Arrest the homeless? London, Ont. councillor promotes controversial plan
Global News
A city councillor in London, Ont., prompted backlash by sharing a blog about ending homelessness that suggested arresting people who refuse conditional housing or health support.
A city councillor in London, Ont., is coming under fire after sharing a plan to address homelessness that suggested providing support that people need to get off the streets but arresting anyone who refuses assistance.
Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson tweeted “London could be first” followed by an emoji face with hearts around it and a link to a blog post from Michael Smerconish, a political commentator in the United States.
In the post, Smerconish writes that shelter should be offered to those who live on the streets on the condition that they accept drug counseling if they are addicted, mental health services if they have mental health issues, and must work or be looking for work if able to do so.
“If they don’t do these things and return to the streets despite the availability of shelter, they can and should be arrested, for they will not be homeless. No one should be allowed to live in the public spaces of our cities,” he writes.
The online response was swift. Stevenson’s tweet was “ratioed,” meaning the number of quote tweets and comments far exceeded the number of retweets and likes, which typically suggests disagreement.
“I was inspired by the whole idea that ending homelessness, a home for everybody, counseling for whatever they need — mental health, drug addiction — finding a job and doing it at a provincial and national level and just choosing to really take care of people,” Stevenson said.
“And some people have chosen to jump on the arresting portion of it. No rational discussion about any other portion of the plan.”
Experts in the field promote a “housing first” approach, which identifies the right to housing as the first and foremost need of people experiencing homelessness.
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