Check It Out: Affordable housing gives people hope

By Joan Janzen

I read someone’s account of offering help to a stranger. While at a gas station, a man overheard a young woman tell two men to leave her alone. The young man quickly approached the woman and two men and asked her, “How was the meeting today, darling?”

She looked at him and replied, “It was good. I’ll tell you about it when we get home.” The two men immediately left, and the relieved woman offered the stranger her heartfelt gratitude. The hero made sure the two men left before he walked back to his car and hoped that someone would do the same thing for his daughter by offering a solution to a vulnerable person.

In Canada, there are resources being offered as simple solutions to complex problems. Douglas Murray wrote an opinion piece in The Spectator, giving examples of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) being presented as a cure for anorexia, PTSD and mental illness. “It all starts from a kindly place and includes freedom of choice. And it seems a logical enough step to decide that something so hard to cure might have a simple answer,” he wrote.

While being interviewed on Spectator TV, Murray said, “It’s one of the worst messages possible to send out to young people. But you can get away with almost anything if you wrap it up in the language of compassion.”

But on the flip side, there are charitable and non-profit organizations that are taking steps to find solutions. Faytene TV interviewed Marcel Lebrun from the organization called 12 Neighbors in New Brunswick.

He observed that people who are homeless don’t have hope and subsequently often suffer from mental illness, physical illness, addictions and poverty. It was apparent to him that homelessness leads to all of those problems.

“The causes of homelessness are complex,” Marcel said, “But the solution is simple. Housing is the foundation, after which people can work on all those other challenges. We start with housing because you can’t work on any other challenges in your life if you’re just surviving. That’s the starting point to building more distance between people and homelessness.”

Statistics state 235,000 Canadians are homeless today, which doesn’t include hidden homeless who are couch surfing at the homes of friends. Most homeless are between the ages of 25-49.

He began the project after asking himself what it looks like to love your neighbour? Now the organization is building 99 tiny homes, where people pay 30% of their income as rent. The houses are a starting point, after which the organization invests in their personal development.

In spite of government pouring money into emergency shelters, people are being turned down because of lack of room. Marcel noted it’s important for the government to have partnerships with non-profits, charities and private sectors; 12 Neighbors has support from both the provincial and federal governments.

He said the challenge in this economy, with labour shortages and materials, is finding organizations that can make things happen. His organization has people from all across Canada offering volunteer service throughout the year, making it possible to build a tiny home every four days.

“Governments can provide funds, but it’s hard for governments to get things done,” Marcel observed. Volunteers are the real equity of their organization. And investing in charitable organizations, such as his, make economic sense. A study showed that for every dollar given to a charity, there’s about a six-dollar value that’s given back to the community.

Marcel’s advice is - you want to provide hope and dignity for people by changing their situation for the better. Providing affordable housing gives people both hope and dignity.

“It’s a whole lot more difficult to spend yourself on others, by giving your time and attention, than to give them a few dollars,” Marcel said. “My advice to Canadians is - don’t just do the easy things, but think about how you can build relationships, get to know people, and invest in their long-term transformation.” It may be an alternative to quick government solutions wrapped in compassionate messaging.

Charitable organizations and non-profits can be part of the solution as communities work together to get things done.