A few weeks ago, City Hall approved a permanent homeless shelter, which is currently set to open in April after the facility is renovated to code. When the initiative was being debated, both Don Toovey, who will be running the shelter, and local businesspeople spoke to council about shelter needs and community concerns. Missing from the debate, however, were the homeless themselves. I can't fault the city for this - they can't be expected to extend an invitation to any homeless people who might want to comment on the shelter. But the voice of the homeless is relevant. Most of us have never been homeless, and understand little about how one becomes homeless, survives on the streets or even leaves homelessness behind.
The two people I interviewed offered contrasting perspectives on homelessness. Bob is 41 years old and has been living on the streets only since August. Nevertheless, he has been on the edge of homeless for years, working, but not necessarily making enough money to pay rent. With a greater number of houses condemned and cheap rental properties eliminated or filled, even the roofing job he held in the summer was not enough to pay rent. He has been sober for over a month. Bob regaled me with stories of his survival on the streets - how to find food that has been thrown away by others, how to find warm places to sleep and even how to make a bit of money on the streets.
Lawrence, on the other hand, is no longer homeless, and has been renting an apartment since 1996. He is now 63, but was homeless for 35 years until 1996 when he quit drinking. He had worked at the casino, but after a heart attack is on medication and (possibly) permanent medical leave. He is from Moosomin First Nation, but spent most of his life in North Battleford..
Alex: How did you become homeless in the first place?
Bob: Rent increases. Social Services should give you more help for shelter, or the rent should be lowered. Lower the rent. There's a big sign on Railway Avenue for the New Democrats - it's right there on the road as you drive by. Nobody was in trouble like this before, it's because the rent's too high. Half these places aren't even worth that much money. There are places that five years ago were $350, $400 a month, and are now $900 a month, they're not even worth that.
Lawrence: I drank too heavy. Everywhere I tried to find a place, they'd turn me away because I was drunk every day. But today I see it, I see people doing the same thing I used to do.
Alex: What do you think has caused people to be homeless?
L: The main thing is that the rent is high. When it comes time to pay the rent and to pay for the food, there isn't much left. And it's still going on today.
Alex: Why do you think there are as many homeless people as there are?
L: Because of joblessness. Some people aren't qualified to do the work. There's also drugs and alcohol involved, they can't hold down a job. I was there myself.
Alex: What do you think is the most pressing need for homeless people today?
L: I couldn't say, because there are quite a few. But people have no place to go at night. They need a place. They tried a few places before and it worked. And people need counselling - not only about drinking problems but about everyday living as well. I took a lot of counselling myself, and still do. When a person goes straight, it's not as easy as some people think it is.
B: A shelter. They should have something like that here, instead of nothing at all, then everybody's out in the cold.
Alex: How do you survive the winter?
B: You try to go inside somewhere it's warm - sleep in laundry rooms, vehicles, and so on. When it wasn't so cold I'd light a candle and use three or four blankets to keep warm in a car.
L: Sometimes people go to stay with friends, or they might go to an overnight shelter. Those are the major ways.
Alex: What are the biggest challenges in terms of day-to-day life?
B: Trying to stay warm, trying to get something to eat. You don't even think about getting a job - you're thinking about where you're going to live, what you're going to get to eat, how you're going to stay warm at night. You're going in circles - you're only worrying about general things because you don't have a place. I'd go look for a job if I had shelter, then I'm ready to go to work. And I was working in the summer in roofing, but there's no roofing right now.
L: Looking for work and learning how to stay clean and sober. And learning to know yourself better.
Alex: What do you think people who have never been homeless understand the least about homelessness?
B: They have no clue about it. I'd like to stick some rich people out in the street and say "go find something to eat" - they wouldn't have a clue. They'd starve to death or freeze to death.
This is Survivorman from North Battleford, you ever watch that TV show? Here he is right here from North Battleford. I try to operate like him, to keep myself going.
L: People don't understand what it does to you. It really breaks you. It's like you don't amount to anything. Nothing's worth it. And so you keep on drinking or doing drugs, everyone has their way of dealing with it. Personal issues and personal respect. For me it was like that.
Alex: For you, and for the community, what do you think is the greatest need right now?
B: For welfare to give me more money so I can pay the rent - I couldn't even pay that rent when I was roofing.
Alex: Would you say that that's a need for the community as a whole?
B: Yeah.
Alex: What is the community as a whole doing right in terms of homelessness and the homeless population?
L: Approving the Reclaim Outreach Center for a shelter was doing the right thing. And soup kitchens as well. Not just for the food, but also to see other people. Sometimes loneliness can really get to you. Sometimes people will talk to each other about quitting. I don't think they're doing the wrong thing, but I can't say since I haven't been homeless since 1996.
B: Nothing. Nothing at all. It's all talk and no action. We should be opening the homeless shelter so that people have shelter. What good is it if it opens in the spring - by that point I'll be living in a tent again.
Alex: What would you say to city council?
L: If a person has a place to stay, and if a person has two or three square meals a day, that would be something to look forward to. People do bad things if nothing's working out in their lives. I did it myself.
B: They don't have a clue. They've never been homeless, so what do they know about it? I'd tell council to open the shelter up now, not in the spring.
Alex: Do you think there's a need for more addictions counselling?
B: Well, not really. You've gotta want to do that yourself. If someone forces you to quit and you don't want to quit then you're not going to quit.
Alex: But you think that for people who do want to quit, there's enough out there?
B: Yeah. I quit drinking because I wanted to, not because someone forced me to. I just quit and that was it. If you're in court and the judge says that you have to go to AA and quit drinking, if you don't want to quit, you won't.
Alex: What can you tell me about the homeless community working together?
B: Some of the people downtown are drunks and they're all hungry, so I used to grab bags full of food out of the dumpster that was perfectly safe to eat, and I'd bike downtown and throw food out to everybody so that no one was hungry. I would feed everybody to make sure nobody ended up hungry. And certain people returned the favour to me.
L: For myself I had to understand what happened to me when I was a practising alcoholic. I share that information with other people to help them.
Anything that you want to add?
L: It would be a better place to live if people got help. It would be a better place to live if people got along. People do bad things when they're hungry. I just pray it works out for people. I understand where they are because I've been there. I feel good about the management of the shelter.
