This morning, I visited a homeless man from Hong Kong near Richmond. He was quiet, polite, and neither addicted to drugs nor suffering from mental illness. Like many others, he simply lost stable housing at a difficult point in life.

He told me he’s actively looking for work, hoping to get back on his feet. But because he doesn’t have a fixed address, several employers have already turned him away. It’s not that he lacks motivation or ability—it’s that the system has barriers that exclude people like him.

Now, I’m waiting to attend the City of Richmond’s public consultation on a proposed affordable rental housing project on Sexsmith Road. The plan is to build safe, stable housing for seniors, low-income families, and people on fixed incomes. This is not supportive housing. It’s not a drug rehabilitation center. It’s a place where people can rebuild their lives.

Yet in some Chinese-language social media groups, I’ve seen troubling comments—calls for the government to “keep homeless people out,” and assumptions that they’re all “drug addicts.” These stereotypes are not only inaccurate, they risk shutting out people who genuinely need help.

🧠 We Need to Redefine “Homeless”

Homelessness isn’t an identity—it’s a circumstance.
People experiencing homelessness may be:

• Displaced due to job loss or rising rent
• New immigrants still trying to find stable work
• Seniors with limited income
• Like the man I met this morning—actively seeking employment but unable to get hired without an address

💬 Community Strength Comes from Understanding, Not Fear

We can choose to respond with fear and rejection—or with empathy and inclusion.
We can ask, “Will these people cause problems?”
Or we can ask, “Can we be the starting point for someone’s recovery?”

Richmond is a diverse and compassionate city. Let’s not let a few voices of prejudice drown out our collective capacity for kindness.

I support the city’s effort to build affordable rental housing. And I hope more people will step outside the bubble of online comments and meet those we so often define by labels.

They are not “addicts.” They are people. Just like you and me.

Of course, those who are struggling with addiction also deserve our support and compassion. That’s a different kind of challenge, and I’ll be writing about it in a separate post soon.