Stop saving for a rainy day - it's here

http://www.dailycourier.ca/ June 6 EDITORIAL managing editor Scott Neufeld

For the past two days, the Vernon Daily Courier has been trying to contact the mayor to get a comment from him on the “tent city” that has gone up downtown. And for two days we’ve received no reply. We’re starting to get the same feeling as the homeless who have similarly been ignored by the mayor and the city. Homelessness is a complex problem with no quick fixes, but since the Salvation Army shelter closed this year, there’s been a lot of talk from the city and no action. Many councillors have said housing the homeless is a provincial responsibility and the city should not be involved. Others have said the city doesn’t have the money to help.

How can councillors, as Jack Gilroy did on television last night, look people in the eye and say the city doesn’t have the money to spare? The city had a more than $1.5 million surplus this year – extra cash they didn’t expect to have. Setting up a more permanent shelter won’t take a lot of the city’s money and no one’s asking for the city to do it alone. But the lack of any kind of commitment from the city is unacceptable. Through tight-fisted accounting policies, the city is rolling in more cash than they know what to do with. As a result, they funnel the money into reserves where they sit for an undetermined length of time. In recent years, the city has saved $550,000 for affordable housing, $200,000 for transit, etc. All of that money is still sitting there, untouched. Now we’re all for saving for a rainy day, but it’s pouring outside and the city’s homeless are camped out along the main southern approach to the downtown core. Add to that the fact that drug dealers and prostitutes have used the tent city as an opportunity to set up shop out in the open and we have a situation that is escalating into violence.

The city has the money to help the homeless, but many on council have shown a complete disregard and lack of understanding for the issue. Perhaps the city is doing work behind the scenes we’re not aware of or perhaps they’re causing more harm. Publicly however, Mayor Wayne Lippert showed his ignorance of the issue when he challenged the Vernon Daily Courier on what the paper is doing about the homeless. Gilroy showed his lack of understanding when he said the city doesn’t have the financial means. Maybe these two councillors could use a lesson in what it’s like to be homeless. Council is encouraged to go on ride-alongs with the police, ambulance and fire departments, maybe it’s time for them to do a walk-along with the city’s destitute. Then they can look their poorest constituents in the eye and tell them there’s no money to help them.