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Table of contents
1. From homelessness to hope........................................................................................................................

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Document 1 of 1

From homelessness to hope

Author: Rolke, Richard
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Abstract (Abstract): "I'd go into stores and they'd be watching me even though I had money to buy something.
Walking down the street, people would yell at me because of the way I looked," he said.
"I went out and actually had lunch on my own. I couldn't go to a movie before and now I can. I went out and
bought a shirt last pay day -- I'm still glowing," he said.
"I've put too much effort into getting here. It's like a whole new world to me," he said.
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Full text: Bill was broken -- malnourished, in constant pain from inflamed sinuses, caught in a seemingly endless
binge of drugs and booze.
After a year of crashing in a tent near downtown Vernon, he knew drastic action was required.
"I went from 240 to 150 pounds. I looked like I got out of a war camp," said Bill (not his real name).
"I'd be dead or in jail if I was still out there."
This was never the life he intended to live.
He had driven the Zamboni as part of the ice crew at Wesbild Centre, but a non-work accident left him with a
broken back. While waiting for Employment Insurance to kick in, he went on social assistance. But when the EI
cheque finally arrived, social assistance clawed the funds back. Without rent money, he was left homeless.
"I was pissed off at the world and went camping for a year, and I was hard core into drugs and alcohol," said the
46-year-old who had his first drink in Grade 3.
Initially, tenting represented freedom.
"It was like no rules. The tent was my Zen space," said Bill.
"But when people came around and started doing booze and drugs, I kept falling back. The police and bylaw
enforcement would also come along and tell us to move on."
Gang violence also increased the stakes.
Bill, who sold drugs to feed his own habit, would wander around town during the day. It was obvious that he
wasn't wanted.
"I'd go into stores and they'd be watching me even though I had money to buy something. Walking down the
street, people would yell at me because of the way I looked," he said.
"We were shunned. It made me feel low. It made me want to climb deeper into the bottle and pipe."
But four years ago, after 18 days without sleep or food, Bill decided to fight for his life. The first step was asking
for help at the Upper Room Mission. In turn, he was put in contact with Howard House, where he immediately
got a bed for the night.
Word of Howard House's drug and alcohol program soon caught his interest.
"I kept bugging them and bugging them to let me into it. I stayed for two years because I didn't want to go back
to the drugs and alcohol," he said.
While there, he focused on his life skills. His teeth and sinus problems were tackled and swimming improved his
health.
A psychologist helped him work through the issues that led him down the path of abuse.
Now the table has turned and Bill spends one day a week as a residential worker at Howard House. He sweeps
floors, hands out medication and spends time with men who are travelling the road he knows too well.
"It's fun helping them because I got so much help," he said.

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The job and a disability pension have been transforming. Instead of feeling alone and bitter, his self-confidence
has blossomed.
"I went out and actually had lunch on my own. I couldn't go to a movie before and now I can. I went out and
bought a shirt last pay day -- I'm still glowing," he said.
It's often said that it takes an addict five or six, or even seven tries, before recovery succeeds. But Bill isn't
worried about stumbling.
"I've put too much effort into getting here. It's like a whole new world to me," he said.
"Today I'm the person I was meant to be from day one but never knew."
Publication title: The Morning Star
First page: A.1
Publication year: 2010
Publication date: Oct 9, 2010
Year: 2010
Section: News
Publisher: Torstar Syndication Services, a Division of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited
Place of publication: Vernon, B.C.
Country of publication: Canada
Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals--Canada
ISSN: 08424349
Source type: Newspapers
Language of publication: English
Document type: News
ProQuest document ID: 757182762
Document URL:
http://ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/757182762?accountid=13631
Copyright: (Copyright (c) 2010 Black Press Group Ltd.)
Last updated: 2010-10-11
Database: Canadian Newsstand Complete

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