Pictured is one of the resident hotels in DTES. The rooms are 12’ x 12’, share a common bathroom on each floor and are deemed SRO (Single Room Occupancy). Residents at the First United Church say they are reminiscent of the dimensions of Jail Cells in Canada. Although there are video cameras in the halls, residents use and sell drugs rampantly and prostitution occurs regularly in the rooms. First United is facing a dilemma with funding cuts from the city and 214 residents will be relocated to SRO. This removes them from a social / cultural / spiritual community that is essential for recovery from addiction. It also forces a reduction in staff. First United functions as a refuge, not a shelter which means all are welcome but requires extra staffing to deal with disruptions and safety issues.
This last week I have enjoyed being introduced as a Chaplain or Minister which allows me to share more spiritual principles than my former identity as a counselor. I have been quite amazed at the number of residents here that identify themselves as Christians. This again challenges my thinking about alternatives possible for them to be part of a church where they could feel like they belong.
Appreciate your thoughts and prayers!
Ross
Tell us more about SRO, drug use, and prostitution, especially under the rubric of "harm reduction." Is society in general, and residents in particular, better off having homes for the homeless? Should residents be required to follow certain rules? Why?
ReplyDeleteI'm still evaluating all this myself as a newcomer to these approaches. It appears that harm reduction helps keep people alive, but is far from the solution that can only come by those suffering becoming part of a social / cultural / spiritual community of more influence that the drug culture they are part of. At this point many residents at United feel more part of a community than they do living in SRO. In advanced stages of addiction users are unable to follow certain rules like not drinking to qualify for a bed for the night. Their option then would be to sleep in the streets, under bridges etc. They need interventions to be able to stop addictive behavior. As they sample sobriety, it becomes more attractive.
ReplyDeleteSo is intervention at the street level stabilization so people can participate in community, or closer to radical fellowship where we bring ourselves to the need ? The rare times when I've felt useful has been the latter.
ReplyDeleteThe former is what we have been doing in recovery with limited results as you know. Current dysfunctional community is part of the dislocation and marginalizing creating addiction. I lay awake at night dreaming what a radical fellowship would look like.
ReplyDeleteAccepting this challenge could change the way many of us experience church. We would start gathering for mobilization into ministry. Instead of centering our lives around the activities of the church, we would center our lives helping a suffering community.