Tragedies & Strategies

As there are no solutions to Insite since it's not a problem, I'd like to use this post to address the issue of addiction and the social justice issues accompanied by it. In Canada we have the bureaucratic approach we call the "Four Pillars Plan".

1. Prevention
2. Treatment
3. Enforcement
4. Harm Reduction

This plan is a bit lopsided as more government resources are spent on the "prevention" and "enforcement" aspects. Insite opened as a part of the "harm reduction" pillar, the one most left behind.

Now, let's look at this more specifically. Have you ever driven down E. Hastings or by accident strolled down there on a downtown excursion? Anyone will tell you to avoid that part of town but what you're doing is avoiding the people and the issues. This leads to the inevitable invisibility that people who live on the streets continually face. All those faceless homeless addicts have tragic stories behind them. They had families, friends, lovers and enemies. These people are too often referred to as "burdens of society". Let's imagine this was you after years of making the wrong choices and losing all the power and control of your life and ending up on the streets. Your life becomes bleak when your circumstances change like that. Now imagine if a stranger comes by and starts a conversation with you and buys you lunch. Just like that a spark goes off in your heart and you become human again! We need to be a society where no one is less important than others, where we provide basic human needs and compassion. We need to see people as individuals and provide specific help rather than an unhelpful umbrella solution.

Some people may have mental illnesses. Some may be the product of an unforgiving foster care system. They may have been sexually abused or abandoned. Or they may have led happy lives until drugs had them trapped in a death grip. We can show all these people a bit of love and care. To know they still belong can brighten their day and help rebuild themselves from their core with self esteem.

Maybe next time you end up on the downtown eastside, be at purposely or accidently, why not tell that lady you love her shoes? Maybe let that man shaking and leaning against a wall know that he has striking eyes or perhaps starting a conversation and buying them lunch?

All portraits courtesy of Lung S Liu. Here's his blog post with even more beautiful portraits for you to enjoy