On September 25, 2009, David Swann travelled to Lethbridge to celebrate the opening of the Koh Koonoon complex, a new affordable housing facility for First Nations peoples in the region:

Everybody needs a home. 

Without a home, there is no security, no place of rest, no defence from the elements, no gathering place for family and friends. Without a home, it becomes much harder to get a job, to get credit, to build relationships or raise a family.

And consider the lost potential of the homeless person. There’s no way to know if any given homeless person could have been a great athlete, a gifted artist, a brilliant scientist or entrepreneur, had they only had what we take for granted: a home.

Nor can we ignore the inherent value of that person’s personal happiness and contentment; as human beings, I believe we are happiest when those around us are cared for, especially the vulnerable and the struggling. Our consciences tell us that homelessness is a problem for the entire community.  We ask ourselves why we are so fortunate, when thousands of our fellow citizens have no place to call their own.

And so the best of us – like the people who organized, built and fought for the Koh Koonoon Complex – step forward to help. Because they recognize that something must be done. Because they see the inherent value of every human being, and know that people in need must be helped, because that is the right thing to do.

I feel so blessed to have been raised in a loving home, and to have a home of my own in which to raise my own children and build my own life. Without my home and family, I would be lost.

Not everyone is so lucky. We see our homeless neighbours every day, despite the great abundance of our province.  Thus far, homelessness is a chronic problem that we have not yet managed to solve, and indeed in many ways it is getting worse: there isn’t enough capacity to properly treat the mentally ill, who make up a large percentage of homeless people. There isn’t sufficient protection for renters, especially seniors on fixed incomes. There should be more incentives to build affordable housing; for example, tax breaks could be used to encourage landowners to contribute their property to affordable housing projects.

The seeds of success are present in Alberta, not only in these and other ideas but in the great natural bounty of our land and in the hope, vision and hard work of our citizens.

Sadly, Canada’s First Nations peoples make up a significant percentage of our homeless population, thanks to challenges that aboriginal Canadians face every day: poverty, poor health care, inadequate infrastructure and racism are just a few examples of the problems disproportionately faced by aboriginal people.

And there are other factors, too. Some aboriginal Albertans choose to leave their reserves to search for new lives and careers in large urban centres. Unfortunately, especially in tough economic
times, the search doesn’t always pan out, and so these men and women are left homeless, with nowhere to turn.

Moving from a small town to pursue your dreams in the big city is a fulfilling, glorious rite of passage for many Albertans, but for many aboriginals the outcomes are far less romantic. I hope we can change that. The people here have already started.
The Koh Koonoon Complex

Today the people of Lethbridge, men and women of different cultures, creeds and political philosophies, have come together to help enable First Nations citizens to enjoy an affordable home of their own. With a home, the new residents of Koh Koonoon will have the security and the confidence they need to pursue their dreams and build a better tomorrow for themselves, their families, and this great province.

I have every expectation that this will be a successful project. Lethbridge’s traditional Good Neighbour policy will help this facility become an important part of the community, a place of hope, where the seeds of a better future are planted and grow to ripeness. Perhaps this place can even help reconcile some of the lingering tensions between First Nations peoples and other Canadians. It is, at least, a place to begin – and what better place to talk over important issues than in the home?

On behalf of the Official Opposition, I want to thank the many people who made this project possible – community leaders, volunteers, the Aboriginal Housing Society, the various levels of government who contributed to the funding of this complex: Koh Koonoon, “Our Home,” for in a sense it is ours, because we all share a collective responsibility to see that no Albertan goes without a home.

Let’s keep that in mind as we all work together to end homelessness in Alberta. Thank you.

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