A Clean Downtown Eastside
By Jordan Dew

I have an Idea to solve the homeless problem and clean up the downtown east side in Vancouver.

It's pretty radical, but it will work.

If you make living on the streets, while being under the influence of drugs or alcohol illegal, the addicts will go away, or be taken into the plan I’m about to tell you.

So, its illegal to be high out of your mind, walking and stumbling around downtown now while being homeless. (unlike the way it looks now)
You get picked up by police or a new special unit, and you serve 4 months in a rehab / working camp up north or somewhere in the country.
You’re fed, clothed, and housed there. There are no drugs, no alcohol, nothing of the sort, while there they detox without a choice.
They work, doing whatever it is the country needs they all do. some can cook and wash dishes for the camp while the abled people work outside jobs.
After their 4 months, they receive a resume of their skills and job they did, and a pay cheque, (some money earned can come off to pay for their living and food expenses) and sent to a low budget housing complex, for a maximum time allowed to stay 2 months. With their money they made at camp they can afford to eat and find a place for rent, and get a job!

Since a lot are actually mentally ill, once determined clean, and still not able to grasp skills to land jobs or even work. They should be taken care of in special institutes. They are the ones suffering, not the strung out junkies who gave up.

They are now clean, and have job skills. If they decide to go back to the streets, they will just get picked up again.
In a way, its helping them. To clean up, even provide some counseling at the camp for addicts and abused people.

I think they will appreciate it in the long run, and so will the community..

there u have it =)  a clean downtown eastside... weird.

Please note: the opinions expressed in these stories are those of the authors and not necessarily shared or endorsed by Dialogue Programs