The homeless in winter

13 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2008-12-14 08:35

Manitoba Girl

"Is anybody home? Paul Miscavish shouts.

Photographer Boris Minkevich and I are sliding down the icy bank of the Red River, a few blocks from the Alexander Docks, on a dark and frigid night. We're looking for a man named Mike, who's said to be camping here.

It's about 10 p.m. It's been snowing all day, but we come across fresh footprints, so we know Mike passed this way recently.

Miscavish knows the territory. His life used to be like Mike's: drinking too much, sleeping where he could, staying alive. Now he's been off the street for nearly four months, living at Mainstay, transitional housing run by the Main Street Project.

We met him there and now he's volunteered to be our guide to this hidden world.

It's 25 below zero and the wind, though light, pushes the windchill to minus 34. Miscavish presses ahead on Mike's trail and then calls back: "There's a bonfire going. Come warm up."

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/the_homeless_in_winter.html

Give

Sun, 2008-12-14 10:06

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

They don't have homeless people in Cuba.

[img]http://www.free-blinkies.com/blinkie-maker/img/777629001229223584.gif[/img]

Sun, 2008-12-14 10:09

Unionist

And they don't rely on charity to house, feed, heal, and educate their people.

In Winnipeg and other cities, despite the efforts of the Main Street Project and other selfless volunteer agencies, we sentence a number of citizens to death by exposure every winter.

Sun, 2008-12-14 10:22

remind

Yep, and its gotta be bad right now even in Vancouver, I hope Robertson immediately gave the money he said he would to get the homeless off of the streets right now in Vancouver. It is damn cold even there right now. With 4000 homeles they needed to open 2500 more shelter beds.

___________________________________________________________
"watching the tide roll away"

Sun, 2008-12-14 10:25

Unionist

I don't know if anyone can find recent or comprehensive stats on this, but the Canadian Medical Association said that in 1995 alone, 91 Canadians died of hypothermia.

Sun, 2008-12-14 19:57

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

There were 86 hypothermia deaths in 1997.

[img]http://www.free-blinkies.com/blinkie-maker/img/777629001229223584.gif[/img]

Sun, 2008-12-14 20:39

Fidel

I think it's ridiculous that Canadians are surrounded by an ocean of timber with which homes are built, and yet there is homelessness. In Venezuela, if one can find a piece of property to build a new home, the government will deliver all the materials necessary to build one. They aren't million dollar haciendas but serve the purpose just the same.

Viva La Revolución

Sun, 2008-12-14 22:06

old_bolshie

Quote:
They don't have homeless people in Cuba.

Haven't spent much time in the back streets of Havana have you Pilgrim?

Quote:
In Venezuela, if one can find a piece of property to build a new home, the government will deliver all the materials necessary to build one

Not quite.

First you have to grease the palm of whoever takes applications, then more to '[i]move up[/i]' the list, then more to have the goods actually delivered without '[i]shortages[/i]', of course all of this is dependent on how tight you are with the neighbourhood commitee who oversee all apsects of neighbourhood life.

They too accept '[i]donations[/i]'-it's an ingrained part of Venesolano life after all-[i]'traditional'[/i] one could say.

There's a similar programme in Costa Rica has been for years-it's results in miles and miles of shacks on what was once arable land, people sit and wait for '[i]aid[/i]' since they aren't encouraged to produce any food on their own and their is no work in the Bantustans.

This is exactly what was predicted to happen back in the laste 80's when I lived there-rural slums steeped in despair.

Mon, 2008-12-15 09:27

Star Spangled C...

Unionist wrote:

In Winnipeg and other cities, despite the efforts of the Main Street Project and other selfless volunteer agencies, we sentence a number of citizens to death by exposure every winter.

I've been to Winnipeg in the winter and would be shaking and shivering after being outside for 5 minutes. I honestly don't know how the hell anyone could survive those winters without a good roof over their heads.

Mon, 2008-12-15 12:02

#10

Polly B

Here in GP the homeless were warming up at the local public library..then one of our more popular radio djs (he's an asshat) went on the air to complain. Apparently he had some issues with his daughters having to mingle with the great unwashed when they checked out their books. He had a great time poking fun at the "bums and crackheads" and slagging them for hitting on his daughters. GAaaa. Now apparently we are getting security on the public library, to keep the public out.

Mon, 2008-12-15 14:54

#11

Fidel

old_bolshie wrote:

Quote:
They don't have homeless people in Cuba.

Haven't spent much time in the back streets of Havana have you Pilgrim?

Cuba's homeless are mainly a result of hurricanes. The state does its best to build new ones, but building materials are at a premium in Cuba with the genocidal sanctions making things like even plywood expensive to import.

In Canada, there was homelessness in the early 1970's but not the problem it is today since neoliberal capitalism says that "wealth creation" is a mere matter of speculating on inflated real estate and other prices in creating bubble economies. There weren't many food banks here in the mid 70's either. Today a large number of Canadians depend on them while our fossil fuel reserves and massive amounts of hydroelectric power are siphoned off to the USSA to prop up a false economy in that country.

Quote:
There's a similar programme in Costa Rica has been for years-it's results in miles and miles of shacks on what was once arable land, people sit and wait for '[i]aid[/i]' since they aren't encouraged to produce any food on their own and their is no work in the Bantustans.

This is exactly what was predicted to happen back in the laste 80's when I lived there-rural slums steeped in despair.

Colombia is a U.S. client state and owns the highest unemployment rate in Latin America. So what's wrong in free market Colombia? And Haiti, that free market shithole just 55 miles from Cuba?

Mon, 2008-12-15 15:17

#12

Fleabitn2

One must understand that homelessness is an essential component of corporate compliance. The homeless provide a prominent example of your future if you do not grovel to your corporate masters on bended knee. You must always remember your place in the slave economy; step out of line from corporate orthodoxy and you will suffer the consequences. The homeless are there to remind you to shut up and remember yourself lucky to have a job.

AS the RCMP execution division reminds us: 'Comply or die.'

Mon, 2008-12-15 15:36

#13

Fidel

Monte Solberg says Canadians are just lazy and that handouts to the poor are a bad investment. This is our minister of HR and social development. Monte has attained an ultimate level of incompetency in life with a government that has just 22 percent of registered voter support.