Homelessness Hunger Strike Relay - Day 4

http://www.2010homelessness.ca/

Well today I had to be up and out and at a workshop at 7 am. ugh. And didn't go to sleep any earlier than usual, perhaps even later than usual. So combine that with not eating, my body rebelled a little today. Nothing I can't handle, she says smugly. That's because I was able to have a nap after work.
I have somewhere to nap.
I also have hoodies to keep me warm during the day, because despite the quite reasonable weather we're having, I find that my body temperature isn't matching everyone else's. I'm cold. I wasn't as hungry today and not as bothered by the smell of food. But I was cold and not keen on doing or starting any work that requires sustained concentration. I really would have preferred to start that nap much earlier in the day!

One of the (many) tragedies of homelessness is that (actually it's like a lot of other issues in our society) it's something no one wants to take responsibility for and really it will take everyone's efforts to work on. In particular, the 3 main levels of government in our country - municipal, provincial and federal - verbally pass it around like a hot potato. One group may make a (very public) effort to show it cares, like buying buildings to renovate and use, but did it consult with the other 2 about how best to allocate and maintain resources in the long term? Did they ever plan to work together?

I think this is how politics works now for everything. We do things to be popular, to get re-elected and probably make some money, and have no interest in a social legacy for the collective. Even when hard work goes into careful planning, someone always manages to pull the plug on some aspect of the plan, which causes it to crumble and leaves us struggling with piecemeal solutions to big issues. I'm thinking here specifically of the 4 Pillars Drug Strategy for the City of Vancouver. One of the reasons that InSite has had to struggle so hard to stay operating is because it was part of a collective plan that required the support of all levels of government. They came up with the plan but didn't follow through on it. This creates a culture of 'disaster response' to issues rather than a livable society. This is why the call for a National Housing Plan based on the One Percent Solution.