You need not be a mathematician, historian or English professor to know that ‘proactive government’ equals a big oxymoron. But finally, it pleases me to say that our society may be showing a hint of civilization after all. Since 2008, the provincial government of Alberta has heavily invested in affordable housing for what is part of an attempt to end homelessness over the next 10 years.

The program is designed around the housing first philosophy, also known as Rapid Re-housing. It is currently up and working in many capitol cities across the United States and has now finally touched down in Canada (Alberta and Vancouver). The idea behind the philosophy is to secure a home for all people currently homeless or facing homelessness. Providing a stable home is the first step in a long process which addresses all mental and physical health concerns, and provides free education in order to allow individuals the chance to regain control of their lives.

This program is absolutely necessary and long overdue. Unfortunately it will only work as intended if the assistance truly goes beyond providing housing and delves into the heart of each individual’s personal issue(s). Every year, conditions caused from homelessness claim many lives including children. Unfortunately, it is not only individuals that end up homeless, but rather whole families. No price is too great to pay to provide the gift of private shelter and practical social assistance to every citizen of our country.

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Since the collapse of our economy in 2008, debt has become a household word. The general public is almost expected to have accrued debt over the past few years. And as the economy strengthens, sacrifices will be made and debts will be paid off. But for many, debt is not a temporary inconvenience to be sorted; for many, debt is a way of life.

In school from a young age we are taught to count, to spell, even to draw and act. But why have we forgotten to add the most important aspect of life to the curriculum- saving. It doesn’t take a complicated survey to prove that our society does not live within its means. We live in debt and in fear of our bills, and usually we don’t act until the final hour when it is often too late. If we can treat money as one of life’s necessities and start to teach our children to manage it from a young age, we will be one small step closer in our fight against poverty.

Money management has always been a lesson taught at home, but what if your home doesn’t have the lesson? Living within your means is an integral part of any responsible adult’s life. You pay your bills and you don’t spend what you don’t have. Eventually you build up a security nest from your managed savings, and with those savings you pay for both the happy and unhappy events in life. We make sure that our children can build sentences, so why not teach them to build finances as well? Adding such teachings throughout the K-12 curriculum will not end poverty, but will lead to a stronger and more secure future for our entire society.

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Many people have referred to poverty as a mind set or a frame of mind. That is simply put for such a huge global epidemic. Think of poverty as a cancer eating away at the cells of our local and global communities. Over the past decade, a new world of communication has opened up to us, yet we still choose to ignore our brothers and sisters that are in need.

Did you know that every year the government approves zone changes that take down affordable housing to make way for new condominiums? What happens to the people who lived where these condos go up? Those who cannot afford to buy and those who rely on subsidized rental apartments must uproot their families and seek out alternative areas to live. Many just end up on long waiting lists.

This is a method taken on by many cities to chase families in lower income brackets further and further away; an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach. This needs to stop, and it is our job as responsible citizens to raise the awareness. We need to make the government pay attention to the needs of its people. It is important for us to recognize that stressful living conditions is a leading contributor to acts of desperation. The age old saying comes to mind, and I am not a man of religion so this will be paraphrased, ‘treat your neighbor as you yourself would want to be treated’.

Let’s work together and together we can conquer poverty one step at a time.

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