Svjetlana mlinarevic

Svjetlana Mlinarevic

Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune

July 27, 2017

 

The recent release of the Homeless Initiatives Annual Report showed homeless numbers dropping by a third in the second year of the city’s five year mission to reduce homelessness.

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And while written reports are helpful, a first-hand perspective is needed for those who wish to better understand a life on the streets.

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Lawrence Jollymore likens homelessness to an addiction. The 37-year-old has been homeless off and on for about five years since the economy fell. The lack of employment coupled with a crystal meth addiction made his life more unstable.

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Although he is currently sober, Jollymore said drugs are plentiful on the streets for those who are looking to escape their situation. He said people who live on the streets use drugs to make it from day-to-day and that the lack of a vision for the future keeps the cycle of homelessness going.

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“Some people, I think have chosen (to be homeless). It’s something I never chose. I realized once I got to the point of living in a tent that, for myself, what kept me doing (drugs) was you realize you have so little to look forward to. You don’t even realize that you’re only looking at things one to two days ahead of yourself. You’re not really seeing the future, you just know you’re going to be a part of it. You’re entire day is drawn out for how can I get through today?

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“I think that’s what happens to a lot of people in any city I’ve been (homeless) in, where you stop looking at things as having options and you just try and get through it. It becomes easy because I think that’s where the chronic addiction to homelessness is. It’s almost an addiction to be homeless because you just find it’s easier to do things day-by-day than it is to look forward to what it could take to get through the month or the year or how far that really means to you.”

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Jollymore said what makes being homeless in Grande Prairie difficult is the lack of another shelter, thus making people dependant on Rotary House. Should they be kicked out of the shelter there is no where for them to go other than setting up a place to live in a park or other public area. Not only does Jollymore want to see another shelter established, but he wants it to be a long-term shelter that would house people to help them get back on their feet.

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The average stay at Rotary House is 21 days, but those stays can be extended if the resident is making strides to get housing or work. People are banned from the shelter on a case-to-case basis depending on the severity of the offence. Residents are allowed to return to the shelter under management’s discretion.

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Although he is currently staying at the shelter, Lawrence said he was kicked out of Rotary House last winter and spent five months living in a makeshift camp.

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“I stayed in a tent throughout -35C weather. Sometimes, once you’re in those predicaments it does make it so you feel like your drug abuse and those types of things take affect. Ultimately, it’s one’s choice to change those things, but when the system seems to be failing you, it doesn’t help someone who’s failing himself.”

Lawrence credits the Saint Lawrence Centre with providing a place for the homeless to spend their day off the streets and as a place where they feel respected.

Other issues the city’s homeless face include instances of harassment or lack of consideration from the general public, access to public bathrooms, and the need of a place to house their belongings when they are away from Rotary House, according to Mark MacLeod.

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MacLeod, 54, has been homeless on and off for about 10 years after suffering multiple workplace accidents and dealing with alcoholism. He has taken part in the city’s Housing First program, but recently lost his tenancy due to disruptive house guests. His makeshift camp was recently cleared out by City of Grande Prairie Enforcement Services; he is not permitted to stay at Rotary House.

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“If we had something that was an accessible locker situation or a storage situation or a combination of both for people who are in transition, it would be quite helpful because when you get evicted you have to do something with your stuff...If people had accessibility to storage it would make it a lot better for them to get by and get housed sooner and easier,” he said.

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City bylaws prohibit anyone from setting up camp in public spaces. Anyone found to have established a camp will be given a warning by officers and asked to clear out within a set time period. Should the camp contain hazardous materials such as bodily fluids or waste, needles, or knives, officers will close the camp immediately and call a city crew to clear it out.

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Between January 2015 and December 2016, Enforcement Services officers cleared out 113 camps, which largely contained items found in dumpsters as personal belongings were usually cleared out by the owner prior to a camp clean up.

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Should documentation, pictures, or other personal belongings be left at the camp, officers will store them in a storage facility for 30 days before they are disposed of or auctioned off. Any property taken to the RCMP detachment will be kept for 60 days, afterwhich it will be also be destroyed or put up for auction.

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Both law enforcement organizations make efforts to return property to the rightful owners.

 

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