Dear Editor,

Open letter to Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon

The term 鈥渨orking poor鈥� used to mean people who struggled living paycheque to paycheque. Now it means working people who live in campers or cars, even tents, unable to afford reasonable rent.

One has to feel compassion for the people living at the Lonzo Road homeless encampment in Abbotsford. Although living indoors is not a right in Canada, it feels like it should be, which is why I was so disheartened to hear the BC Civil Liberties Union is attempting to block the eviction, calling it illegal unless suitable housing can be found.

Recent reports say Lonzo Road homeless will receive subsidizes for local market rental rates. That has to be more than the $375 shelter portion offered by welfare. The accommodations, temporary or otherwise, as well as the new housing project at Lonzo Road will fall under the umbrella of BC Housing.

The BC Civil Liberties Union should be focusing on BC Housing, and why it鈥檚 become little more of lottery than a housing list. It鈥檚 not a numbered list ie: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. where you add your name and wait for your turn to come up. It鈥檚 who can sound the most desperate, or what is the most politically significant. A phone call to a listing frequently ends with 鈥� we don鈥檛 use the BC Housing list. We have our own list or our own application, 鈥� or 鈥� our waiting list is so long we鈥檙e no longer taking applications.鈥� They should remove themselves from the list. Nobody at BC Housing is calling these places to ensure the list is accurate.

I know a disabled person. She鈥檚 living with a two millimetre cerebral aneurysm, which is monitored annually. chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraines, and anxiety (is there any wonder). She qualifies for both PWD, and CPP Disability, and will become a senior this August. She鈥檚 stuck, living in a bedroom, at the grace of a friend, who took her in, when her former relationship ended, due to her illness.

It was supposed to be temporary, but after three years, there鈥檚 been times when she鈥檚 been threatened with having her bags put on the curb, which triggers her anxiety, which causes multiple day migraines, which could effect the aneurism, which causes anxiety, which could effect the aneurism, which triggers her CFS, which makes her exhausted, which triggers her fibromyalgia which causes pain, which prevents her from having any sort of normalcy, in her life. Doctors advised her to get an emotional support dog. She has a letter from a counsellor for perspective landlords, the dog is required for her medical health. Still she languishes on the BC Housing list, in spite of keeping her file up to date, and staying in contact with BC Housing, on a regular basis, as well as searching for housing, on her own.

While the optics of housing a large group of people looks good on TV, it鈥檚 really cue jumping those already on the BC Housing list.

The fact is a lot of homeless require more than a roof over their head, but counselling, and or treatment to deal with their other issues.

I live in a subsidized BC Housing building, where they did a sweep of local homeless, and brought them into our complex. They arrive to meeting with building managers accompanied by social workers or counsellors. Once accepted they revert back to their old ways, or continue to associate with others who bring problems with them. We had fights, in the hallways, not minor scuffles, but full-on multiple-person brawls. All residents have the same rights under rental legislation. It can take months to evict someone. Meanwhile, the problems continue.

Housing, and re-housing homeless is not the answer. There needs to be a rental cap, or some type of housing allowance for everyone, before more families, elderly, disabled, or the sick are living in tents under bridges.

$2,700 per month for a one bedroom in Vancouver proper is insane. Put an end to slumlords renting houses, and putting beds, or just a mattress on the floor, in every room, and renting them for $1,000per month.

Clean the deadwood out of the BC Housing list, so it accurately reflects what鈥檚 really available. (Classified ads have been able to do this for years). And stop the lottery.

How is it a couple (two people) can live in a newer three bedroom townhouse, in Grand Forks, while there鈥檚 a family living in a car, or worse?

Remember my friend, the soon to be senior, who lives each day under duress, in fear of eviction, with a potential time bomb in her head, chronic pain, exhaustion sever migraines, and anxiety., who鈥檚 done everything her doctor, specialists, therapists, counsellors, and BC Housing have asked of her. When does someone stand up for her? When does she matter?

Tim Attwood, 91原创 City

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鈥� READ MORE: Residents start packing as Lonzo Road camp deadline arrives

鈥� READ MORE: Lonzo Road homeless camp to be cleared out, new shelter built

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