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Editor's View: Shelter mats a step in the right direction

In the Nov. 8 issue of The Reminder, an Editor’s View was published on the subject of homelessness. Its message: homelessness is a community issue.
homeless

In the Nov. 8 issue of The Reminder, an Editor’s View was published on the subject of homelessness. Its message: homelessness is a community issue.

This message still rings true, and as the temperature has dipped well below zero in recent weeks, the concept of the community taking on homelessness is manifesting in a different, practical way in Flin Flon. As with most complicated issues, a permanent answer isn’t found overnight, but a temporary solution is on its way, and the community is coming together to support it.

As the Friendship Centre prepares to open its doors to shelter those without a warm place to sleep during extreme cold beginning this week, people with day jobs and roofs over their heads are coming together to make sure those using the shelter aren’t sleeping on the hard ground. 

Dozens of volunteers have pledged to create plastic mats crocheted out of grocery bags for people who use the shelter to sleep on. For the volunteers, giving up an afternoon is a little price to pay to give someone else a shred of dignity. Though mats are not, perhaps, the most comfortable solution, the Friendship Centre has not received any donations of mattresses, and the compromise will keep people off the bare ground.

Local businesses have also come on board with the project, donating thousands of plastic bags to the cause, and looking to the Facebook page where the idea was initially floated, there is a whirlwind of community support backing the project.

The support is heartening, even as some continue to misunderstand the root causes of homelessness. The coming together and the excitement about it are a testament to the heart of this community, and also a testament to its do-it-ourselves attitude. It’s an example of human compassion.

Flin Flon’s homelessness rate comes in at more than twice the national rate. This can be partly attributed to the lack of low-income housing vacancy in the area, but the reason there is no permanent homeless shelter in the area is due to lack of funding.

Those who have identified as homeless in past studies have sometimes come from out of town, making local homelessness a regional issue. This could be a benefit, if organizations could get regional funding, or a barrier, if one region looks to the other to solve the issue. As it stands, the funding simply isn’t there, and real human beings in the community are suffering in the short term because of it.

It’s expected that between six and 14 people will make use of the cold weather shelter. That’s between six and 14 people who potentially lived without shelter as temperatures dropped below -25 for weeks last year. At -25 degrees, it can take less than 30 minutes to develop frostbite. Extreme cold combined with inappropriate attire can cause hypothermia and lead to death. Flin Flon’s cold northern winters could create tragedy that, with the right resources, can be avoided.

Homelessness is an issue that affects real people. Not everyone is dealt the same lot in life, and situations change over time – it’s something that should be effectively addressed with understanding and compassion. Homelessness is an issue in Flin Flon that isn’t going anywhere, and as such can’t be ignored. Plastic mats won’t solve local homelessness, but it’s collective energy turned to helping a vulnerable population, and it’s a step in the right direction.

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