A forum aimed at addressing the homeless situation on the Semiahmoo Peninsula –planned for Gracepoint Community Church on Nov. 8 – is a commendable initiative that ought to receive widespread support.
The church aims to bring together members of “the business community, faith communities, social service agencies, the unhoused and the public” to begin a dialogue which can help us find a way out of a very complicated problem.
As Gracepoint lead pastor Rick Bayer rightly observes in a column in the Nov. 2 issue of the Peace Arch News, we must “move beyond blame and instead come together with made-on-the-peninsula solutions to help us move forward.”
People of faith groups of all kinds – and those with no particular religious affiliation – must recognize we share a common conviction that the right thing to do is to help the less fortunate in our society. And everybody can play a part in this.
It is understandable and even desirable, that we look to all levels of government for economic leadership, as well as financial help, out of the current predicament.
But nothing is more powerful than the warmth of a helping hand in our own neighborhoods.
Too often the prevailing wisdom has been to look out for “me and mine” first, to avert the eyes and slam the door, figuratively, on those in need, rather than run the risk of being taken in by some ‘scammer’ or ‘freeloader’.
Such coldness can beget an equally irresponsible attitude among some of the disadvantaged, who may lash back at what they perceive as an uncaring society by pushing boundaries, or taking what they need without invitation, creating havoc that local businesses are ill-equipped to handle.
It isn’t easy to break such fear-based cycles. Each instance of negativity feeds a dozen more, but we must act decisively to end this chain of action and reaction.
No one can expect a solution to such society-wide problems overnight, but it is only through dialogue, as Bayer suggests – and a pragmatic assessment of existing needs and resources in our own backyard – that we can begin to make progress.