By Stephanie Gauthier 91Ƶ Contributor.
Lee has lived through hard times.
Homelessness, substance use, and poverty have all been part of it. Some of the toughest things are surprising, like stigma and the hostility it creates. Last winter, Lee split her time between the streets and a shelter, accessing the shelter only on the coldest evenings.
91ƵI was sleeping outside of a restaurant,91Ƶ said Lee. It was freezing out that night and I slept under there with my hairdryer. They had a plug-in on the outside wall and I had a tarp and a blanket and I was sleeping underneath that and I had the hairdryer going on me all night to stay warm because I thought I was going to freeze to death.91Ƶ
It was a hard night, more difficult and frightening than most people can imagine, and then it got worse.
91ƵThis one fellow came out of the restaurant and he called me every name in the book and told me to get out of there, so I packed up and left.91Ƶ
It wasn91Ƶt the first time Lee had experienced poor treatment, she has witnessed plenty of examples of stigma in action.
91ƵIt just made me want to use more,91Ƶ she said.
How could it not? Unsheltered homelessness is hard, but life in a shelter came with its own challenges. It91Ƶs hard to feel safe in a shelter, especially for women.
91ƵI basically just had a bed,91Ƶ said Lee. 91ƵNo privacy whatsoever, and there91Ƶs (sic) guys and girls and it91Ƶs all mixed. You don91Ƶt know who you91Ƶre sleeping six feet away from.91Ƶ
Her health was another factor that made homelessness, and life in a shelter, more difficult. Lee moved from Saskatchewan in 2021 based on an invitation from her cousin.
91ƵI was in search of a better life,91Ƶ she said. 91ƵI have an illness, my liver, and I wasn91Ƶt getting help medically in Saskatchewan or Manitoba.91Ƶ
Lee91Ƶs cousin had moved by the time she arrived, leaving her in a new city without a support structure.
91ƵI91Ƶve been kind of a transient person my whole life,91Ƶ she added. 91ƵI just worked and went from place to place to place, and when things didn91Ƶt work out I just kept persevering.91Ƶ
Leee now lives at Ellis Place, a subsidized, supportive housing site in Kelowna. Life isn91Ƶt perfect, but it91Ƶs better. She has access to the staff and other supports. Lee is happy with where she is. She91Ƶs joined a local community church where she volunteers. Lee faces a great deal of uncertainty still, but she finds joy in her home and her church.
91ƵIt91Ƶs a start and I91Ƶm okay with that.91Ƶ
Read More: Chocolate and empathy, advice from an outreach volunteer on Kelowna streets
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