It is not bigotry or hard-heartedness that compels parents to be concerned about a shelter for the homeless being set up near their children鈥檚 school. If a choice has to be made between their children鈥檚 safety and the well-being of homeless people, it鈥檚 a clear choice.
But it shouldn鈥檛 come down to that. As the city and the province move ahead with plans to house people from the courthouse tent city in the former Boys and Girls Club, foremost in officials鈥� minds should be safety for the students who attend nearby Central Middle School.
Society insists that we look after our children. We make them wear bicycle helmets and look both ways before crossing the street. Playgrounds have been redesigned to reduce the chance of bruises and broken bones.
We don鈥檛 allow them into theatres to see movies that contain subject matter inappropriate for their age. We sometimes go overboard in trying to reduce risks and shield them from hazards.
It is not unreasonable, therefore, to be concerned about the risks involved as middle-school students come daily in close proximity to the people who will be housed in the shelter. It would be unfair to assume every homeless person is an addict or a criminal, but among the homeless are a few with drug problems and some who are mentally unstable. The tent city has already seen a stabbing and a drug-overdose death.
Using the Yates Street facility to house some of the homeless is a good idea. It can give them a warm, safe place to sleep. It can offer a step up to better conditions, which in turn could lead to self-sufficiency.
As Don Evans, executive director of Our Place Society, says: 鈥淲hen we provide them with a home, it makes a big difference in their mental state.鈥�
At the community meeting Wednesday at the Boys and Girls Club, principal Topher Macintosh said half of the school鈥檚 527 students have already been officially identified as 鈥渁t risk.鈥�
But Evans also said: 鈥淲e believe we can create a safe environment inside the building and outside the building.鈥�
There鈥檚 an opportunity here for students to learn firsthand about social problems, and to see compassion in action. But every effort should be made to ensure their safety first.
