Dear Editor,
The struggle to survive in one of the most expensive regions in the world is not limited to those experiencing homelessness or teetering on its edge. It extends to the very organizations dedicated to helping them. In recent years, we've witnessed an erosion of public respect and compassion 鈥� not just for the vulnerable, but for those working tirelessly to support them.
A troubling new narrative has emerged. Non-profit organizations are now being maligned as part of what critics have dubbed the 鈥淗omelessness Industrial Complex鈥� or 鈥淣on-Profit Industrial Complex.鈥� This framing is not only unfair 鈥� it鈥檚 dangerous.
The term 鈥渋ndustrial complex鈥� has weighty roots. In 1961, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the rise of the "Military-Industrial Complex", a powerful alliance of military and industrial interests that could exert dangerous influence over public policy.
As a young person, I came to understand this phrase as a caution against powerful private interests coordinating for profit at the expense of public good. We saw this again in the chemical industry鈥檚 resistance to the banning of harmful substances 鈥� corporations uniting not to protect people, but to protect their bottom lines.
To liken non-profit organizations 鈥� whose mission is to serve those failed by existing systems 鈥� to these historical powerhouses is not only misleading, but deeply insulting.
The myth of a greedy, manipulative 鈥淣on-Profit Industrial Complex鈥� has real consequences.
It:
鈥� Distracts from the urgent, daily work required to support vulnerable populations.
鈥� Demoralizes frontline workers and leadership who sacrifice greatly for the cause.
鈥� Perpetuates misinformation, influencing public opinion and policy in harmful ways.
These attacks do not serve communities. They serve only to obscure the failures of systems that created the crises non-profits are now trying to address.
Let鈥檚 be clear: without nonprofit organizations, the crisis of poverty, homelessness, and addiction would be unimaginably worse.
The toxic drug crisis 鈥� already claiming countless lives 鈥� would escalate without our harm reduction, shelter, and treatment programs.
Survivors of domestic violence, particularly single mothers, would face bleak and dangerous futures without safe housing.
Individuals ready for recovery would find fewer doors open to them.
Indigenous populations seeking culturally appropriate support would get left behind.
Just one example, the Lookout Housing and Health Society, houses 2,000 and supports nearly 6,000 people daily between Chilliwack and Vancouver Island in British Columbia. We serve Indigenous individuals, seniors, families, and others who have slipped through the safety net of our society.
We were founded in response to those gaps 鈥� not to exploit them. Many local governments reach out for our expertise, which we have built with over half a century of advocacy and knowledge.
To link us to the term "complex" is to misunderstand everything we stand for. We are the antithesis of a complex. We are not driven by profit, or exacerbating the crisis for personal gain. We are offering what others will not do, and what senior governments have long lost control of. We traffic in solutions, compassion, shelter, housing, training, recovery, dignity, and hope.
Let鈥檚 move beyond slogans and smear campaigns. Let鈥檚 all work together 鈥� with empathy and realism 鈥� to ensure that no one is left behind.
If communities truly want to address homelessness and poverty, they must not vilify the people and organizations working on the front lines. They are not the enemy. They are a vital part of the solution.
Chuck Puchmayr, New Westminster
President of the Lookout Housing and Health Society, a retired New Westminster City councillor and a former MLA
