just another rant

janinebandcroft.wordpress.com He calls the staff at Cool Aids Rock Bay Shelter every weekday at 3:00 am to put the coffee o !" By the time # $ot there% o Hallowee mor i $ at &:'0 am% Revere d Als coffee was made a d the two frie dly staffwome were talki $ with a ma a(out the pali dromic sy chro icity of um(ers that make up the day )cto(er 3'*'3! A do+e or so were sitti $ i the shelters lo((y% most slumped over i chairs tryi $ to sleep% o e woma speaki $ throu$h what sou ded like a upsetti $ dream se,ue ce! )utside a d across the street% a ma was si $i $! # fou d Revere d Al i the parki $ lot% he i troduced me to -erry . a middle/a$ed homeless ma who helps Al every -hursday mor i $! 0e loaded two lar$e coffee co tai ers i to the 1a delio Society va a d drove family were waiti $! Al distri(uted ci$arettes 2o e each3% water% a d do uts 2a do atio % throu$h ma y years% from -im Horto s3! # shared copies of the Street Newz the occasio ! A couple of people asked me a(out (la kets% Al directed me to a lar$e plastic (i full of warm wi ter to,ues% $loves% a d socks! # spoke with a elder ative woma i a wheelchair! Are you outside4" # asked% (ut she said o% she was up early to $et her prescriptio a d stopped (y o the way! -o the street commu ity%

prices co ti ue to rise% Revere d Al is u dou(tedly o e of the most Back i the va % -erry was ,uick to si $ Revere d Als praises! # love Al% he rescued me! # was sleepi $ outside 5*'' a d some $uys stole my sleepi $ (a$ a d pissed o me! Al drove (y a d rescued me!" -errys (ee outside a few mo ths% he shares a story #ve heard too ofte % a(out losi $ his housi $ after i viti $ the wro $ frie ds over! -hey pu ched a hole i the wall% he $ot kicked out! 0ith the harsh wi ter approachi $% Als co cer ed for -errys health! 0ere looki $ for housi $ for him% its a (i$ challe $e especially with the amou t of mo ey he has! 0ere tryi $ ow to see if we ca $et a frie d to share a two/(edroom with him!" Al a d the 1a delio Society have fou d housi $ for a um(er of hard to house people% a d they su(sidi+e those market re tals to the tu e of 65000/7000 per mo th% 6'00 for each perso % paid directly to the la dlord! #t 8ust helps a perso $et i a place they could t afford% it still makes it pretty tou$h for them (ut it does allow them to (e somewhere!" # asked Al what he says to those who (elieve people are homeless (ecause they choose to (e% they prefer to (e! Al pauses a mome t% the says if we had somethi $ to offer them other tha a dark% damp% (ed/(u$ ridde dirty little hovel 9 (ut ofte thats all thats availa(le for people tryi $ to survive o welfare or disa(ility pe sio s! So yeah% sometimes they choose to stay outside!" A d ma y homeless people care for do$s for compa io ship% warmth% # asked -erry what he thi ks of the shelters! #ll (e dead (efore # ever $o (ack to a shelter%" he said! -hey ro( you! #ve $ot a pro(lem with (lacki $ out a d they k ow it a d they take everythi $!" So you feel safer outside4" # asked! -erry replies%

 he has a lot of health issues a d (ei $ i side is so much (etter for him!" -o add i 8ury to i sult% -erry rece tly stepped o a ail a d has a hole i his foot! Because hes out all the time%" co ti ues Al% a d (ecause he ca t properly keep his foot up% keep it (athed% all those thi $s that ormal people ca do% itll ever heal! Hes always walki $ o it% he does t have proper shoes! -he street urses at Cool Aid do all they ca % (ut whe youre outside its so% so differe t!" eeded to $et her stuff out that very same day so it would t $et ot as you $ as he o ce was a d his (ack wo t allow him to do all that heavy lifti $3 a d call him withi a hour or two hell make his va availa(le a d pay for o e mo ths stora$e o her (ehalf! Back i the va Al told me thats how it ofte is with his family! He wa ts to help them% (ut hed (e (etter a(le to do that if theyd reali+e his days are or$a i+ed a d he ca t 8ust drop everythi $! ::::: Commu ity $roup% the atte d a committee meeti $ with the Coalitio to ; d Homeless ess! He was willi $ to forfeit the to pick up his dau$hter a d drive home to Sooke! Al lives with some familial $uilt% hes $ive so much time a d e er$y to his street family throu$h these ma y years! -erry a d # reassured him his

