Homelessness in the NE Webinar Follow-Up

Many of our city’s panhandlers are dealing with the interaction of a number
of complex issues. Even if you don’t give them money, we can acknowledge the person. A simple smile or a “hello” demonstrates a level of dignity and a demonstration of our common humanity. You can try to talk with those individuals about what their needs might be and find out if they know about some of the services available in the community – chances are they already know. They might even be connected with a program and just waiting for a space to open up in a Housing Program. Most often, long-term solutions involve government intervention – asking your government officials to fund things like affordable housing, outreach programs, community services…etc or educating yourself about your community and what resources exist already that you can lend support to.

In terms of an individual who is “aggressive” as in they are walking in and
among the cars… if you are not planning on engaging with that person then you can just smile if they near you or pass your window but leave it at that – nothing wrong with that (and be aware of course since they are walking in traffic!). If you want to do more than that but you still are not planning on giving money, you can always just kind of call-out as they pass you and ask how they are doing, maybe make a quip about your dogs not liking strangers if they are barking loud. Makes it a positive, no-big-deal interaction. If they are being more forward and tapping on your car or such (to be clear, I’ve never seen this but in case that is what you mean), a smile and a sort of shrug to say you don’t have anything for them is likely enough engagement for them to reach out to someone else.

In terms of an individual who is “aggressive” and you and they are both on the street where the possibility of violence does exist or you are trying to walk past their spot on the street and they are blocking you from doing that, I would suggest that you try to engage in brief dialogue to establish a sense of rapport but also to establish boundaries for yourself (can even help to distract them so that you can pass easily). If there is a lot of aggression already there, maybe some physically aggressive movements or a lot of shouting or yelling, you can certainly cross to the other side of the street so that you feel more comfortable, that is fine. If you feel okay engaging or you’re trying to get into a building and you need to pass them to get inside, for example, something that might be helpful is a “Hey, how’s it going?” – even if you don’t wait for an answer and you use it as a distraction in order to pass. Feel free to use disengaging language, such as “Hey – I’m so sorry, I’m in a huge rush”….etc. If you can make eye contact when you say it, that is better. Try not to shrink away too much, if you can make yourself a little bigger, stand up taller – that gives its own protection as well – not in a challenging way, just in a confident or assured way. If it isn’t necessarily aggressive in terms of physically but just that they are really persistent with their ask, let them tell their story (if you can) and then if you want to give, do, but if you don’t, you can say that too – e.g. “I can’t help, I’m sorry. I hope you have a good day…etc.” And like any situation where you feel you are at risk of being physically harmed, you can call 9-1-1.

A tent city or even designated places to camp doesn’t address long-term
solutions for homelessness and can also create complex situations in terms of social disorder, safety (for individuals camping and the public) or waste (think of how much garbage a house generates… and houses at least have the means to dispose of it all!). The best solution is housing with supports so that individuals can have a sense of security while they work on other life management.

Regarding drug treatment beds, it is great that the government is investing in
those facilities because there is a demand for more beds. Organizations that work
around mental health and addiction are able to share this information with clients and work with the treatment facilities to refer clients who are interested. Alpha House’s Detox program, for example, will have the opportunity to add this increased capacity to the referral process.

As for the City’s role, one of the core elements of the Community Action on Mental
Health and Addiction strategy, which is currently being developed, is strengthening access and navigation. This includes finding ways to make it easier for Calgarians to get the help they need. This happens in the communities where people live and that’s where we’re focusing.

Individual choice is really important for Alpha House and our work; it’s
important to us that clients determine the pace and trajectory of their journey because they are human and have the right to self-determination like anyone. Unless someone is actively engaging in illegal behavior or deemed a risk to themselves or others from a mental health perspective, they have the same rights as any citizen to be on the street.

To your underlying point though, there is certainly room for conversations around safety and harm and what is in the best interest of the client and the public and how we, as a society, can be responsive to both.

Here is the link to one of the many iterations of the Brain Story training https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/what-we-know/the-brain-story You can also visit www.ticcollective.ca for other resources around being trauma informed.

First, it’s helpful to know what your City Councillor is already doing in your
neighbourhood to increase access to services or to increase services in general.
Second, learning more about what the Community Association offers in your
neighbourhood is really important because a lot of the time they have services people don’t even realize exist or can provide information about services in the area. You can also find out if a City of Calgary Community Social Worker is working in your community and talk to them about what’s available and what concerns you have. Often there are people already doing work around these issues and it is a matter of seeking them out and identifying ways to support, or provide constructive criticism. If you find that there isn’t anything, a good place to start is with your City Councillor to raise your concerns and work with your neighbours to identify what your community needs are.