(SEE ACCOMPANYING REACTION TO HOMELESSNESS FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THIS .)

Where are we supposed to stay? Where are we supposed to go?

Ken Derkach asks these questions several times throughout an interview last week from the sidewalk of Alexander Street.

Personable and thoughtful during this conversation, he is referring to the predicament of people who are homeless in Salmon Arm.

Derkach says police have kicked him out of three spots in the past three weeks or so. Last week an officer told him he can91裸聊视频檛 be within 15 metres of a bank, he says, pointing to the RBC Financial Group near him.

While he says he doesn91裸聊视频檛 like or respect the RCMP, 91裸聊视频渢hey91裸聊视频檝e actually treated me fairly well.91裸聊视频�

Bank staff, he says, are friendly.

91裸聊视频淚 want to go up against a judge. I91裸聊视频檓 even willing to do a little time in jail 91裸聊视频� at least I91裸聊视频檇 have a bed91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

He says he thinks the city gets the RCMP to crack down on homeless people because they91裸聊视频檙e bad for tourism.

91裸聊视频淭hey don91裸聊视频檛 want anybody to know we have homeless people in Salmon Arm. You have to look good91裸聊视频� The truth is, we91裸聊视频檙e here.91裸聊视频�

He notes that the Salvation Army91裸聊视频檚 Lighthouse Emergency Shelter closes from April 1 to November 1.

91裸聊视频淲here are we supposed to go? I91裸聊视频檓 not blaming anyone. One of my sayings is, 91裸聊视频業t is what it is. Deal with it.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

Derkach says he spent 30 years in construction, as well as working as a DJ (disc jockey).

He lived in Coquitlam and, before Salmon Arm for the past five years, Kelowna.

His eyes fill with tears when he talks about how his life went into a tailspin.

91裸聊视频淢y wife died at 42. Brain tumour. That was kind of my downfall.91裸聊视频�

He says he has two daughters, now 25 and 27, but he rarely sees them. Sometimes they talk on the phone.

His drinking spiralled.

91裸聊视频淚 used to be a weekend drinker. Now it91裸聊视频檚 pretty much every day.91裸聊视频�

He adds, 91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 cause any problems.91裸聊视频�

Derkach now has Parkinson91裸聊视频檚 Disease and, last year, he suffered a heart attack. He91裸聊视频檚 53.

He points out that he holds his knees as he sits on the sidewalk so his legs don91裸聊视频檛 shake. He also struggles with anxiety and depression.

Recently someone told him he looks thinner and more unhealthy than the last time they saw him.

91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 the street life. I used to be about 195 pounds. Now I91裸聊视频檓 about 140. It has to do with health and everything else. You don91裸聊视频檛 get from 195 pounds to 140 and keep your health. I91裸聊视频檓 intelligent enough to know that. And it91裸聊视频檚 over the last two years. In high school I was 165, now I91裸聊视频檓 140.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 actually feel like I91裸聊视频檓 not long for this world,91裸聊视频� he says, as tears well again. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 sorry. I don91裸聊视频檛 worry about it 91裸聊视频� it91裸聊视频檚 one less mouth to feed.91裸聊视频�

Forging ahead, he says when he was 12 or 13 years old, he remembers hearing there were about two billion people on earth.

91裸聊视频淣ow there are 7.4 billion in the world. I don91裸聊视频檛 understand how we91裸聊视频檙e going to take care of people.91裸聊视频�

He says when he came here from Kelowna, he was on his way to New Brunswick.

91裸聊视频淚 got stuck here because of the people and the atmosphere,91裸聊视频� he says, adding people in Kelowna weren91裸聊视频檛 friendly, whereas people in Salmon Arm are.

During the interview, a young man stops by to wish him well and give him a bottle of water. A woman also greets him and gives him a handful of change.

This year is the first he91裸聊视频檚 had to panhandle, he says.

91裸聊视频淭he people in this town are the best I91裸聊视频檝e ever seen91裸聊视频� Walking along the street, you hear 91裸聊视频榞ood morning, good morning.91裸聊视频� In Kelowna, you91裸聊视频檙e trying to have a conversation at a bus stop and they look at you like you91裸聊视频檙e crazy. People don91裸聊视频檛 understand I91裸聊视频檓 a sociable person, I get to meet all kinds of people.91裸聊视频�

He says the odd person tries to verbally assault him and his friend, and they just say, 91裸聊视频淗ave a nice day.91裸聊视频�

He wants to rebut what he saw in a newspaper recently 91裸聊视频� that homeless people are lazy bums. He says he used to work at the bottle depot, and tried going back after his heart attack, but he didn91裸聊视频檛 have the energy.

Derkach grew up in Saskatoon and came to B.C. to escape the cold.

He says he is something of a social worker on the street.

I listen 91裸聊视频� that91裸聊视频檚 the biggest thing. Hopefully you can give them a little bit of advice 91裸聊视频� and maybe they follow it.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 used to call God the higher power. Since coming to Salmon Arm, I91裸聊视频檓 actually believing in God. God is benevolent and he is real. I had a Sprite can burst in my back pack and it ruined my bible. A couple of people are going to bring me one. I like to read it. It91裸聊视频檚 not all believable. But it inspires me to help other people and be a good man.91裸聊视频�

What help would he like to see for people who are homeless?

91裸聊视频淚f they have the shelter open 24/7, 365 days a year, that would help.91裸聊视频�

He says paying rent is out of the question because it would take $2,000 to get a place, with the damage deposit, utilities and the first month91裸聊视频檚 rent.

91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 why a lot of us are homeless. We just can91裸聊视频檛 afford it91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淭he RCMP say why are you here? I say, there91裸聊视频檚 no place else to be.91裸聊视频