- by Logan Htaf Dwesgi
As the 2019-2020 winter is geared to have colder than usual temperatures (forecast), combined with a larger than ever homeless population and no available housing options, we want to avoid frost bite amputations and frozen corpses.
A possibly solution, since the homeless are already using tents, is to support them, and make sure they have adequate gear to keep themselves warm. There are sleeping bags rated for -15C ($115) and -45C ($350) at Canadian Tire, (coldest night in Owen Sound is usually -24C). With a thick sleeping pad ($50) and a tent ($50), even the coldest nights can be safely weathered in a tent encampment.
During the winter months some homeless people already move to Harrison Park campground to setup their tents, and it can be easier to provide services for the homeless if they are in such a designated location.
The City of Owen Sound can actually provide for the homeless community at zero cost if these particular homeless people have either Ontario Works, or ODSP, then the rental portion of their income can go to the City or whichever designated group is managing this emergency, to cover the costs of getting and distributing the life-preserving gear in an orderly fashion.
Additionally on the coldest nights where it drops below -10C the Harrison Park community centre, or other nearby building with heating could be kept open and heated as a warm-up zone for people to get away from the cold.
This will require inter-agency co-operation as the Safe N’ Sound is probably best situated for distributing gear, but Harrison Park and the City of Owen Sound need to work with Services Ontario to make the funding possible, whereas CMHA would have to work with the homeless people to get them to agree to the terms of tenancy — that they will keep the park in good working order, and agree to relocate once other options are available come spring.
This post was inspired by a recent article in the Owen Sound Sun Times.
In a hypothetical conversation with a Tulpa representing a county official, they bring up a point that “tents are not housing”, (it’s important to note that no county official has actually said such a thing to my knowledge). My response however is:
“So you mean to tell me, that for the thousands of years that indigenous people lived here, they were homeless, and it wasn’t until the almighty European people arrived that they could be provided with homes and an education?”
“I understand you probably don’t hold such a racist belief personally, that would be absurd. And likely it originally came from a place of love, where people thought they were doing the best for someone else, because of what they liked, and not by asking others if they liked it also. In loving action there must always be consent, cause otherwise it is a violation of free will, for the indigenous peoples and their culture that may be an understatement.”
“We can be more consent acknowledging and thus more purely compassionate than our fore-bearers. We can allow for traditional forms of housing such as tipis and wigwams and their modern incarnations such as tents and tiny homes, to be valid residences.”
“Of course some people may like western dwellings with foundations and that is okay also. If that is their preference then those buildings which are being constructed will hopefully be able to house them once they are completed. But for now we want to make sure people have the option to stay alive and healthy in the homes they have."
