It took two years, a Supreme Court case, an immense amount of time and effort by service providers and city officials, and a great deal of public money, but the squalid Gladys Avenue homeless protest camps are finally gone.
Far more important than the mere end of an eyesore, the absence of the tents and trash in the downtown core represents a huge measure of progress in terms of how homelessness is now being dealt with in this city. From the embarrassing incident of city staff spreading chicken manure on a homeless squat on Gladys in 2013, the City of Abbotsford now has a far more progressive policy regarding street people, a temporary 40-bed shelter has been built on Riverside, and work is soon to start on a permanent supportive housing project for the homeless.
To say this city has come a long way would be an understatement.
Conversely, to believe the problem has gone away, would be a grave error.
Homelessness remains a serious challenge in Abbotsford, as it is in many communities.
There is an acute shortage of appropriate housing in this city. Service providers for the homeless are stretched thin. Support systems dealing with core causes such as addiction are overloaded. In particular, mental health facilities are woefully inadequate.
The vast majority of those long-term solutions are far beyond the scope and means of city hall, which cannot assume the responsibilities of the federal and provincial governments.
In respect of the latter, it must be acknowledged that Abbotsford would not have made the progress it did in terms of addressing homelessness without provincial support and funding.
The past few years have brought this issue into sharp focus, demonstrated there are effective ways to deal with it, and defined future needs.
Despite all the continuing challenges, it’s a major step forward for all concerned.
