| Regarding the Calgary Downtown Association’s executive director Richard White's hope that in 10 years homelessness will be less of a problem, therefore large shelters will not be needed, as a former resident of the Calgary Drop-In Centre, it is my belief that someone has laced White's overpriced café au lait with some pretty strong LSD. Homelessness is not on the decline in Calgary, it is on the rise.
Homelessness is rising because property values and rent are rising, tuition for education is rising and the cost of living is rising – and because of this, the working poor are fast becoming working destitute. Employers don’t want a homeless employee, so that employee is now out of a job.
It is because of the support of Dermot Baldwin of the Drop-In Centre and its team of counsellors, job skills training, three full meals and a warm place to sleep, and caring staff that the shelter will always be needed. There are residents there who have literally no other place to go, have mental and physical disorders that prevent their employability, and have too much pride to fall onto AISH –the centre provides them a place to lay their head after the day has worn its course.
It is a sad world when someone is allowed to spout his bullcrap under the guise of positive change. I say let’s keep the Drop-In Centre as is – and offer them more funding to continue to do their job. White didn’t get me off the street – the centre and the staff there offered me the support to do that on my own.
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