Homelessness

Drug Abuse in Downtown Eastside

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:37:04

Drug abuse in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver has been a growing problem-the results? Just walk down Hastings and you can see how many people have beeen led to the streets by drugs. According to CBC News, there are about 5,000 injection drug users in the Downtown Eastside, many who live within an 8 block area. Not to mention the amount of drug related crime that has increased recently (remember when we had 40 shootings in 3 months?) It''s getting to be a scary world out there, and we must start somewhere. Let''s hope that by tackling drug abuse in Vancouver, we can begin deminishing the many effects that come along with it, thus bringing the safety and life back into Vancouver.

Keywords: drug abuse, Downtown Eastside, crime, homelessness

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Homelessness in our own Backyard!

Thu, 21 May 2009 08:54:52

In a country such as Canada, one of the wealthiest nations in the world, it is intolerable that people are homeless in our very own community. The HIV infection rate in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside is the highest rate in the western world. There are about 200 homeless people in the Tri Cities suburbs located in Greater Vancouver. Out of the downtown east side population of 12,000 people, 8,000 are below the poverty line. Any other community in Canada who has 67% of their population below the poverty line would receive immediate attention! Why have we chosen to ignore this problem and drive by the downtown east side, doors locked, as we make our way to Vancouver? For decades politicians have failed to address this problem, and it''s time for us to investigate the underlying reasons behind homelessness, and put a stop for it once and for all! Homelessness is unacceptable, and I would like to explore the causes of this problem, and the factors which continue to sustain its existence in our own city. Let''s eliminate homelessness in our own backyard, and make this a key issue as we discuss social problems in Vancouver.

Keywords: homelessness Vancouver poverty HIV/AIDS politics

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DTES Aesthetic Revitalization

Tue, 19 May 2009 23:09:10

The Downtown Eastside sticks out like a sore thumb. And if the thumb- which has enabled humans to be more dexterous, develop more accurate fine motor skills and use tools to create a civilization- really is the duo-phalangied backbone of evolution, then the Downtown Eastside is one sore thumb that really needs to be healed. Like the thumb from the fingers, the DTES is different. It is a community that is different financially, economically, socially, and demographically. But more obviously, it is a community that is different aesthetically. If you''re driving along Hastings, you pass the sails of Canada Place, the cobbled streets of Gastown, the trendy boutiques, the cafes, and the studio spaces. Then all of a sudden, you take one more step and you know you''re in the DTES. And how do you know you''re there? Because all of the shops are barricaded in with iron fences and padlocks on the doors. Because there are no flowers and plants. Because there are broken windows and graffiti on the walls. Because, although construction is sprawling everywhere else, most of the spaces are empty and there are few commercial shops. Because there is hardly any light radiating from building windows. Because there''s litter on the ground and a general ambience of grey. If the DTES keeps sticking out like a sore thumb, how will the community gain enough confidence to pick up its tools?

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