Blovertis
Active Member
This idea that you can "pacify" a neighbourhood by plunking down a homeless shelter in the middle of it was always ridiculous. How tranquil is the corner of Queen and Sherbourne?
^I think that is a bit naive. Anyone who knows how homeless and social service centres impact the street in their neighbourhoods knows that they are beacons of congregation for street people and characters directly and not directly related with the services provided. In addition while "poverty" is not a crime as pointed out by Andreapalladio, the presence of most homeless and social services centre in my neighbourhood do have an impact on criminal activity in the area such as drug use in the rear laneways, vandalism, assaults, and street prostitution. It's not like they are nuclear bombs dropped on the neighbourhood but they are definately negative and the staff and operators are in my experience dismissive of complaint or any notion of responsibility for the actions of their clients.
Vox,
I was speaking in general to comment on the strain of thought that shelters are somehow neutral or their impact on the street is limited to the activities directly associated with the programing at the facility. I was not commenting on the relative level of criminal activity in the entertainment district or the relative impact of the proposed shelter vis a vis a particular nightclub.