Now You See 'Em, Now You Don't

The B.C. Government is trying to buy back beds. That means that beds they closed, they are now opening. They are offering some facilities thousands of dollars to reopen or take on funded spaces. Some are saying no. The government is also contracting beds from the private sector. One facility was just funded for thirty beds. At the same timek,places continue to be closed. Richmond's Lions Manor is scheduled to be closed (that's a rumour, but o.k., so I admit it, I'm a gossip).

What does this all mean?

Well, in a nutshell, it means a couple of things. One, it means they ( or someone) are finally getting it that the beds should never have been closed in the first place.

Two, it means that we are not getting the resources that we were promised--but the government gets to look like they are keeping their promises. Here's the thing: If they said they would build 500 beds, and the private sector is building/built 500 then we would have 1000 beds. But if the government builds 300 beds, but contracts 200 from the private sector, then we only have 800. The resources have not gone up so much, they have simply been shifted around. It still means more people are competing for resources that were supposed to be added to more than they did.

Third, since beds and facilities are still being closed, there continues to be a net decrease. Ít strikes me that it would be cheaper to renovate Lion's Manor than close it and build something new. But, oh yeah, I forgot--the government is not building the new places.

So who wins here? Well, the private, for sector profit, as their risk is lower for one thing.

In some ways, some people who need housing win because there are some nice new spaces available that they would not have been able to access previously.

And of course, all those people in Victoria win because they can talk about all the new beds they build.

Did you win?

If not, don't be discouraged. We can't all be winners.