, while searching for a silver bullet solution, echoes exactly the conversation I had with a labour leader over lunch on Friday.

"What are the answers?" he asked.

I told him that the anwers are homes for the homeless and treatment for the addicted.

I explained that the Federal government, through CMHC, had stopped providing any real funding for housing almost 30 years ago. Put CMHC and the federal purs back into the game and housing could be built for so many homeless.

Treatment by fellow addicts and not by expensive and ignorant doctors could be up and running today at reasonable costs - less than $35,000/year/bed.

Read Bramham's column. It's spot on.