For those who live for the great outdoors, and I happen to be one of them, summer is about outdoor fun, camping, and being on the water, whether boating or visiting with family and friends. But this year it seems we’re continuing the trend of having no idea what’s around the corner. The heat has been unprecedented, and even I succumbed to heat exhaustion this past week. I had it a few times in my teenage years and twenties, so I remember well how it can take you down. The temperatures have been unrelenting. I’d likely be the first person to tell you how much I love the rain, but the dry, hot heat? No, thank you. Here we are in August, and the heat continues. Add in the forest fires and it seems there’s no break. In many places in the province, the smoke is so bad it’s hard to see.
So what happens when you live in a community where fires are burning around you? You’re put on evacuation alert and told to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. With fires burning out of control in too many places, people are being told to pack up and leave, but where are they supposed to go? Many of the hotels and places to stay are booked up with visitors holidaying. I read one article that said people are being told to either camp or stay with family, because commercial accommodations have limited occupancy. This leads to people not leaving when told to, which puts those at the heart of the fire in danger.
It would seem logical that if fire is coming your way, you pack up and get out, but not if you don’t have a place to go. Housing, and I’ve written so many blog posts about this, is the elephant in the room, an issue that has spiralled so far that no one wants to fix it, not really. One of the things that has really been spotlighted, particularly during the pandemic, is the number of people living in their cars, with no roofs over their heads. I don’t even want to think of how horrible that would be, but worse is what I heard a local cop say just last week, that you can park your car anywhere, just not with you in it.
I am a big advocate of basic human decency, but it seems that in too many places a huge divide has arisen between the haves and the have-nots. If you had no place to go, what would you do? Think about it. You have a vehicle, and you’re fortunate to have that, but you no longer have a roof over your head, so you must drive around, looking for a place to park for the night so you can get some sleep. But what happens if you park in the wrong place? When the police drive by a parking lot and see you there, they pull in and tell you to move on. Maybe you ask, “Well, where can I go and park? Could you help me?” But their response is, “No idea. You just can’t park here, so move on.”
You’re exhausted, and you need more gas, but you drive away, shaking, worried. Maybe your kids are in the car with you, so you drive somewhere more rural, down a quiet street, maybe a little pull-out where you’re not bothering anyone, hoping you’re out of the way enough. But then a property owner pulls out and sees the strange car parked there. Is that property owner empathetic and going to leave you be? Or does he see you and immediately feel angry, thinking he doesn’t want that kind of riffraff hanging around there, citing crime and break-ins and theft as an excuse. He makes one call to the police, who handle the bylaw infractions in many places, and they respond to property owners first as a priority.
Yet again there’s a knock on your window, waking you up from the few hours of sleep you were maybe lucky to get, and you jolt awake, stiff and sore from trying to sleep in your cramped car seat. You roll down your window and see the cop standing there, with a badge and a holstered gun. You hear his radio, and maybe his flashing lights are flickering. You look up, weary, exhausted, panicked, and his speech to you is “A complaint was phoned in. It looks like you’re living in your car, so I’m giving you a warning to move on. You can’t park and sleep here.” Again, you receive no help, just a warning, and you feel the angry eyes of residents who want you out and off their street.
Now, some may say that would never happen to them. Maybe they own their own homes or have family they could go and stay with. But that is not the reality for a lot of people. Even in my area, during the pandemic and now, there has been an increase in people having to live in their cars. Because my daughter works as a server at a restaurant and doesn’t have her driver’s license yet, just her basic learner’s, she relies on me to pick her up from the last ferry coming in at night, at ten p.m. As I drive to the ferry, I pass vehicles parked on the side of the road, in a pull-out surrounded by trees, in the dirt parking lots of hiking and biking trails, and even down at the ferry terminal, parked at the end, out of the way enough that they are not bothering anyone and hoping they’ll be left alone.
Think about it: If this were you, and this could happen to any one of us, what would you want someone to do? Instead of the police warning these people and telling them to move on, you know, out of sight, out of mind, how about offering the human decency of a helping hand? People need a place to go instead of hearing over and over that there’s no room at the inn, and you can’t park here, so move on.
Are you all caught up! The O’Connells on Audio.
If you are not currently an Audible member, you can still sign up and claim a free code without signing up for a membership or subscription. If you have any issues, Audible’s Customer Care team is just one phone call away & are happy to help–you can reach them directly at (888) 283-5051.
New Release
“Heartbreaking & Unique Story! If you are looking for original romantic suspense story lines, you need to check out books by Lorhainne Eckhart. Her stories are unique and deal with issues that you may not always find in a romance.” ★★★★★ Paytonpuppy, Amazon Reviewer
Broken Promises
What do you do when a woman shows up on your doorstep, suddenly wanting her daughter back?
More info →
Join My Street Team
Are you a super fan of the Friessens, O’Connells, McCabes and more?
I’m looking for eager readers to join my brand new Facebook street team to provide feedback and share your enthusiasm for my stories via reviews, social media and good ‘ole word-of-mouth. Interested? Click the button below to join the team.
Additionally, when my group reaches 2,000 members, I’ll be giving away a new waterproof Kindle Paperwhite to one lucky team member!
As always, thank you for your consideration and support–I’m truly grateful!
