Posts by Dam Wright
I’ve heard elected officials in Manchester responding to criticisms about their mishandlings of the homelessness crisis by saying “homelessness is a complicated problem”. For those of us who face the horrific consequences of these mishandlings out on the streets it certainly can be complicated. However the solution is quite simple.
For way too long these proven programs have had to hide in the shadows, due to general ignorance about their successes in maintaining a healthy community, and to the general stigma surrounding drugs which are consumed with needles (rather than just smoking or drinking).
When it comes to Adrienne Beloin I can honestly say that there is almost nobody whom I have ever more deeply and consistently respected for their knowledge, and for their tremendous work on our local homelessness crisis.
While these numbers might not be perfect, for a variety of reasons, they certainly don’t lie. The article which is cited as the source for these numbers comes from AMR Representative Christopher Stawasz. In that article he talks about the two best ways of reducing the fatality levels for opioid overdoses. The first is to increase the availability and education about Narcan. Narcan and education about it is widely available, often for free. It will effectively prevent the fatality of an opioid overdose as long as it is administered in time, and administered correctly. The second is to increase education and awareness about best practices for using in ways that will help to prevent more needless fatalities. Most importantly: “Never use alone!”
Let’s be clear in saying that there is absolutely no harm done at all to anyone when someone goes into a park with a shopping cart, a tarp, a large umbrella, or a pair of bicycles. Nobody is being harmed from the use of these items, even when they’re used to create some form of temporary “privacy barriers,” for the people who have absolutely no private places of their own.
Nobody wants to be homeless. Nobody wants to have to beg or panhandle, or take food from a food pantry. That isn’t a choice people make, ever. Not if they have other options. I know more of the people in this city who are struggling with homelessness than just about anyone else does
In a nutshell: You are taking the most desperate of all people in this city, rendering them way more desperate, and then scattering them into everyone else’s neighborhoods. Can’t you see that? Do you really have to watch firsthand, like I’ve done way too many times, just to realize what you’re doing here? Do I have to explain how that’s bad for everyone, whether you live in a camp or merely live in any home in this city?
Since this election is likely to have a huge impact upon the local homeless community, as well as the rest of the city residents who are affected by homelessness in Manchester in their own ways, I was asked to share my perspective publicly.