In wealthy nations such as Canada homelessness has been with us for quite a while. It is an invisible problem to many but not to those on 10-year waiting lists for an affordable apartment or room.
How did we get here? We still trust that a market economy will do what is right while ignoring unemployment, wages that do not cover basic food and shelter, and inadequate stocks of affordable housing. Belief in the wisdom of the marketplace has led us to blame individuals for their misfortune and to neglect community responsibility.
Another issue has reared its head: statelessness. Millions of people across the globe flee war and natural disasters. Again we are challenged to consider our responsiblity for the basic needs of human beings in our midst.
:
moving from place to place
with no fixed address
invisible souls
in this broken society
only an old myth matters
:
In the rural county where I live I have noticed an increasing attention to the plight of people without shelter. A landowner who invited a couple in need to live in a trailer on his land found himself helping out more people. He is now in trouble with the municipality as trailers he set up on his property violate zoning bylaws.
:
hidden survivors
like ants under a boulder
their lives unknown
:
©️2018 Ontheland
Reflections about a cause for Haikai Challenge #48 Causes
It is s growing problem throughout the world. Interesting post.
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Same problems here in the UK…… no one seems to have a solution apart from negative moves from our Local Council to levy Fines homeless street sleepers. Just where they get the money to pay fines from is not known. They also suggest the problem should be handled by Charity Organisations that were set up to help the less fortunate. Sounds OK until you realise that the same council has cut or removed grants and funding for those charities. All this in a so called prosperous country. very sad
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Yes it is sad and I think it comes from beliefs that need to be dusted off and re-examined.
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It needs much more than a dust off. Sadly it is the voluntary community and charities that are doing there best to make up for a Government that id austerity driven and anxious to pass the buck to others rather than take responsibility.
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It is sad that those with a good heart end up on the wrong side of judicial laws what with zoning and such. Government is not solving the problem and laws in place are forbidding those who would be humane to do so…sad circumstance in U.S. as well.
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It is sad. At least the council has restrained itself from outright prosecution. I am hoping they’ll find a way to be creative about the situation. Time will tell.
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Reblogged this on Frank J. Tassone and commented:
#Haiku Happenings #2: Janice’s latest #tankaprose and #haibun for my current #haikai challenge!
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Thank you, Frank.
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My pleasure, Janice! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
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Fabulous tribute for the lost silent souls wandering this Earth. 😎🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
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It’s a huge, growing problem everywhere, and it seems all the more “prevalent” when suddenly, we see homeless people in rural areas. And there just aren’t enough services available, locally. But this “trend” will continue, and governments, at all levels, and communities, are going to have to come together and find much better means and ways of managing.
I really wish that the Liberal government would “fast-track” that proposed initiative that is based on providing all Canadians with a minimum standard of income – much like what has been done in other European countries, in order to help people at the very least, meet the minimum requirements for living a “better” life; the basics of safe, affordable shelter/housing, food, clean water, heat (electricity) shouldn’t be decisions that are weighed in black and white. And it most certainly wouldn’t create a “welfare” state. I mean really, how is anyone supposed to even get by, or even thrive, or hope, dream, succeed, on the pittance that welfare offers?
*sigh* … of course, this isn’t an easy solution, because then we need to address “affordable housing” etc. etc. and so, all these “outdated” aspects of some of the better social services we have in place here, start to fall to pieces.
It just strikes me as awful, for as much as Canada is such a great land, and for all of our wealth, abundance and prosperity, we still have far too many people who go hungry, who are homeless, and who are left to fall into the shadows.
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sadly this problem is here in New Zealand as well – and for the same reasons
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It’s a major flaw in our societies.
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Super motivational and directly related to a project I’m working on. Thank you for sharing this and providing a boost when I really needed it.
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