kids ou$ht to (e othi $ (ut proud of the work he does! ) <a dora # met =ames% a electricia (y trade u a(le to work after celiac% aller$ic to wheat $lute % (ut says he does okay at the soup kitche s! =ames has o ly (ee outside a couple of mo ths% still looks well/dressed a d with a frie dly demea our% (ut # k ow thats cold wi ter mo ths! #ts easy to u dersta d how people $et a $ry a d misera(le% stru$$li $ outside with so little for so lo $% while people with more tha they eed walk (y a d completely i$ ore you or worse% harshly 8ud$e what they do t (other to try a d u dersta d! After the mor i $ rou ds are completed% Al stops for (reakfast at the Cor ersto e Caf> i ?er wood! 0e oticed their Village Vibe housi $ coordi ated throu$h ?er wood @RA% ews that Al welcomes! He shared his frustratio at the process of so(eri $% sta(ili+atio % a d recovery thats availa(le to people who wa t to $et off their addictio % (ut after the mo th is up theres owhere for them so theyre (ack o the streets challe $ed with the same temptatio s all over a$ai ! people o to the streets with o support! -hose who $et out early o parole have access to some commu ity support . a halfway house% a e tire se te ce 2to the tu e of a(out 670%000 each per year3 are released (ack o to the streets with o support whatsoever! # a ideal world%" Al says% thered (e a ice place for you% a 8o(% a 8o( coach% some real tra sitio % some real mo ey!" He tells me a(out a $uy he deals with whos rece tly out of priso % stru$$li $ with the

tra sitio ! He said% a d # love these words% Bi there # had respect! )ut here # have fuck all! -hey come from a commu ity where all their eeds are met% theyve $ot frie ds a d the food is $ood% the they move i to a apartme t a d i vite people over who eed a place to stay% they wa t them there for compa io ship% the frie ds # perso ally k ow a pa ha dler who was kicked off welfare (ecause she dared tell them she was ear i $ some mo ey% a d a ma who had his ews$roup paper delivery ear i $s deducted off his mo thly disa(ility che,ue! -he system" creates homeless ess% from all directio s it seems! Rev Al says # wa t to (e a prese ce i their lives re$ardless of their me tal health or addictio s challe $es% to love them where they are% ot where the police or the system wa t them to (e!" -his o e mor i $% with Revere d Al% # met a(out 70 people 2'& wome 3! Al keeps track (y how ma y ci$arettes he $ives away! -he um(er drops to a(out C0 whe cold weather shelters ope (etwee @ovem(er a d ?e(ruary! -hat does t mea there are less homeless%" Al was ,uick to poi t out% it 8ust mea s there are fewer o the streets i the early mor i $ hours! As we drove from place to place i the pre/daw tourist city of $arde s% # wo dered whether Als mor i $ route is a(out $oi $ to the places where he k ows homeless people will (e% or whether its a(out searchi $ for street people he k ows are out there! He seems to k ow all of them% eve stopped the va a couple of times 8ust to check o people sitti $ or sleepi $ o the dark streets sidewalks! How ma y times has Revere d Al led life cele(ratio s for his street family4 Hes there for them every weekday mor i $% he works for them o the weeke ds throu$h his o li e 1a delio Society a d ?ace(ook outreach% a d hes there for their life cele(ratio whe their challe $i $ lives are over! #f you have a ythi $ to co tri(ute%

whether thats food% coffee% to,ues% (la kets% sleepi $ (a$s% or cold hard cash that will $o towards providi $ the very (asic ecessities of life% visit hopeliveshere!ca a d sleep a little (etter k owi $ theres o e perso out there maki $ such a hu$e differe ce i the lives of so ma y! Janine Bandcroft is grateful to Reverend Al for encouraging her to launch the Street Newz way back in 200 ! She"s also e#tre$ely thankful to have lived the %ast &' years in a bright and clean a%art$ent( in a building