Homeless 'crisis' Hurting Revitalization

Marty Hope, Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, September 29, 2007

Until definitive action is taken to house the homeless, changing the profile of downtown Calgary will not succeed, says an official tackling the growing problem.

"We will not regenerate the downtown until we have homes for everyone," says Wayne Stewart, president and CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation. "The East Village plan is in jeopardy until we have homes for all."

The former oilpatch executive -- who has become a strong advocate in the battle to reduce, if not eliminate homelessness in Calgary -- says the situation is at a "crisis level."

He is continuing to push civic officials to review their priorities.

An estimated 58,000 Calgary households are at risk of losing their homes because they are using more than the recommended 30 per cent of household income to keep a roof over their heads.

All it will take, in many cases, is one family crisis to tip the financial scales and put those people on the street, says Stewart.

"The face of those without homes is changing," he says. "More than half now have jobs and on a given night, there are 145 families using shelters."

Stewart was making the comments as part of activities related to the recent Homeless Awareness Week, but he adds that it's a problem that is with the city 52 weeks a year -- and something must be done about it.

Stewart believes there is a direct correlation between crime, drugs and homelessness.

"We will not stop crime in the downtown until we solve the homeless problem," he says. "We will be further ahead with a council committed to housing those in need first and crime second."

He uses the successful Housing First concept that's being used in the United States as a model of what should be done in Calgary.

The strategy behind the idea is to get those in need into a more permanent housing environment, not a shelter.

Those behind the program believe the causes and effects of homelessness cannot be resolved as long as people reside in the shelter system.

"Housing First places people in housing without first requiring them to be clean, sober and fully mentally capable," says Stewart. "We must accept people as they are, get them into a stable, safe environment, and then work on their issues."

The Calgary Homeless Foundation has partnered with the Calgary Region Home Builders Association and Horizon Housing to create the Bob Ward Residence, as well as the Inglewood Project, to provide affordable housing for Calgary's needy.

Stewart says a longer-term goal is to have similar residences in place in all quadrants of the city.