Thread by @BairdKelti

Ok, it's taken me a few days to process everything that happened on Tues. at the Public Hearing for the Mustard Seed. I want to talk about it in a constructive way, and for that I had to let a lot of things process.
I will start by saying I personally support the Mustard Seed.

I am also supportive of the proposed location for a shelter/support services, because the people who would most benefit from those services already frequent the area that was under discussion.
In many presentations to council, presenters were distressed that the services >

would bring further "undesireable elements" to the community. In my experience as a direct neighbour of the proposed site, the people who would find most value from the services already frequent the area in question. This isn't a new problem in our neighbourhood.

I think much of the testimony of business owners stems from a lot of frustration, and that is totally understandable. We exist in a long-neglected corner of Lethbridge. There is no public art here. There are no public amenities like garbage cans, or benches. >

There are cracks in the roads; sidewalks are in disrepair. Folks sleep in the nooks and crannies out of the wind leaving behind detritus of their stay whether they are sober or not. Business owners here are left to clean up the mess, especially now that foot patrols are few. >

Compound these frustrations with 3+ years of economic downturn, 3 years of SCS operations making the neighbourhood "scary" and "unsafe" (these in quotation marks because not all people here felt this way), and driving business away. It's understandable that businesses here >

would be hesitant to establish another "shelter" operation within their community, no matter how different the proposal was.
All this to say: I get it. I understand the frustration. I hear the concern. These are all valid thoughts and feelings.

So with all this in mind, why did I and my business support the Mustard Seed's proposal? Because we sat down with Byron and had a long conversation about what success in our community would look like. We enjoyed the conversation, it sold us on the project. We felt hope. >

But, to get that meeting I reached out to The Mustard Seed. They did not approach me, as perhaps they should have.
I also understand that Byron had a lot of work to do, and a very limited team/time frame in which to do it. But the community engagement was lacking.

Lethbridge is a wonderful place resistant to anything that might involve risk, and certainly for business owners in the area: a shelter operation would be risky. For restaurants with patios (or breweries), the idea of our un-housed harassing customers is a reality. It happens. >

Property damage is real. It happens. The neighbourhood has been in a state of decline for decades despite the efforts of some of the businesses who exist here. The proposed shelter site, despite belief that it was an appropriate use of that space, was simply the proverbial straw.

The other side of the conversation on Tuesday came from the faith community; a community that I don't have a lot of inroads to. I found myself cheering some of the speeches in my living room, bouncing excitedly on my couch as the pastors spoke of the solution: >

Community. Togetherness. Resources to provide what is needed. All of these are provided by the Mustard Seed and are PROVEN solutions to homelessness and drug dependency. Sobriety comes from a sense of community and support. We lack that here. >

(As an atheist, it was a bizarre and humbling experience to find myself so in agreement with so many members of the faithful community. I look forward to future discussions there as we work towards the same goals.) >

But as the night wore on, and tempers ran hot, impatience prevailed and frustrations grew. Council themselves failed to keep speakers to their 5-minute time limit, and failed also to keep some speakers on topic. This just makes the process worse. >

Eventually, threats to council grew from "you'll never work in this town again" to "it is your moral duty to approve this proposal" indicating a sinister eternity in some kind of hell-scape should they fail in that duty. >

The divisive rhetoric of Tuesday evening serves NO ONE. Yelling at council about your position is inappropriate. These are community leaders elected to do a job, and they should not have to put up with your abuse, no matter how you disagree with them. >

If you cannot keep a cool head in chambers, see yourself out. I was disappointed that members of our community could feel so emboldened as to threaten our Councillors. Behaviour like this isn't acceptable in a child classroom, and it isn't acceptable in a place of governance.

So we have come to a place in our community where we are extremely divided on how to proceed when it comes to tackling the issues of homelessness, poverty, and drug addiction in Lethbridge. >

Now that I have distilled my thoughts on the performance that was Tuesday Night, I will tell you how I envision Lethbridge moving forward.
I will start by saying there is no overnight fix for our situation, but there are small actions we can start doing RIGHT NOW.

The first step is consultation: not with outside governments or organizations, but with the people IN our community working WITH our vulnerable population. We need the input of the people who need the help, in order to tell how best to help them. >

To do this: every single councillor and city official needs to go out on patrol with the SAGE Clan, or work a few shifts at the soup kitchen, or whatever they need to do to fully and completely understand what this population is going through. Talk. To. Them.

A master-plan for the effective resolution to POVERTY in the City is a great idea, but that takes time, and when folks are on the streets time is a luxury they don't have. So we need a way to deal with the situation now. >

The City is a big machine that takes a LONG time to work, it doesn't keep up with the pace of business because it CAN'T. However, we need to be governing proactively rather than re-actively. this means we need a plan that not only deals with issues today, but tomorrow too.

This ongoing crisis of poverty isn't going to end with a single step. It ends when we can house, feed, and clothe every single resident in Lethbridge who needs it, and when we can rely on our citizens to participate with compassion and patience.