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New to Midland, I love walking the quaint and handsome residential districts surrounding its King Street business districts. Generational colonials in great shape with decent yards and traditional charm. Appealing to esthetic tourists, I’m sure.
However, we all know that since roughly 2015, Canadian homelessness and substance use have skyrocketed with the inclusion of both housing costs and the destructive drugs that exacerbate homelessness a good deal of the time. For years, provincial homeless make the rounds, migrate and go from place to place in search of ample resources to not only survive, but to turn their personal situation around if possible.
I understand Midland’s traditional appeal and desire to keep things simple and low-key, yet, like it or not, modern trends in poverty and homelessness will be accommodated one way or another in coming years, either to a place’s advantage or detriment.
I notice a surprising lack of social services and a lack of inter-agency communication that, I must say, is not quite typical of a town the size of Midland. Homeless Canadians will no doubt be drawn to the relative safety and simplicity of such a community as this and oppositional policies of social isolation, and removal and reduction of resources will not (I repeat, will not) repel the coming onslaught of those in need that is sure to come quite soon.
It shows a thoroughly modern intellect to expect and prepare for the unexpected, and Midland has no social contingency plan that I can see — really, its only error.
Look at Medicine Hat, Alta. Its housing-first approach ensures that no one spends more than 10 days on its streets. It has had wide success in tourism, local business and hospitality because of this.
It’s actually a form of long-term savings as well.
Tyler J. Dunlop
Midland
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