my standard "Nickel": Victoria and Weber Encampment Thoughts - June 2nd, 2022
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People are literally without options right now. Truly no other choice but to put up a tent and call it home, and it is. There isn't enough shelter as is, and overflow is being reduced, from what's been a fairly stable cycle of increased provision for a few years, in part due to COVID funding decreases from Provincial levels. We did not, despite strong effort, acheive adequate capacity to meet the needs locally as is during COVID measures, so the further reduction is as well deeply impacting.
The encampment at Victoria and Weber may well be too big. It should have had a capacity limit and plans for overflow to mitigate and prevent excess growth long ago. Reasonably people will gravitate to it, as it offers the most literal version of survival likelihood. Water, shelter, food, bathrooms... all in proximity. What boggles me the most at the moment however is the depicted intent to further penalize those there, professing full site removal being required. There are options that can respect the people there and the community. Our failing to initiate these and to adapt will be a choice, one causing harm unnecessarily. We must not do this when we can do better. How can we choose to penalize those there for our own errors and lack of foresight? Instead we must adjust, evolve, collaborate, and grow. There will be no good left in our world, nor community, if we cannot find balance and mutual care instead of tearing each other further apart. May we start here, at least for a moment? Because we could.
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