Destiny of Poor
Destiny of poor worldwide is no different other than a slight variation in standard of living.
A recent exclusive coverage by The Now, local newspaper in Surrey under Tent City Tension is touching and warning sign to increasing problem of homelessness.
A poor in India is totally illiterate and lack social awareness about legal and human rights. Whereas a poor in Canada is literate and has social awareness about legal and human rights.
There is no free place to live in this world anymore. Whether you are in India, Canada or elsewhere you must earn your place to sleep. In a democratic countries you are completely free to move from place to place and free to sit in public places. You are free to get basic education in public schools upto grade twelve.
So you are free to sit, walk, stand in democratic countries like Canada and India. But what a strange world is this that no one is allowed to sleep for free. What a democracy!
In India there are free public washrooms in cities but I hardly see that facility in Canada except public malls. Of course poor can move around within city by using public transportation but in India that is considered theft and results in penalty or jail.
In India there is no free public kitchen except in Gurdwaras and some temples. In Harmandar Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab popularily known as Golden Temple Amritsar, where people come to enjoy the serene atmosphere also come to eat free food. More than one hundred thousand people enjoy free food everyday. Occasionally a free Christmas dinner organized by local churches is a norm in Canada. Gurdwaras in Canadian cities have resources and ability to open free kitchen to general public but somehow it lacks initiative to invite general public to free kitchen.
On other hand only handful Canadian know about free kitchen in Gurdwaras in Canada. It is only vegetarian food available in Gurdwaras but it is free and one can enjoy the food three times a day. A poor and hungry has the right to come to free kitchen in Gurudwaras in Canada and have free food served to them three times a day. Free kitchens in Canadian Gurudwaras are managed by Sikhs and funding comes from devotees of which majority are Sikhs.
But when it comes to right to sleep, there is no place in world for those who need that facility. It is hard to understand and believe that countries like Canada even don't have such facilities as part of public policy. Of course temporary sleeping facilities are made available during winter times.
The Canadian who need such facility to sleep are those who lost jobs, lost earning or fail to earn either due to mental disabilities or physical disabilities. People fail to earn daily living due to various reason. Worse come worse, people may choose not to earn daily living. But regardless of the reason, there are needy people in Canada who need to sleep and use washroom facilities.
I feel it is their basic human right and earning people must understand it. Once earning Canadians have such attitude to help the needy people, it is not hard for Canadian governments to build facilities with minimum accommodation needs of needy Canadians.
But I have seen an attitude in Canadians that why help a needy person with money on traffic intersections or through public funding. I agree it is not fair to beg and I also understand begging is not a fun for most needy people. If you and I don't help them then who else will? Where would they go to feed themselves three times a day? Do you have a walking facility in mind where a poor can go and get help.
I would say there is no such thing except temporary relief facilities like Surrey food bank and some temporary bed facilities. Every city in Canada may have a food bank but how about minimum accommodation and rehabilitation support for needy.
It is not upto politicians and officials to build such institutions but upto you and me as a public to advocate for needy. Politicians do what public wants. Politicians do take advantage of their office to some extent but in Canada misusing public funds is not that simple and easy. What is easy for politicians is that they may chanel public funding to specific public institutions or something private institutions.
Since we don't have such public institutions in Canada, it means politicians don't have discretion to fund such institutes. They have little political interest and persuasive power to change public opinion to bring such changes. Canadian wages might have changed a little bit in last ten years but change in taxes and cost of living are tremendous. Housing cost has tripled, grocery, fuel and other costs have doubled to tripled.
Since there is little increase in Canadian earnings and gigantic increase in cost of living it will bring more people to streets and more mental disabilities. More and more Canadians are forced to share accommodation and move from single family homes to multi family homes.
It will become harder for fresh graduates from high schools to move out from parental homes to their own independent accommodation. A ten dollar an hour job at McDonald's for a new graduate used to be exciting and fun but not any more.Doubled to tripled cost of living is going to bring down the standard of living of Canadian graduates and may force them to stay at parental homes longer than before. This will force new graduates to find jobs and colleges near their parental homes. Parents will be forced to accommodate their grown up children for extended periods.
The high cost of living is definitely going to limit the mobility of new work force and opportunities to post graduation studies. Staying with parents for extended period and working and studying in local institutions would be a preferred way of life style regardless of one like it or not.
It is time for Canadias to change a little bit or a lot depending upon circumstances. Single parenting will become harder and it means adjusting with spouses regardless of differences or stop making a family.
Challenges are evident in modern living whether in Canada or elsewhere and it is okay! What really need to change in Canadians is the attitude for needy and building capacity to accommodate more needy Canadians.
So far it was a minor issue for Canadians and passive approach toward needs of needy was fine but Canadians can't afford passive approach in near future. A proactive approach is only solution to handle the situation of homelessness. Choice is ours! Have more pan handlers on streets or more facilities for needy to keep them engaged other than begging.
