There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children – Nelson Mandela.
The Iron Horse Safe House is a refuge for troubled 13- to 18-year-olds exposed to the dangers of life on the street.
It will close its doors after Jan. 31.
Changes in federal funding now exclude emergency shelters that counsel children despite their effectiveness. The new Homeless Partnership Strategy should have assured shelter programs were supported until alternate funding was in place.
Iron Horse manager Stephanie Ediger says the shelter has helped troubled youth get their lives back on track.
“Our amazing staff keep kids from going into addiction, crime, or prostitution, and make them want to go back to school.”
In these ways, Iron Horse has provided a crucial service to the Ministry of Children and Family Development. It should step up to fund the shelter, but has remained silent.
Former Maple Ridge councillor Cheryl Ashley says MCFD hasn’t the funds to do so. Is the problem funding shelters and its bureaucratic structure, as well?
During the last election, former mayor Ernie Daykin said losing Iron Horse would “put a huge hole in the community.” He vowed to fight for it.
“This is something we can go to the wall on.”
Political commitment now could make our society’s soul shine. But to date, empathy for children has been expressed, not by government, but individuals.
Donations have kept the shelter open an extra month. Letters extoll its value. Teesha Sharma says it, “gave me a chance to find me, because I was so squashed down.”
Teesha says Iron Horse got her back into the stream of life. She found her own apartment and attended college. Now, she wants to be a community support worker so she can help others.
“When you see the heartbreak of damaged lives, someone in a downward spiral,” says Ediger, “you want to make a difference. It’s human beings reaching out to others. Knowing that people are willing to walk beside you – that’s how change in lives happens.”
I have a personal story about kids reversing destructive behavior when adults care.
The office of a school I worked in overflowed with kids sent for disruptive classrooms behavior. It wasn’t easy to learn or teach in their rooms, and the students, all boys from grades 4 to 7, weren’t getting anything out of school either. As Mr. E., the resource room teacher, I knew these guys. They were likeable, and creative, and could be fun, but all had discipline problems like mine when I was in grade six.
I drew up a plan to address their anti-social behavior through a non-academic program that would appeal to the boys. For three hours a week, it would reduce interruptions to the secretary, principal, teachers. The principal who liked it, found grant money to pay for release time I needed.
I taught our dirty dozen to congo drum in unison. Because they’d never worked with others well, this took time. I told the boys stories about heroes who overcame problems and then helped their families and neighbors. The boys wrote conflict resolution skits, and performed them for others. They made personal behavior plans and shared progress they’d made. They became empathic, and mutually encouraging.
Classroom disruptions became less frequent. Office visitors noted positive change. The school’s reputation rose. The program paid for itself many times over.
Iron Horse has also paid for itself many times over. It’s saved kids from wasted lives which costs all of us in time. A healthy society looks after its children. It makes sense. As Ernie Daykin said, the loss of Iron Horse “would put a hole in the community.” Current political leaders shouldn’t let that happen.
– Jack Emberly is a retired teacher, local author and environmentalist.
