Fight Ghettoization and Create Employment Opportunities
[1 Comments] [ 4 Votes]Friday, 26 June 2009 @ 11:35
I believe addressing poverty requires a multi-focused approach. From working in the DTES, I have realized that the issues of poverty and homelessness are deep-rooted, and complex. Thus, I believe we must address systemic causes of these problems to find meaningful solutions.
Step One: Fight Ghettoization
Vancouver needs better urban planning to end the ghettoization of the DTES. We must stop marginalizing our poor. The DTES is an inescapable hell for its residents. They face incredible prejudice outside of their community, and become trapped in it. Thus, it is increasingly impossible for anyone to break cycles of poverty or addiction. Low-income and subsidized housing programs, along with treatment and resource centres, need to be developed in all neighbourhoods throughout the city. There should be campaigns to encourage all Vancouver communities to create potential designs for what their new integrated neighbourhoods would look like. Competitions for residents, planners and students would allow this process to be engaging and transparent. Spreading low-income housing throughout the city does not mask the problem of poverty. Rather, it stops the marginalizing of people based on their socioeconomic status.
Step Two: Employment
I work with many people displaced by dying industries, specifically fishing and forestry. Solving homelessness is not just about providing beds. It requires the creation of meaningful employment opportunities for displaced trades people. Skills upgrade and apprenticeship programs need to be more readily available. These systems must also include supports for multi-barriered people who wish to participate.