Page 2: Legal Advocate's Report on the Findings of THE SQUEEGEE PROJECT Recommendations More detox centres (and not just needle exchanges) was mentioned time and again. Clean up the drug dealers in areas where youth congregate, particularly the "hard" drugs of heroin and cocaine and crack. More social services for youth when they hit the streets - before they fall into even worse situations as the main character did in the play. Prevention and education should be the first line of defense. Kids need to know that they not only have a right to be safe, but where to go and how to proceed when their families are in crisis. Overall Recommendations re: Lack of Services and Information More street/outreach workers making contact and directing kids to services Utilization of peer support workers in making contact with street involved youth More food banks for youth More shelters and second stage (stable) housing for youth Prevention efforts catching kids before they resort to living on the street More medical facilities for youth which dispense a reasonable standard of care and preventative mental health programs addressing the lack of guidance and support Listing the available services for kids who are on the street in an easily accessible place such as bus shelters and community centres Give kids an alternative with respect to employment; if we as a society do not approve of squeegeeing and panhandling then other employment alternatives must be provided. The community, including businesses need to work together to offer some real choices so that kids don't have to work on the street including in the sex trade. Provide counseling to address abuse and self-esteem issues Issue #2: Responsiveness and timeliness: Lack of response or delayed or insufficient response as in the case where abuse is being suffered and adequate intervention is not made. Result- kids end up on the street. The play "Squeegee" was set up to deal with the problems of street-involved kids as they are, not as we would hope them to be. As the artistic director pointed out to the audience: "interventions must be based in reality, rather then based on magic." It is a reality that for many kids on the street, it is too late for them to go home. Too much has happened, too much abuse has occurred, and these children have become adults, if not in age, then in mindset. However, all of the cast members wanted to stress the fact that the streets were no place for children. Early interventions were considered by all to be a much better solution. Issue #3: Focus on best interest of the youth means inclusion of the young person's views where possible and creation of laws which are responsive to their needs The main problem here is where the child or youth does not accept going back to family home or foster care because of problems associated with substance-abusing parents/guardians or past victimization. If the young person's views were taken into account, perhaps fewer children would fall through the cracks and land on the street. Intervention #1: Change the options for kids who need to support themselves at a time when by rights, others should be looking after them. Currently, "Squeegeeing" is a regulated activity as defined in Vancouver's municipal bylaws. However, it does not enjoy broad acceptance by the wider community. The government has a duty to provide a minimal standard of care where families are unwilling or unable to do so. The community as well as the government needs to step forward with employment opportunities that will get these kids off the street and reintegrated into society. Intervention #2: Panhandling is not well tolerated or well understood in our community Panhandling is not well tolerated or well understood in our society, although society and government policies have contributed to the unprecedented numbers of kids on the street who need to beg for their basic needs. The play demonstrated the response by citizens: lack of caring; the verbal abuse: "get a job;" "druggie;" and the opportunism of sexual predators - offering a vulnerable, newly arrived young woman a place to "sleep." What this speaks to is lack of understanding as well as lack of options for these young people to meet their basic needs. Should we counsel kids to stay in abusive homes? To suffer violence as a result of substance-abusing parents and guardians? To be treated as a pay cheque by foster parents, when they are in dire need of understanding? How are these kids who are on the street supposed to get a job when they have no address, no phone, no place to clean up and no electrical outlets to plug in their alarm clocks? The long-term ramifications of our failure to provide for these children and youth are grave. Many of the kids discussed in this report have been unsuccessful in traditional school environments and do not come to the streets with employable skills in the traditional sense. Squeegeeing is a response to the lack of opportunities and almost every evening of the play, cast members stated that they would rather be cleaning car windows then resorting to other crimes such as theft or prostitution. Recommendations: Governments, at all levels, need to understand the social and economic implications of their policy and legislative choices. Making squeegeeing and panhandling more difficult further marginalizes kids - pushing them to prostitution. This is unacceptable in terms of results. Other negative effects of the implementation of loitering and other bylaws include the potential increase in criminal activity such as theft and fraud. We need to consider the input of youth when making and implementing these bylaws and plan to accommodate their special needs. Continue Report   Back to Headlines Past Work