Grace Inn’s practices on helping those who are unhoused are proudly on display. Photo by Trevor Knapaysweet.
By Trevor Knapaysweet [1]
BELLEVILLE – Homelessness is an issue in the Quinte region and Grace Inn in Belleville is working to address any common misconceptions.
It held an information session on Dec. 7 to bust myths about homelessness, and to alleviate the public’s worries and address any misconceptions.
Ashley Vader, director of operations at Belleville’s Grace Inn, believes that prevention rather than response is the method people should adopt when working with those who are unhoused.
https://www.qnetnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/prevention.mp3 [2]Vader says there are other misconceptions.
“A lot of misconceptions is that the entire population are using substances, experiencing severe mental illness, or that there is nobody who is working.” Vader said.
“I think that those are some are the very large myths about folks that are experiencing homelessness.”
Vader says another factor that contributes to people becoming displaced is the opioid crisis.
https://www.qnetnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/OpioidCrisis.mp3 [3]
Mental health issues and substance use is another factor in homelessness. People who abuse substances are looking to cope with their predicament and experiencing homelessness is traumatic. There is no sense of security, and individuals who are homeless most likely do not have a support system available.
https://www.qnetnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mental.mp3 [4]
Vader talked about when people experience anything traumatic, there are coping strategies such as binge eating, watching tv, or laying in bed for hours. She says substance use is no different.
She uses floodgates as an analogy. Mental health and substance use are reflective of each other. The more pressure there is against the floodgates, the more weaker it gets and vice versa.
The housing crisis is another variable in the homelessness issue. With the average price of a home on the rise, and with average prices into the hundreds of thousands, people are struggling to secure a home
Grace Inn is located 315 Church St. More information about the shelter or how you can help can be found here. [5]