Re: 鈥淗omeless people need our collective support,鈥� letter, Sept. 22.
I鈥檓 writing to address the view that there are some homeless people who are 鈥渄eserving鈥� of our collective support and some, due to their behaviour, who are not. The letter-writer says it is 鈥渃hallenging and contradictory鈥� for many people who might wish to offer their support when homeless campers engage in certain behaviours (improper disposal of paraphernalia, expressions of anger, etc.).
I would like to highlight the assumption underlying this view, namely that society鈥檚 support is a reward for good behaviour. The flip side of this is that withholding housing is an acceptable form of punishment.
Housing is not a privilege reserved for those who can afford to pay for it; it is a basic survival necessity, like food, clothing and medicine. To deny any of these as punishment is to say that their survival doesn鈥檛 matter.
In spite of this, there are many people in tent cities who continue to persevere in the face of massive community disapproval and threat. It seems that our communities are divided, but all parties can agree that people living in parks is not the long-term solution to homelessness.
The challenge for us is to look past our outrage and recognize our own fear of displacement. We can use this recognition to humanize the ones who are living the reality of homelessness at this moment, and stop putting conditions on the provision of the most basic human needs.
Ben Baird
Saanich
