Is this documentary by Journey Home misleading to you?

[Fancy]

Castanet has posted about this before:

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/2 ... s-and-Them

[dle]

I went to the links. The article is written by Castanet. Go to the source.
https://www.journeyhome.ca/us-them-film/

right, it's a Castanet article quoting Dr. Kyleen Myrah of Journey Home and it's her commenting I was referring to here. I will check out the link....

[Fancy]

Take quotes with a grain of salt - they aren't always accurate.

[Gilchy]

Seriously, watch the movie. There’s no dancing around issues. Branding a scarlet “A” for addiction doesn’t help things.

[dle]

[quote="Gilchy"]Seriously, watch the movie. There’s no dancing around issues. Branding a scarlet “A” for addiction doesn’t help things.[/quote

Nope it sure doesn't. However, not offering the treatment/rehab housing doesn't either. Sidestepping the rights of all citizens who are NOT addicts in favour of ignoring what's ACTUALLY needed for the addicts (rehab treatment centres) seems to be where we are and that's not working to do anything except build more resentment.

Here's what I see. Governmental agencies trying to save $$ by trying to appear to be doing something by building wet housing instead of rehabs while knowing full well that allowing people to continue to do drugs doesn't help people get OFF drugs. Communities of residents and businesses who are being forced to endure the fallout of drug addiction without being given any choices on the matter which further alienates the community at large from getting involved to help lessen the angst of the addicted. Homeless, non-drug users being forced by governmental agencies to take housing within a wet housing situation if they want a roof. Addicts deciding they don't want some of the roofs being provided because there are rules and they want to live free to do what they want (no matter what it is that they want) so they are setting up camps on city sidewalks and turning them into garbage dumps and outdoor bathrooms. None of us live "free" - there are always rules - they need to get used to it.

Why are addicts' "rights" higher on the priority list than all the rest of a city's residents and businesses? Sheltering in the cold, feeding, clothing, friendship all being offered and given by very caring people yet they refuse to accept that they need to abide by some rules so a lot of them CHOOSE to form their own little army and live in the alleys and downtown streets which belong to all of us and need to be kept in clean, freely accessible, uncluttered condition by all of us, so that's not working. Our rights to enjoyment parks etc free of needles, homeless camps etc are being usurped by the addicts and apparently it's against their human rights to not allow it.

You say there is no dancing around issues? I beg to differ - seems we have a barn dance going on around here.

[the truth]

excellent post

[Fancy]

Might want to change the title of this thread since Journey Home did NOT create the documentary.

[dle]

Might want to change the title of this thread since Journey Home did NOT create the documentary.

I don't mind if someone wants to (suggestions?)....not sure what to change it to - when I posted it I was reading the Castanet article and the first paragraph is:

The Journey Home Society is putting on a 'Us & Them' film festival as part of Homelessness Action Week, which takes place Oct. 13-19.

To me the article seemed geared towards Journey Home's plan and I was only commenting on the article itself, having not read the documentary within it. I probably should have left the reference "documentary" out of the title but it all seemed to be part and parcel to me.

There are other statements in the article that led me to believe it was an article about Journey Home's program. It wouldn't be the first time Journey Home has tried to de-stigmatize the issue and the use of "us" and "them". My comments are related directly to that and the fact that the picture they used in the article doesn't really portray drug addiction as it is most known - they use a picture that is very unlike MOST drug addicts in the throes of deep addiction so that's why I went with the question of it being misleading. The article also doesn't say that the documentary within wasn't created for them and the Journey Home agency so I assumed (bad idea, yes) it was and that the Castanet article & picture was a misleading portrayal of addiction disguised as homelessness without addiction.

[Fancy]

My comments are related directly to that and the fact that the picture they used in the article doesn't really portray drug addiction as it is most known - they use a picture that is very unlike MOST drug addicts in the throes of deep addiction so that's why I went with the question of it being misleading.

It was pretty clear to me that the documentary "Us and Them" is being shown all over the Okanagan.

Locations all over the Okanagan will be screening the film on Oct. 10, which is recognized as World Homelessness Day.

The photo used is part of the documentary. It was also made very clear who the film maker was.

