Medicine Hat becomes the first city in Canada to eliminate homelessness

[KamaAina]

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.3074402/medicine-hat-becomes-the-first-city-in-canada-to-eliminate-homelessness-1.3074742

Medicine Hat, a city in southern Alberta, pledged in 2009 to put an end to homelessness. Now they say they've fulfilled their promise.

No one in the city spends more than 10 days in an emergency shelter or on the streets. If you've got no place to go, they'll simply provide you with housing.

"We're pretty much able to meet that standard today. Even quicker, actually, sometimes," Mayor Ted Clugston tells As It Happens host Carol Off.

Housing is tight in Medicine Hat. Frequent flooding in the past few years didn't help matters. With money chipped in by the province, the city built many new homes.

Beauty, eh? Now why can't we do this in the Lower 48?

[Tace]

1. It's Just A Matter Of Political Will

Just about every problem we face as a country, as a planet, could be solved by a political will to solve them. We've got the know-how and the resources.

[roguevalley]

7. my grandpa's family lived there in the early part of the

20th century and he ran his own dairy, the Fair Deal Diary.

Socialist, my grandpa.

[MADem]

2. Will homeless people move to Medicine Hat to get a place to live?

They might not want to advertise!

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. " Now why can't we do this in the Lower 48? "

We don't see it here because we are a Christian Democracy, don't ya know, and certain people are too sinful to succeed.
You can tell who they are because they don't succeed, therefore they must be sinful.
It's God's punishment.

and only winners get help, cause they deserve it.
Cause God likes them.

[eggplant]

8. Nice narrative, but wrong.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/04/17/the-surprisingly-simple-way-utah-solved-chronic-homelessness-and-saved-millions/

[truebluegreen]

10. I believe Phoenix or Arizona is doing the same.

Exceptions that prove the rule, for now--but maybe our children is learning.

[KamaAina]

11. They've reduced homelessness

but have they completely eradicated it?

[eggplant]

12. From the article...

In 2005, Utah had nearly 1,932 chronically homeless. By 2014, that number had dropped 72 percent to 539. Today, explained Gordon Walker, the director of the state Housing and Community Development Division, the state is “approaching a functional zero.”

[KinMd]

4. I've known some people that were homeless due to alcohol or drug abuse..

...you wouldn't want them living next door to you. Point is just giving SOME homeless a place to live doesn't solve the problem

[KamaAina]

5. That's part of the Housing First approach

that has also been tried in Seattle and Utah. Turns out it's much easier to get people into treatment when they have a roof over their head. Who would have thought?

[Cleita]

6. I've had neighbors who weren't homeless that abused alcohol and drugs.

Being able to pay rent doesn't guarantee saintly neighbors.

[OnlinePoker]

9. A report from Canada's National Post with numbers

Between 2009 and Mar 2015, 885 homeless out of 61,000 were housed. 283 of those were children.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/medicine-hat-has-almost-eliminated-homelessness-by-giving-homeless-people-the-keys-to-their-own-apartments

[hifiguy]

13. Simple. The homeless don't "deserve"

a place to live. They're moochers and parasites who are actually living high on the hog thanks to the wasteful gubmint.

Don't ask about the illogic in that reichwing mindset.

[polly7]

14. I took part of my training in Medicine Hat many years ago.

It's a great place to live, the people were very friendly and welcoming. I'm so glad to see they've accomplished this.