BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to ''Complex problem': Council takes aim at chronic homelessness,' published May 17, and 'Council paints stark picture around need for homelessness plan,' published May 18.
I was shocked and disappointed to see the decision made by Barrie city council this week that essentially criminalized being homeless and criminalized helping homeless people with tents or food.
I certainly applaud council members for the attention to the issues of homelessness and addiction, and I applaud the attention to applying for funding and funding needed services. However, few of the funding actions will have an immediate impact, excluding perhaps supporting individuals who have families elsewhere and require money for transportation out of Barrie.
What will happen in the short term is that city bylaws will be changed to make it against the law to sleep in a tent or to give a tent to someone who has nowhere else to sleep. Also, giving food to public spaces will become illegal.
I see numerous problems with these parts of council's motion.
For one, from a legal perspective, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently ruled that it is a breach of citizens' constitutional rights to evict homeless people from tent encampments. That means this bylaw is unenforceable, unless the City of Barrie plans to put taxpayer funds into expensive lawyers to fight the ruling from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Secondly, this shows a total lack of compassion. I understand the concern for public safety with a risk of needles. And I am glad to see that council is recognizing that the number of people living without safe and secure housing has increased.
However, the measures do not provide immediate housing to anyone. Where do our elected leaders imagine that people will go once evicted from tents? I did not see any solutions listed in the council measures.
We have excellent service providers in Barrie who actively work to secure housing for people in need. People struggling with homelessness, and possibly addiction, need support and trusting relationships with people who can offer pathways into housing. Being pushed from one park to another park after eviction does not help any of those struggling individuals to develop trusting relationships with institutions or help them to access housing.
I seriously question whether council developed this motion thoughtfully, in consultation with experts with long-term experience working with people experiencing homelessness.
It is a great idea for council to give more attention and funds to looking for solutions to homelessness and associated issues. It is not a great idea to try to address the problems by criminalizing vulnerable people and active citizens who are trying to help struggling citizens with basic needs for food and shelter.
I hope council members will reconsider their actions and do better going in the future. I want to live in a city that implements solutions that are thoughtful, well-planned and show compassion to people who are struggling.
Eleanor Alexander
Barrie