[dle]

My comments are related directly to that and the fact that the picture they used in the article doesn't really portray drug addiction as it is most known - they use a picture that is very unlike MOST drug addicts in the throes of deep addiction so that's why I went with the question of it being misleading.

It was pretty clear to me that the documentary "Us and Them" is being shown all over the Okanagan.

Locations all over the Okanagan will be screening the film on Oct. 10, which is recognized as World Homelessness Day.

The photo used is part of the documentary. It was also made very clear who the film maker was.

Yes, that the documentary was going to be shown in many venues was clear - I agree.

However, the words "Journey Home" are in print right at the top right of the picture itself - meaning, to me, that the picture was being used or published by their organization.

[DarbyD]

Seriously, watch the movie. There’s no dancing around issues. Branding a scarlet “A” for addiction doesn’t help things.

What doesn't work is NORMALIZING addictions and a lifestyle that supports addictions. Normalizing so a drug addict won't feel ostracized is in reality enabling their addictions.

It is not easy to come off drugs even harder if you are enabled to continue using, patted on the head and told "there there" we'll house you, and feed you, you can continue to do drugs and don't have to live by any rules that make for a peaceful law abiding existence, and we'll even bring you back if you overdose and die.

Some of us do know how hard it is to recover, and it is not because of simply having housing. Our families and friends would have given a roof PLUS love if that was all that was needed to bring loved ones off the street.

Huge credit should be given to anyone who has managed to leave a drug addicted existence behind. Recovering people have and need more supports than just a roof over their head, and that is what many of us are advocating for. What is needed is REAL addiction and mental health SUPPORT that presently costs more than homeless people can afford.

We are NOT talking about Mom, or Pop, or someone just down on their luck needing a hand up. They don't need to be around drug or mental health induced violence either. Why are we housing them together?

[dle]

The addiction to drugs is bad for everyone involved, but to each their own. If that's what they want to do fine by me.

The problem is WHAT THEY DO TO OTHERS while addicted, blaming it on the addiction, and get away with scott free. Stealing, vandalizing, assaulting others, resident property damage, civic property damage, business property damage etc, leaving their needles and garbage and worse behind them for others to clean up. This is what should not be tolerated but it is because as poster Darby just referenced, we are being asked to NORMALIZE drug addiction. There's not a damn thing "normal" about it! Just because a great many have made bad choices, or become hooked out of necessity to control pain, or because rather than spend the money to build fast-track facilities the government is trying to brain wash everyone into believing it is our "new" normal, doesn't make it normal! The addiction has to be addressed and dealt with - just giving addicts free reign to destroy doesn't do a thing. Facilities need to be built on an emergent basis to help those who don't want to be addicts any longer. Pain treatment centres, rehab centres with long term counselling and life coaching. Whatever is needed - not a one size fits all place.

No, I'm not up on a holier than thou pedestal spouting nonsense. Wet houses allow people to do drugs and then they come and go doing what they need to in order to buy those drugs, i.e. stealing from everyone else in the neighbourhood AND THEN WHEN CAUGHT RECEIVE NO PENALTY. They don't have money to buy their drugs because they can't work because they are addicted to drugs. Let's work backwards from there - get the ones who haven't destroyed their brains off drugs, back into jobs, back to having a paycheck and a life. Actions have consequences - it's how society works. Without them, it doesn't work.

Residents of wet housing are proving to be more than problematic in neighbourhoods. They are using the neighbourhoods as their own territory of "take what you want" and get away with it. No wonder the neighbourhoods take a dim view of the news one is going to be plunked in their midst. They know their rights will cease to exist while the addicts' rights will skyrocket, not to mention what their children will be exposed to seeing at young impressionable ages.

It's getting beyond stupid and people are starting to take a stance - it doesn't make them heartless or ignorant of the plight. It's them trying to be heard that productive changes are needed for everyone to co-exist peacefully. There is a more productive direction to take but it's not happening.

The answer is NOT to just let addicts be addicts and do what addicts do no matter who gets hurt.

[Gixxer]

Its a mental health and drug addiction problem. Giving a free home will not fix this.