It’s really great, that the province has chosen to invest in City of Penticton’s efforts to protect the vulnerable.
To quote the B.C. province’s website (https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PSSG0050-001440) the ” Government is providing the City of Penticton with a $50,000 grant to support the creation of a situation table. Situation tables bring agencies together so they can work collaboratively to ensure vulnerable communities get the best care and support needed, as well as prevent crises and reduce risk of harms, such as crime and overdose.”
While I agree wholeheartedly with this generous effort, I am very concerned as to how the City of Penticton will choose (wisely or not so) to use this $50,000 grant.
As the city demonstrated at a recent city council meeting, they’ve “cleaned up” the downtown areas, by removing a public bench on public path, fenced and gated off nooks and crannies where the homeless sleep, trimmed back the tree at Nanaimo Square so the vulnerable can’t hide and much more. As I’ve seen in other cities, by pushing the homeless and vulnerable people of our communities out of popular areas (where the tourists go) will definitely mean that they’ll pop up somewhere else. Unless they get “beamed up,” people, vulnerable or not, don’t simple disappear.
Is the city waiting for someone to die, then take action? Or, maybe the city could consider using some of this $50,000 and set up a daily food table at Nanaimo Square, so the homeless have some nourishment? Then speed up the process to get housing for the homeless, now.
Brigid Kemp
Penticton