The Toronto Star’s Mary Orsmby and Kenyon Wallace write today that a full counting of the deaths of homeless people by Toronto has revealed that as many as 27 have expired in various circumstances in the first three months of the year. The suggestion seems to be that the community has failed the homeless, and this may be true, but there is very little information in the Star story as to how these deaths occurred. One reference is to a man who died of a self-administered drug overdose in hospital. He was not counted as homeless. Such detail may point up the essential dilemma of the homeless.
PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO
People simply don’t know how to prevent them from doing things which threaten theirs lives. No amount of money or concern can override an individual’s personal decision-making. Such an interpretation may be unfair but until the City can explain precisely how people die, the sense of helplessness is entirely understandable. In a previous age, homeless people were swept off the streets and placed in jail to keep them warm during cold spells. That solution wasn’t especially nice but it makes the point that no such arbitrary action is permitted constitutionally regardless of how pleasant the housing may be. Toronto Star
