PLATFORM - Homelessness / Mental Health

Slogan

Tough Love Is Still Love.

Philosophy

I'm a nice guy. I care about people. It really does bother me that there are so many people who are having a really hard time in life. We thankfully still have enough resources that everyone should have a good quality of life. The challenge lies in figuring out how to provide that. 

Solutions : Homeless People Who Commit Crimes

This is where the "Tough Love" comes into play. It is important to continuously remind ourselves, that for all of its faults, our Society is a compassionate one. Despite most people have plenty of their own problems, they still care about the welfare and well being of others. No one likes to think about someone else suffering, not having a place to live, to call their own. 

That said, Homeless people who commit crimes must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. 

Homeless people who commit Destructive or Violent crimes cannot be allowed to live in the City of Nanaimo with Law Abiding Citizens. 

Solutions : Understanding Nature of Person's Homelessness 

It has been said often, but it bears repeating here because it is a critical concept to understand. Each person affected by Homelessness has different reasons for being in that trying state. 

It is the same concept as mixing any materials that do not mix well together. One never gets a desirable result. For example, there is a reason plastics are separated by type. If new plastic is attempted to be created with 2 or more different types of plastics mixed together, the end result is unusable. Lumping together Homeless people with different root causes results in no resolution to the underlying issue. 

As I understand it there are 4 Root Causes of Homelessness which can sadly overlap. 

1. Substance Abuse
2. Mental Health
3. Severe Financial Difficulty
4. Personal Choice (enjoy the lifestyle)

Solutions : Interview / Engaging Proper Service to Help

• Each Homeless person needs to be interviewed to understand the nature of their Homelessness. 
• Following the Interview, the proper Service needs to be engaged. 

Solutions : Homelessness - Personal Choice

For those individuals who enjoy Homelessness as a "Lifestyle", I can appreciate the spirit of Freedom this might give someone, but Vagrancy is not an acceptable way of life in a City with Law Abiding citizens. 

Public Property is to be used as a public space within designated hours of operation. 

Private Property is private and it is unacceptable to impugn its ownership with Vagrancy. 

If one chooses to be Homeless as a "Lifestyle", I respect your decision. 

You cannot practice that Lifestyle in Nanaimo. 

I wish individuals who want to be free in this way all the best in their journeys, but Nanaimo will not be a long stop on that journey.  

If elected to City Council, I will do everything in my power to insure that Nanaimo is a City of Law and Order.  

Solutions : Temporary Shelter using Army Surplus

• The Army is well versed in preparing Emergency Shelter for soldiers
• The City could purchase these types of Shelters and set them up in Vacant Lots
• If the Homeless people have Criminal Histories, Histories of Violence, than they cannot be housed near Law Abiding Residents. They would need to be in Temporary Shelters away from other Citizens. Fairly, they should be in Jail or in Treatment. 
• For Homeless people who are peaceful, they can be housed in Temporary Shelters on Vacant Lots within the City Limits. Every effort must be made to secure them the Services they need to get their life back on track. 

Solutions : City Purchases Unused Buildings

• The City could purchase Empty Buildings and convert them into Temporary Housing
• The cost to the Taxpayers would be very high
• Full disclosure of the costs would be on the My Tax Money Nanaimo App / Website. 
• Nanaimo Taxpayers would have to decide whether they wanted to foot the bill with likely significant increases to their Taxes. 

Solutions : Reopen Riverside Hospital or Another Psychiatric Hospital

• Everyone knows it. Closing Riverside because of Woke, Progressive ideas about allowing people to be free to live their lives when they do not have the Mental wherewithal to do so was madness (literally). 
• Riverside needs to be reopened. Improved of course, using the best practices in modern Psychology, but large facilities that are equipped to treat people with Mental Health issues are an absolute necessity. 
• People who need Medications to be stable, require constant supervision to insure they are taking their medications and not posing a threat to themselves or to others. 
• It is categorically unfair to have Peaceful, Law Abiding citizens enduring the civil disorder, and potential threat to their safety from people who demonstrably need help that cannot be provided in regular Society. 
• In fact it is NEGLIGENCE on the part of the Healthcare System, to not have people with severe Mental Health in a proper Psychiatric facility.