It’s an ongoing struggle trying to figure out how we, as a community, can take care of our most vulnerable citizens. For a while, those with disorders and addictions were sheltered in among their relatives. Then we institutionalized it all and put the onus on governments. Nowadays, neither the institutions nor, often people’s relatives, seem to be capable of taking care of folks.
That has left a gap, which has spawned the Downtown Eastside and all its sad consequences.
One of the best ways of helping people to become more healthy is to connect them to healthy role models, neighbours, services, and community. Despite NIMBY protests that are sure to arise, its important to ensure folks who need help are integrated into healthy communities. That’s right Kerrisdale and Dunbar.
Only once we start accepting our most vulnerable (and often most difficult to handle) neighbours back into our community can we really build a place that’s a real model on “diversity”.
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Very well said.
So…. what do you do when your land lord asks you to write a letter to the city against setting up a methadone clinic on your block? Especially when you believe the clinic has every right to be there…. it has to go somewhere….