Editorial: Tent cities can't wait for long-term fixes

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Faced with more deaths in homeless encampments, including two people in Saint John this week, the governing Progressive Conservatives can’t enforce their way to a solution.

In particular, they cannot rely on a future program of involuntary addiction treatment to curtail the right-now problem of dangerous living situations in homeless encampments. Comments from Premier Blaine Higgs and Public Safety Minister Kris Austin suggest they believe that talking tough and pointing to pending legislation is enough of a response to the latest loss of life.

Homelessness is complex and can’t be solved overnight, sure. It requires medium and long-term solutions, yes. And in New Brunswick’s circumstance, a causal factor is a shortage of affordable housing (a natural consequence of demand outstripping supply in the overall housing market). We understand that elected leaders cannot make the issue disappear.

But even so, legislation for involuntary treatment is months away; it’s implementation is even further out. The problem of unsafe encampments is happening now.

And – even leaving aside the timing, or the disputed ethics and long-term effectiveness of forced treatment – the types of individuals who find themselves living rough are not homogenous. Some certainly use drugs. But involuntary addiction treatment may not capture individuals whose primary struggle is with mental illness, whether or not they have drug problems. These are distinct categories that do overlap.

Advocates who suggest any intervention will fully fix the safety risks are likewise oversimplifying the issue. Provision of ever more tents, or safer heating systems, shipping containers and the like – these are stopgaps with pros and cons. But at least they can be put in place soon.

Involuntary addiction treatment, regardless of whether it’s a good or evidence-based idea, doesn’t do anything to address the problems of today’s tent cities. The premier and his team must propose or point to something more immediate – after all, we’re talking about saving lives.