When raised in a bourgeois middle class or when you're part of the upper class or even 1%, it's really easy to ignore the scores of homeless people that litter downtown Montreal and many indoor public spaces. Depending where you go, it can be some of Canada's natives - who's life on their reserves are even worse then being homeless downtown Montreal, or just plain Quebecois down on their luck and sometimes it's new arrivals who fail to navigate through the maze of social services. Many don't realize this but many new arrivals suffer from PTSD and many have witnessed crimes no human should see. Not to say this doesn't also happen to the locals, but many of those destitute are people who need help, NOT tickets from the city!
Sure a percentage of the homeless have either drug, alcohol or mental health issues, but what does this say about our society, when not only do we not provide help to the downtrodden but instead impose fines on them for loitering, drunk and disorderly, public urination, and lord knows what other petty crimes they may be doing. Some actually go to antagonize homeless guys to find an excuse to toss them in jail. I'd much rather pay for more shelters then more jails personally!
Article in La Presse this morning talks about the problem with the city of Montreal and it's abuse of tickets.
What is frightening having now known several young men [men in their 30's] who have ended homeless, is to realize how close any of us are to being homeless. It doesn't take that much when you're already on the edge to lose it all. If you're lucky and you have friends, they let you couch surf until you're back on your feet, or if you have family. But sometimes your family are losers and your friends have all double-crossed you so where do you go?
Here's another interesting link that discusses homelessness and housing crisis across Canada.
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