Tired of Handouts

[Mastercraft69]

Wow just finished watching BCTV and the tent city issue there. I have to say I am sick and tired of the freeloaders expecting the working class people to support them their whole life!! I work, pay taxes, support the economy and pay a mortgage. Who helps me?? ME! Then I learn there is a new housing development at 425 Leon Ave paid for by tax dollars through BC Housing. So being the curious type I walked through the doors the other day and would suggest anyone that lashes out at me for this post to do the same. Absolutely disgusting !!! Want to shoot up walk on in!! No registration required. How does this help the people with addiction recover??? I'm completely shocked the City of Kelowna allows free use of any narcotic you want within the open market on Leon.

[Catsumi]

This is the NEW Canada where anything goes.

[AlienSoldier]

We've tried the hard method where we restrict people, put them in jail force them into treatment center.

This isn't a "new" method, this is, "we've tried your way, so lets try something different" method. It means respecting people, not isolating them or forcing them and dealing with the underlying issues.

Like neutering pets, you won't see the benefits today, maybe 5 10 years from now. Give it time.

Also, those "handouts" are societies safety nets, we all get them directly or indirectly. If your Canadian and went to university or college, you were compensated to some degree. If you collected benefits on your tax returns or had kids, governments gave you money. Collecting CPP, OAS, etc., same thing. Those safety nets are what as made this country great and they should be in place.

[artistwithaflare]

Wow just finished watching BCTV and the tent city issue there. I have to say I am sick and tired of the freeloaders expecting the working class people to support them their whole life!! I work, pay taxes, support the economy and pay a mortgage. Who helps me?? ME! Then I learn there is a new housing development at 425 Leon Ave paid for by tax dollars through BC Housing. So being the curious type I walked through the doors the other day and would suggest anyone that lashes out at me for this post to do the same. Absolutely disgusting !!! Want to shoot up walk on in!! No registration required. How does this help the people with addiction recover??? I'm completely shocked the City of Kelowna allows free use of any narcotic you want within the open market on Leon.

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Walking into a shelter was brave of you!
...did to talk to anyone in charge? How many volunteer hours did you sign up for?
Only those who work in Outreach (the other side of the fence) know whats really going on!
I learnt first hand that substance abuse is an epidemic(everywhere!) so, expecting the homeless shelters to ban it is impossible! This is a way of life for many(unfortunately). Drug addicts attract other users and all the users attract the dealers! I witnessed this first hand! When the 'clean' homeless come in for help they are terrified about spending any time in or even near a shelter!! so, they avoid them all together! These are the vulnerable homeless that need help!
Not everyone is asking for a hand out(or, on drugs)....some people just need help.
EVERY community offers REHAB but, the addicts need to do all the work. As we look(and pay!) for solutions to this problem; we need to also see the reality. Nothing is going to change but we will keep spending tax dollars to make it look like we are helping. Grand Standing makes our officials look good! But, who are we actually helping?????????????

[WalterWhite]

It's only going to get worse - but it could be a lot worse here than it is. Christmas Day downtown LA on Skid Row:

[LANDM]

It's only going to get worse - but it could be a lot worse here than it is. Christmas Day downtown LA on Skid Row:

It’s basically a clean, less problematic version of East Hastings.

[jimmy4321]

IF churches or places of worship are still property tax exempt in BC or have ANY sort of TAX exemption, they should provide a roof over their heads overnight.
Most these churches are planted on prime property.

[JayByrd]

Mastercraft if you indeed set foot in this facility, I'm surprised you'd refer to it as a housing development when it is in fact a shelter. Or maybe to you the terms are interchangeable, fair enough.

And it's not meant to get people off drugs, it's meant to keep them alive and somewhat safe.

There are people and organizations that help the homeless in our community not by trying to get them off drugs (it won't work) or telling them to "straighten up and fly right". They simply aim to be compassionate and ease suffering. They realize that people are going to "do what they do" regardless, so they simply offer some safety and support. If you think this effort is wasted or counter-productive, you're not alone.

As for every church turning their space into a homeless shelter, it's a good idea in theory, but I'm not sure the logistics of it hold up. Our churches do quite a bit to help the suffering and the underprivileged in our communities, though maybe not as much as some expect.

And finally, to the OP, the homeless population doesn't "expect" handouts from your hard-earned tax dollars blah blah blah. But they take advantage of what's offered. If you had to choose between sleeping beside a dumpster, or in a shelter, what would you do?

