Share this Story : Today's letters: Helsinki ended homelessness. Why can't Ottawa? Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links Opinion Letters Today's letters: Helsinki ended homelessness. Why can't Ottawa? Saturday, Aug.
17: The Finnish capital and Medicine Hat, Alberta, could teach Ottawa a few things about helping the homeless, readers write. Have you say by writing to letters@ottawacitizen.com.
Author of the article: Citizen letters Published Aug 17, 2024 • Last updated 25 minutes ago • 10 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. A homeless person sleeps on Bank Street in Ottawa Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Photo by Tony Caldwell / POSTMEDIA Article content Convert shelters into self-contained homes Re: Homeless shouldn’t be on the rise in Ottawa , Aug. 10 It is hard to disagree with the reader who recently wrote to say that homelessness in Ottawa is shameful. More concerning is the city’s failure to take corrective action when there are solutions that work.
In this respect Helsinki, about the size of Ottawa, has become a world leader. It has learned that shelters are costly institutions that rob clients of dignity, and are also ineffective when it comes to rehabilitation. So at the turn of the century Helsinki stopped funding shelters, after giving due notice.
Instead, it encouraged and assisted the management of shelters, such as the Salvation Army, to co.