Montreal looks to hire someone to oversee dismantling of homeless encampments
The job posting describes the mandate of the new position as responsible for co-ordinating the “actions to be taken during the eviction or dismantling of temporary shelters, camps and tents on public and private property."
10 comments
Can I take the job and just be completely shit at it?
"Here's 56,000$ a year to coordinate despair and destroy makeshift shelters for ppl who have no homes"
Why not one of the homeless? They need a job.
Why do people have to live outside? We have the ressources, we have the means.
The city is currently short 300 emergency housing spots
Time to fix up the boarded-up HLM buildings. There’s budget to build bike paths, but not this?
I sympathize with the plight of the homeless and the vulnerable. At the same time, makeshift shelters and encampments are fire hazards, and come with other issues that often go unreported and unattended, such as domestic violence and problematic drug use. This article opens with a photo of workers clearing an encampment that caught fire.
I understand the need to clear out encampments for these reasons. However, it should first be a priority to get these people helpful resources and alternatives to shelter and house them.
The spokesperson in the article claims that's what they intend to do. But it could be an empty PR claim and it's worth being skeptical. It's a bit weird that the focus for this position is "dismantling encampments" first and foremost. They would've benefited from clarifying the role as "relocation and aid", or something to that effect.
From the article:
"This is why we are looking for specialized employees, we want these operations to be carried out with the greatest respect for vulnerable people to redirect them to specialized resources," she said.
"They are asked to act gradually and humanely while respecting the dignity of vulnerable people."
Such operations are carried out by social workers with "great sensitivity," said Marikym Gaudreault, a spokesperson for Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
"This is why we are looking for specialized employees, we want these operations to be carried out with the greatest respect for vulnerable people to redirect them to specialized resources," she said.
wtf what kind of social worker would take this job? Social workers provide access to resources, not take things away. If the social workers are going to be dismantling living arrangements, does that mean that the city already has alternative accomodations or resources arranged?
Social workers are already pretty demonised in society ("they steal children!" people say), so news like this about how the evil social workers are going to be putting homeless people in greater misery just erodes trust in good people who are doing a good job and not getting paid nearly enough to do so.
"Dès mon embauche, je propose de maquiller les itinérants en clowns et transformer le campement en parc d'amusement pour enfants"
-La personne nouvellement engagée, probablement
What type of person applies for a job like this..
I hope no one takes on the job but looking at the salary range, I'm sure people will apply...
