In the Network: Media Co-op • Dominion   Locals: Halifax • Montreal • Toronto • Vancouver
This post has been reviewed by the Vancouver Media Co-op editorial committee.

Reflections After a Night in Jail

BLOG POST posted on Avril 30, 2011 by Joseph Jones

Blog posts are the work of individual contributors, reflecting their thoughts, opinions and research.
Jail Door Opens on April 30 for Rider Cooey
Jail Door Opens on April 30 for Rider Cooey

[Email 5:24 pm 30 April 2011 reposted with permission of author/prisoner Rider Cooey]

Hello,

I think these "Low-barrier" homeless shelters are the most needed because:

  1. They accept the most desperate people
  2. They stabilize people — despite being simply mats-on-the-floor with two meals and laundry
  3. They have the most success enabling transition to the next levels of supportive housing
  4. Their non-DTES location, acceptance of carts and pets, sense of community, internal discipline, etc … all prevent spiraling deeper into homelessness, visible and invisible
  5. We were repeatedly told "This place saved my life." &hellip And the reference is never to "cold, wet weather"

I think they should be a new category of shelter, a vital part of the housing continuum, and they should operate all year round — some in the same locations, some elsewhere.

Opening and closing low-barrier shelters for a few months just wastes money and resources, since all the gains people make while staying at low-barrier shelters are lost when they're bureaucratically booted out.

Regards,
Rider Cooey

Thanks to all for your support and the work you all do.

See also Shelter Prisoners Finally Released

[Credit for origin of accompanying graphic to Murray Bush photo of 30 April 2011]

Catch the news as it breaks: follow the VMC on Twitter.
Join the Vancouver Media Co-op today. Click here to learn about the benefits of membership.

Creative Commons license icon Creative Commons license icon

The site for the Vancouver local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.