The Editor,
Re: 3030 Gordon is a 'government-funded crackhouse,' councillor says (Sept. 17, 2024)
I recently read Port Coquitlam Coun. Dean Washington’s new definition of the homeless, which he shared with Coquitlam RCMP’s superintendent in a meeting with Port Coquitlam city council.
He said, “I don’t use the word 'homeless.' I would use the term ‘People that don’t want to work.’”
As long as elected officials like Dean Washington would rather demonize the homeless for headlines, nothing will get done.
Real leaders step up and ask, “How can I help?” Bullies attack the defenceless.
I think we know which type of leader Mr. Washington is.
Instead of blaming the homeless, perhaps Mr. Washington should look at his own actions and his prioritizing of low taxes during his four terms in office and improving their city’s core instead of ensuring that there was suitable housing in his community for everyone and not just those who can afford housing.
It’s easy to cast blame and engage in name-calling; it's a lot harder to work on meaningful solutions.
The shelter at 3030 Gordon Ave., in Coquitlam, has been full since it opened in 2015 and Coquitlam has borne most of the burden associated with the homeless in our community.
What has Port Coquitlam done to help solve the problem?
It seems Mr. Washington would just prefer that the homeless stay out of his community so people can enjoy the benefits of PoCo’s new downtown.
Does Mr. Washington not realize that these homeless he complains of don’t all come from Coquitlam? They come from Port Coquitlam and Port Moody as well.
Is it any wonder we are in a homelessness crisis? We are in the midst of a toxic drug epidemic with no end in sight.
In 2022, the median rent in the Tri-Cities was $1,500. The average rent in Port Coquitlam was $1,728 with a vacancy rate of 0.5 per cent. Rents have only continued to go up. Meanwhile, the shelter rate for a single person on government assistance was increased to a paltry $500 in the 2023 NDP budget. Let that sink in.
Instead of beating up on the homeless and worrying about his own re-election prospects, Mr. Washington might instead want to focus on the cost-of-living challenges faced by his constituents — all of them, and not just the housed and business owners.
When the shelter at 3030 Gordon Ave. was first planned, both the federal and provincial governments promised to provide wrap-around services. For these services to be implemented, local municipalities need to provide land for said services. Coquitlam put up the land for the shelter at 3030 Gordon Ave.
What has Port Coquitlam put up to help facilitate the creation of these much needed services?
To solve our current crisis of homelessness, we need elected officials of all levels to work in concert to provide meaningful and long term solutions. Forcibly placing people into institutions and treatment facilities will do nothing unless we ensure there is housing and support services available to help people transition back into community.
If Mr. Washington really wants to do something more meaningful than fire off cheap insults at the homeless, he might want to consider attending a meeting of the Tri-Cities Homelessness and Housing Task Force so he can get a greater appreciation of the challenges we face in trying to solve this crisis.
-Rob Bottos, Coquitlam
