The Regina YMCA has released responses on homelessness it received from Saskatchewan Party candidates vying to become the next premier.
That a Regina-based organization has undertaken the initiative to gauge the vision the candidates, one of whom will become the province’s Premier, does not take away from the issue of homelessness being something the entire province needs to focus attention on.
We have repeatedly been told by our current government how well they have done in growing the province’s economy through their reign, and how they have set in motion policies leading to a growth in our population.
But the question then becomes how homelessness is still an issue?
That question becomes more galvanized when one considers the extended cold streak this province has endured since well before Christmas.
For most of us it is quite simply impossible to even begin to imagine what it must be like for someone to come to the end of their day and not have a place to go too that they can reasonably call their home.
Think of the situation as darkness comes early at this time of year, and you’re faced with the reality of needing to find a bed in some shelter, or face the very real possibility that you might have to spend the night on the street, the temperatures slipping ever lower, the wind chill rising to dangerous levels.
And the issue of homelessness might well grow.
Recent Statistics Canada numbers are not exactly positive for Saskatchewan, showing 37,000 people unemployed, and a 6.4 per cent unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted), the second-highest in the country with only the Maritimes higher.
The numbers get worse if you are a youth or Aboriginal with a 13.3 per cent unemployment rate among youths, and a 14.6 per cent unemployment rate among Aboriginal people.
Those without a job are certainly vulnerable to joining the homeless.
And there are other indicators that issues such as homelessness may grow if a unified effort is not made to change things.
“One third of Canadians have stretched themselves so thin that they can no longer cover monthly bills and debt payments, according to a survey released Monday that paints a disconcerting picture of household finances in this country ahead of the Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision,” notes www.bnn.ca
“Thirty-three per cent of respondents to the MNP survey, conducted by Ipsos, admitted to being stretched beyond their means on a monthly basis, marking an eight-point increase since MNP’s last survey in September. Meanwhile, almost half (48 per cent) of respondents said they only have a $200-buffer to cover their obligations.”
As the financial crunch of debt grows, and jobs become harder to come by, the potential to fall into a situation of walking the streets in search of a bed have to increase.
It is something we as citizens need to make sure the new Premier and the soon to be elected new leader of the opposition are focused on dealing with.
