Dear Editor, In a recent article by Author T. Emberseed, a question was posed, What price would I put on my own life? And it’s a solid question, coming from a place of compassion and understanding for any person struggling with some of the serious social life experiences that are currently taking place in many […]
Dear Editor,
In a recent article by Author T. Emberseed, a question was posed, What price would I put on my own life?
And it’s a solid question, coming from a place of compassion and understanding for any person struggling with some of the serious social life experiences that are currently taking place in many communities across Ontario and Canada right now.
However, I think the mark was when asking this question and posing it to the greater Sarnia-Lambton community in response to our lived experiences as community members of the Downtown and Heritage Districts of Sarnia.
Social responsibility is one of the key tenants of Canadian society. It came about in the 1930s in response to the Great Depression, as many of the local Church and community organizations were unable to fully shoulder the “burden” of the homeless, jobless, orphaned, and widowed persons. Both R.B. Bennett and W.L. Mackenzie King “insisted that caring for the public was a local and provincial responsibility”. (Struthers, James. "The Great Depression in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 13 August 2021, Historica Canada. www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
The Downtown and Heritage District communities are not suggesting that we do not have compassion, empathy, understanding, etc. for all the members of our community. Rather we are sharing that we too are struggling and are asking for support. For years, we have been asking for support from our local governments (city, county, province) to assist us with our most vulnerable members. Letters have been written to local governments, meetings have been held with vested community members, Neighbour Watch groups have been formed and relationships with the local police department fostered. We have also pleaded for assistance to the media and community (https://www.theobserver.ca/op
Author Emberseed, has missed the mark – and what our lawn signs are calling for. We ARE already doing our part. We are active members of the community that are trying to work with organizations like River City, Canadian Mental Health, the County of Lambton Social Services, Sarnia Police, City and County Council etc. WE are here with these community members, and we have lived experiences that impact us too.
The assertion that we do not value the life of a person struggling with mental health, homelessness, or addiction is misplaced and disrespectful to our experiences. I have called for support from our community partners on many occasions for persons who had overdosed. I have picked up discarded needles and drug paraphernalia left behind. I have been threatened with personal harm from persons in distress. I have had my house broken into and my identity stolen. I often pull medical items out of my dog’s mouth because garbage bags from a nearby dentist's office have been torn open by those struggling looking for food/resources. This morning, like many garbage day mornings, I had to put my recycling from my lawn back into the bin as it had been sorted through during the night.
It’s not about the “one-time” moments – it’s about death by a thousand cuts – these are our lived experiences that are unique to this community.
We know that supportive and affordable housing are needed for our most vulnerable. What we are asking is that the organizations that offered these supports are vetted and that there is transparency and communication with the community members who are also impacted. I too can do a google scholar search of why supportive and community housing is so crucially needed; however, in similar article to your Denver example, it did note that residents within 500 feet of the building were negatively impacted and that home prices did decline in certain locations (Galster et. Al, 2000, p. 6-1). However, the report also noted that “Context matters… It is difficult and often misleading to refer to the impacts of supportive housing, simply because do much depends on the particulars of each facility's operator, clientele, neighbourhood, and local public policy context”.
Our community has long shouldered a significant burden in supporting vulnerable populations. We are home to vital services such as RiverCity Vineyard and other crucial social service providers, and we recognize their indispensable role. However, the current situation has reached a critical point where the daily realities of increased police presence, rising crime, violence, frequent overdoses, and discarded drug paraphernalia are simply unsustainable for our residents and businesses.
A major part of this problem, we believe, stems from a perceived lack of cohesive city and county planning to properly locate much-needed affordable and supportive housing initiatives. This leads directly to our strong objection to the proposed Indwell facility on George Street. Locating such a facility in an already saturated area will unfairly impact property owners, especially those who have invested in the newly built apartments and houses on the former Bluewater Health property. These developments were undertaken with the expectation of a safe and stable living environment, an expectation that will be severely undermined by the proposed facility's proximity.
Our concerns are not hypothetical; they are rooted in direct and negative experiences. The temporary shelter at the former Central United church and the current facility at L.L. St. Matthew's have left us with little trust that local neighbours and the broader community will be adequately supported or protected from negative impacts. We've witnessed firsthand the challenges that arise when such facilities are placed in dense residential areas without sufficient foresight or mitigation strategies.
We are not disputing the critical need for affordable and supportive housing. We understand and empathize with the struggles of those experiencing homelessness and addiction. However, when we voice our legitimate concerns, we are often unfairly labelled as "NIMBYs" and antagonists. We have legitimate concerns, and dare I say fears – because of our lived experiences. This is simply not the case. We are not against solutions; we are asking that the location of these facilities be considered more in-depth and that organizations proposing these solutions are more thoroughly vetted to ensure they genuinely benefit all members of the community, not just a select few, and do not inadvertently exacerbate existing problems in specific neighbourhoods.
Respectfully, Author T. Emberseed, to respond to your question, there is no price you can put on a life, but I don’t think you asked the right question to begin with.
Sincerely,
Melissa Mitchell