[the truth]

Wow just finished watching BCTV and the tent city issue there. I have to say I am sick and tired of the freeloaders expecting the working class people to support them their whole life!! I work, pay taxes, support the economy and pay a mortgage. Who helps me?? ME! Then I learn there is a new housing development at 425 Leon Ave paid for by tax dollars through BC Housing. So being the curious type I walked through the doors the other day and would suggest anyone that lashes out at me for this post to do the same. Absolutely disgusting !!! Want to shoot up walk on in!! No registration required. How does this help the people with addiction recover??? I'm completely shocked the City of Kelowna allows free use of any narcotic you want within the open market on Leon.

agree 100% , and you are 100% correct

[the truth]

Wow just finished watching BCTV and the tent city issue there. I have to say I am sick and tired of the freeloaders expecting the working class people to support them their whole life!! I work, pay taxes, support the economy and pay a mortgage. Who helps me?? ME! Then I learn there is a new housing development at 425 Leon Ave paid for by tax dollars through BC Housing. So being the curious type I walked through the doors the other day and would suggest anyone that lashes out at me for this post to do the same. Absolutely disgusting !!! Want to shoot up walk on in!! No registration required. How does this help the people with addiction recover??? I'm completely shocked the City of Kelowna allows free use of any narcotic you want within the open market on Leon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Walking into a shelter was brave of you!
...did to talk to anyone in charge? How many volunteer hours did you sign up for?
Only those who work in Outreach (the other side of the fence) know whats really going on!
I learnt first hand that substance abuse is an epidemic(everywhere!) so, expecting the homeless shelters to ban it is impossible! This is a way of life for many(unfortunately). Drug addicts attract other users and all the users attract the dealers! I witnessed this first hand! When the 'clean' homeless come in for help they are terrified about spending any time in or even near a shelter!! so, they avoid them all together! These are the vulnerable homeless that need help!
Not everyone is asking for a hand out(or, on drugs)....some people just need help.
EVERY community offers REHAB but, the addicts need to do all the work. As we look(and pay!) for solutions to this problem; we need to also see the reality. Nothing is going to change but we will keep spending tax dollars to make it look like we are helping. Grand Standing makes our officials look good! But, who are we actually helping?????????????

you say --every community offers rehab but the addicts need to do all the work--- god forbid they have to do something for themselves
you say --when the clean homeless come in for help they are terrified--- well you got that right, yes we should help the homeless, but the criminal junkies, no

[trapp]

We've tried the hard method where we restrict people, put them in jail force them into treatment center.

This isn't a "new" method, this is, "we've tried your way, so lets try something different" method. It means respecting people, not isolating them or forcing them and dealing with the underlying issues.

Like neutering pets, you won't see the benefits today, maybe 5 10 years from now. Give it time.

Also, those "handouts" are societies safety nets, we all get them directly or indirectly. If your Canadian and went to university or college, you were compensated to some degree. If you collected benefits on your tax returns or had kids, governments gave you money. Collecting CPP, OAS, etc., same thing. Those safety nets are what as made this country great and they should be in place.

Just to get the record straight CPP is not a handout, nor is it funded by government. It is paid for by working people and their employers. It is our (working people) money and it is our right to collect it at retirement.

[AlienSoldier]

We've tried the hard method where we restrict people, put them in jail force them into treatment center.

This isn't a "new" method, this is, "we've tried your way, so lets try something different" method. It means respecting people, not isolating them or forcing them and dealing with the underlying issues.

Like neutering pets, you won't see the benefits today, maybe 5 10 years from now. Give it time.

Also, those "handouts" are societies safety nets, we all get them directly or indirectly. If your Canadian and went to university or college, you were compensated to some degree. If you collected benefits on your tax returns or had kids, governments gave you money. Collecting CPP, OAS, etc., same thing. Those safety nets are what as made this country great and they should be in place.

Just to get the record straight CPP is not a handout, nor is it funded by government. It is paid for by working people and their employers. It is our (working people) money and it is our right to collect it at retirement.

I was considering it a handout since it is similar to a tax on all who work. Some of us will get much more out of it than others since it is based not on what you put in but on your wealth and other investments when you retire. Also I put it in this category since it is the government that collects and manages the funds until they are paid out to the recipients.

[the truth]

where the junkies put in nothing and get, want everything for free

[Jonrox]

If the handouts were cutoff, I think a lot of you would be surprised at how much more you would in fact start paying as the long-term ramifications of doing so would eventually take hold. Healthcare and legal costs alone would skyrocket and you'd see an increase to your tax bill... not the other way around.

[the truth]

fyi ,already to late , like you said --hand outs, --- it should be hand up