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[RalphH]

Who are the homeless: http://homelesshub.ca/blog/infographic-who-are-canadas-homeless

http://www.readersdigest.ca/features/who-are-canadas-homeless/

Pretty hard to generalize - large proportions include youth who have left unsafe domestic situations and young single parent families.

75% of homeless young women suffer mental illness.

These are segment of the populations who are at particular risk.

Breaking up 'criminal camps' is likely to have minimal effect as such people just set up camp somewhere else.

[milo]

Let’s no kid ourselves though. When you see a homeless camp with multiple bikes they aren’t avid cyclists, when you see a pile of  lawn maitenance stuff lawnmowers and rakes lying around they aren’t gardeners. This is all stolen items scoured from around the neighbourhood stolen to ultimately sell to have money for drugs.

Agreed.
And those are the "people at risk" who I have problems with.
They want drugs? They need drugs? So give them what they want.

It would be much more beneficial (and cheaper) for society to provide free access to drugs to all those who want them/need them/crave them.
Not to mention end users would be happy to get their fix without having to lie, steal or rob.

[Blood_Orange]

They want drugs? They need drugs? So give them what they want.

Agreed. Even if you have a moral hangup about drugs, you have to admit that providing drugs to addicts (and treating addiction more like a health issue than a criminal justice issue) would be cheaper in the long run. The problem isn't going to go away by hassling addicts more so we might as well try to minimize the health (paying for hospital stays), criminal (paying for courts and prisons), and emotional costs (hard on families and first responders) associated with addiction.

Hospital ICU stays run several thousand dollars per person per day. We're all paying for universal health care (as it should be) so might as well try to keep costs down. The fact that addicts are human beings with human rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms should also factor into peoples' thinking on this one

[Fish Assassin]

I have a severe case of fishing addiction. Will the government give me fishing equipment to quell my addiction ?

[chris gadsden]

CO 's visited the site yesterday and today, the tents and occupants should be gone soon.

[RalphH]

I have a severe case of fishing addiction. Will the government give me fishing equipment to quell my addiction ?

trivial analogies don't lend much to the discussion...no matter how humourous!

Maybe one day, perhaps in my lifetime our governments will look at the drug issue and do the sensible thing; decriminalize and treat it as a health issue. The extent to which the justice and social support systems are overwhelmed by treating drug use as criminal issue isn't appreciated by the public. Plus there is the individual misery of the people caught up in an antiquated system ore suited to the 19th century that the 21st.

[Jk47]

Truth is, Winter is setting in and these people don’t stand a chance outside living the way they are. They will all go home to mom and Dad’s for Christmas, or to shelters or recovery centres to wait out the cold. By April/May they’ll be setting up again...guaranteed, and by the time the eyesore is big enough to notice, fall will be around the corner and the process will repeat once again.

[salmonrook]

Agreed.
And those are the "people at risk" who I have problems with.
They want drugs? They need drugs? So give them what they want.

It would be much more beneficial (and cheaper) for society to provide free access to drugs to all those who want them/need them/crave them.
Not to mention end users would be happy to get their fix without having to lie, steal or rob.

  I agree that's the root of the unlawful and harmful behavior, but it takes more than that, they then have too have a place to live , mental health counseling , self esteem and self worth to see themselves out of their addiction.The ultimate goal for them is to became a contributing member , this goes a long way to building their lives back up.
 They are homeless shelters around , the decision to not go to them is either over crowding or the fact that you have to make a commitment to be off drugs, there has to be buy in from the individual .A little tough love I guess.Imho..

[chris gadsden]

  I agree that's the root of the unlawful and harmful behavior, but it takes more than that, they then have too have a place to live , mental health counseling , self esteem and self worth to see themselves out of their addiction.The ultimate goal for them is to became a contributing member , this goes a long way to building their lives back up.
 They are homeless shelters around , the decision to not go to them is either over crowding or the fact that you have to make a commitment to be off drugs, there has to be buy in from the individual .A little tough love I guess.Imho..

Some people say this is the life style they like to live? From the pictures I took and on a recent visit to these camps it is just a headquarters for robbing the fishers that park near their camp as well as resident in Chilliwack. The fisher who was involved watched the camp and saw them make their rounds from 12 to 4 AM returning with their loot.

If you are around about during this time you will see them on their bikes with backpacks on.

 I wish there was an solution but they will always will be a certain percentage of people who want to live this way. When I first came to Vancouver in 1963 Skid Road was there and still is, even bigger even though so many agencies have tried to help and change things.


I am sure many have been helped and want help but there is so many that have not. It is just the way society is and always has been.

[adriaticum]

Unfortunately the homeless situation is only going to get worse.

[chris gadsden]

https://www.theprogress.com/news/more-than-20000-pounds-of-garbage-removed-from-chilliwack-homeless-camps/

Another camp is set up above this one, not too big yet. It is being dealt with as we speak.

[Wiseguy]

https://www.theprogress.com/news/more-than-20000-pounds-of-garbage-removed-from-chilliwack-homeless-camps/

Another camp is set up above this one, not too big yet. It is being dealt with as we speak.

You can see the smoke from the campfire they have going everyday from across the river where I been fishing of late.