Chris Clegg
Years ago, a funeral was held for a man. A reporter from a Canadian community newspaper attended. Two other people were present.
Two! Let that sink in!
To paraphrase, the reporter wrote how sad the situation was. This man was sent away to heaven by three witnesses. This man was a baby and child once, loved and nurtured by a family.
Where did it all go so wrong?
Oct. 15, 2023, Daniel Joseph Decet died after being struck by a vehicle near Tolko. High Prairians knew Decet as that homeless man wandering in the middle of the street holding up traffic. When sober, others knew him as an intelligent man who could carry a fascinating conversation.
Was Decet truly homeless or did he just like hanging around High Prairie? Does anyone really know or is the answer lost in the aura of urban legend?
When Decet passed away, an outpouring of concern erupted on Facebook. Again, to paraphrase, “Where was the help?” many people asked. “How come no one did anything?” asked another.
There was a copious quantity of sympathy for the man.
The odd fact about Decet was everyone in town knew the man’s circumstance. Did anyone offer to help? Perhaps, but not in time to save his life. Yet, all this concern exploded on Facebook. Where were these people when Decet needed it most?
Many communities now have a problem with homeless people. Citizens see them. Some dislike then. Some put up with them, but does anyone really reach out the hand of kindness and help them?
In Slave Lake, they did. However, the homeless shelter created so many problems it was shut down. Seems once you provide the service, more people arrive to create a higher demand and show up out of thin air. Be careful what you wish for if you want to build a homeless shelter and provide the service.
Human nature inside most of us calls for the yearning to help our fellow man. Many of us do. Most of us do not.
The homeless problem is an incredibly expensive problem to solve. Many suffer from mental illness. It takes months, if not years, to rehabilitate an individual. As a society, we do not have near enough resources to tackle the problem. We are tossing nickels and dimes at a problem that takes $20 and $50 bills to solve.
There is a tremendous cost staring society in the face as the homeless numbers continue to rise. Sad to say, people, this problem is not going away and it is going to get worse.
Decet and many like him have left us. They will soon be joined by others.
The issue is huge and involves so many issues. Crime. Drugs. Mental disease. Poverty.
Where to start is with a concerted effort that we care. Until an honest effort is made to combat the problem it is not going away.
Decet is certainly not the first and he won’t the last to die. The best we can all hope for is that no one we know falls into this downward spiral of misery. If it does, take charge. Intervene! Help!
Too many people meet their maker like Decet. In many cases, totally unnecessary. Human beings are supposed to be better than this. Where has it all gone so wrong?