(cont.)
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE CALLED HOMELESS?
When the problem is not housing
Homelessness is a complex issue. The structural factors that contribute to homelessness on a societal level, are exacerbated by the individual circumstances of the person experiencing it.
“It seems that everyone has an opinion on homelessness. We’re all thieving drug addicts, we choose to live this way, we’re lazy, we’re liars, we can’t be trusted – these are just a few examples of what I hear, feel or am told almost every day. The sad part is that if you look at all the homeless in all the country, those comments above – along with many more – are all true. What the problem with those stereotypes is that not all of us are ALL of the above. Some of us don’t make enough to live by ourselves while others have been injured or encountered some other mishap. Many of us have horrible money management skills that we inherited from our parents or never learned in the first place. Some of us have been in the welfare system since birth and don’t know anything else – never having had the opportunity to know what it is like ‘out there’.”
JT
The sheer enormity of fixing a broken lifetime of abuse, poverty, addiction, or any other natural disaster that can occur in a life, can lead the individual to resort to a host of coping mechanisms including, that most human of condition, ‘denial’.
To demonstrate the complexity of issues an individual faces, the following Case Study #1 provides a snapshot of the experience of a single, white female whose homeless experience began in 2005 when she was 24 years old.
The first recorded entry in the DI database of Sarah’s presence at the DI was October 2, 2005 when a staff member requested that a counselor connect with Sarah to “complete an intake form to get to know her better and discover her needs.”
Notes in her file indicate that Sarah’s parents divorced when she was young and she grew up with her mother in Toronto while her father resided in Calgary. Her mother confirms Sarah has a BA in Anthropology and reports that her behaviour began to change while she was in University where she also experienced a period of severe depression.
Shortly after arriving at the DI, Sarah began to shed her clothing whenever possible. She spent considerable time wearing only a bed sheet. In addition, it was noted in her file that she spends significant time watching herself in glass surfaces and speaking to herself continuously.
In late 2005 it became apparent that Sarah was pregnant. Despite staff’s efforts to ensure she received appropriate medical care, Sarah resisted keeping doctor’s appointments. In June 2006, after the birth of her child, Sarah left the DI to return to her mother’s. It is not known if she kept the child or gave it up for adoption.
Sarah was absent from the DI from June 17, 2006 until April 14, 2008. Since her return, it has become evident that her mental health has deteriorated with several references in the database to stealing, abuse and violence towards staff, and difficulty waking up.
Over a period of four years, Sarah has accessed the DI shelter five hundred and twenty nine nights, one hundred and thirty of which have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Because of her disruptive behavior, Sarah has received eleven bars from services over the course of her stay and continues to demonstrate unusual behaviour such as watching herself in the glass and speaking to herself.
In their interactions with Sarah, front line staff took great care to approach her in a positive and straight forward manner. Depending on the subject to be discussed, they either use her real name, or, the alias she prefers, Tammy. Mercurial, Sarah flipped from compliant and cooperative to hurling accusations of harassment and refusal to interact. For Sarah, the glass she watched herself in became her social network, her primary source of human interaction.
In a September, 2009 database entry, a staff member wrote, “I was speaking with Sarah this morning and I asked her about what she says when she is talking to herself in the reflections around the DI. Sarah said it was “just boring stuff” and she was “recording stuff to her mind”. Another staff asked a similar question last week and she said she was “rehearsing for a play”.”
A month prior, this entry appeared, “At approximately 1:45AM this morning I was called over to the ladies washroom in Intox due to Sarah screaming at the top of her lungs and slamming the washroom door. She was calling herself a “useless piece of shit” and ” a stupid fucking cunt”. ” Through compassionate care, Sarah’s outburst was subdued and she continues to call the DI home.
Sarah is unwilling to engage in any conversation regarding housing options as she considers the DI her home. As long as she continues to be compliant and non-disruptive, Sarah is not at risk of losing her shelter at the DI. Her refusal to seek medical attention continues to be of serious concern and frustration for staff committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of clients.
Always interesting to hear the different perspecitves of homelessness.
Thanks for giving me a well written description of how life is on the cold and wet streets of Calgary. It took me a long time to finally find an organisation who is doing exactly what our organisation is doing for the past 12 years
If you wish to compare organisations, please do not hesitate and check out the streetlife in the heart of Europe; namely Luxembourg.
I am a canadian who has resided in Luxembourg since 1980 and am an active volunteer in the redaction since the year 2000.
Keep up the good work you are doing in Calgary and try not to give another bald headed man a comb or a toothless man a nice juicy steak. You can help some people, some of the time, but you can’t help everybody, all of the time.
Heads up and I hope to hear from you in the near future.
Yours Truly,
George E. Nixon
Thank you George for your encouraging words! And thank you for what you do. I shall definitely check out the work in Luxembourg.
so true — you can help some of the people, some of the time, but you can’t help everybody, all of the time.
Cheers!
Louise