Re: Homeless situation in Prince George.
I am in full support of the sentiments expressed by Diane Fuller in her guest editorial and her subsequent letter. The situation in Prince George regarding the number of people who are homeless is a source of shame to us all.
You may remember the article in the paper about Housing First in our city where it stated that there are 100 people on the waiting list for a place to live.
I have a friend who is homeless and is not even one of that number.
He is a senior in his early sixties who served in the military for four years and has worked in various places but has no work pension. He receives only a small amount of CPP. He used to receive some income assistance from the government and was able to rent a room but for some reason, that income was stopped.
He then had to give up the room he was renting and, for about a year, has been living in shelters. Over this time, he became seriously ill and has spent two two-week spells in hospital. Both times he has been released with no permanent residence to go to, and is still carrying his belongings with him each day as he walks around our city, more and more slowly, visiting the different volunteer drop-in facilities in the city to warm up, pass the time and eat.
He has no mental health or drug issues.
However those with those issues need the housing and supports that Diane Fuller mentioned even more if possible.
He is just one person. There are countless others who are in the same situation, for many different reasons, and, if you have your eyes open, you will see them on any given day in the downtown area. They are all someone's son, daughter, brother or sister, father or mother. A basic human need is shelter. Housing, with the necessary support systems in place, is the only humanitarian answer.
If you don't agree on humanitarian grounds, at least be aware of it on financial grounds. In my friend's case he has already spent about 14 nights in hospital at a cost to us, the taxpayers, of around $3,000 a night and I don't doubt unless he gets decent housing that cost will spiral.
I urge city council to move forward on a solution to ensure that all our brothers and sisters in our city have some place to call home.
Claire Petrucci
Prince George
