Written by Debra
Debra is a current participant of the Indigenous Housing First Program at Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA). The Indigenous Housing First program at NCSA embraces the principle of Housing First and provides housing and follow-up support to Indigenous people experiencing homelessness.
Housing First involves moving people who experience homelessness into independent and permanent housing as quickly as possible, with no preconditions, and then providing them with additional supports and services to maintain that housing.
In a single visit to one of the 60+ participating housing access points—a system called Coordinated Access—in Edmonton, individuals experiencing homelessness are connected to a centralized database, with which they can share information about their circumstance and initiate a request for housing assistance. Examples of access locations include drop-in centres, overnight shelters, libraries and hospital. Workers across the housing and homelessness sector use a common assessment tool and real-time data to match participants with the services that best fit their needs. Participants are referred to a program that matches their unique needs.
This is Debra’s story.
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The following is an account of Debra’s experience of homelessness and her journey of getting housed. The story was written by Debra but has been edited for clarity.
Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) and Homeward Trust Edmonton (HTE) helped me organize my un-organized life.
Prior to experiencing homelessness and chronic alcoholism, I endured many struggles. I made choices that changed my entire life. I became an active alcoholic. I would drink everyday while still believing I could function in everyday “normal” situations. I thought of vodka as my savior, but it turned out that my “vodka savior” led me into a spinning tunnel of self-destruction. Eventually my life was totally out of my control. I ended up working my way to being drunk 24/7 and I became completely homeless. This became my normal way of life.
During this time, my daily routine disappeared. My living conditions were completely insane. My home for the most part was outdoors or in a shelter. I slept in staircases, in the bush, in a laundry room when we could get in apartment buildings, under bridges, and even in a haystack. I also stayed at a local shelter when I could get in. Some of the shelters required sobriety to get in there, and of course I was seldom sober, so that option was out the door for me. In the winter I would use cardboard or a torn-up tarp to keep warm. If I was fortunate, I would get a blanket but that would be temporary as I would eventually lose it somewhere.
My personal hygiene was very neglected during this time. I figured if I had a “bird bath” every day and a shower once a week that was all I needed to be clean. I didn’t really think about how dirty it was to wear unwashed clothes all of the time. Sometimes I was able to schedule laundry appointments at drop-in centres at least once a week—that is, if I was sober enough to do laundry.
As for my clothing and belongings, I owned one backpack. In the backpack I had one change of clothes and some personal stuff like a toothbrush, toothpaste and ID. I was constantly losing my backpack and everything in it. I was able to get another backpack and change of clothes but could never afford or find proper resources to replace my ID.
My eating routine varied almost all the time. I did not eat a healthy diet. When I did eat it was very little. I would go to the co-op drop-in for breakfast and stay there for lunch as well. For dinner it was off to the Hope Mission. Although the food was available, I wasn’t. On a regular basis I was always drunk or looking to get drunk. As a result I ended up with LOTS of major health issues, some unrepairable to this day.
There are many other chilling situations I found myself in as a result of the choices I made while being drunk or hungover. To write about them in a “short story” would kill the meaning of “short story”. I would likely have to write a “short book” to include them all… maybe another time.
On the positive side my “sleep-overs” at George Spady eventually led me to an introduction with HTE and NCSA. My life changed dramatically after meeting the staff from these organizations.
At my first meeting with the staff from HTE and NCSA, I was very nervous, not knowing what to expect. It turns out that initial meeting sparked lots of hopefulness for me. Together we completed an assessment application and found out that I needed help.
I was needing stability, housing, financial aid, and physical and mental health assistance. These were the immediate areas that I required NCSA and Homeward Trust’s help. I was assigned to a Navigator from NCSA via HTE. The Navigator was very helpful with assisting me in changing my living conditions and also assisted me in exploring realistic goals and how to successfully achieve them. I was also provided with many resources that could be accessed for future assistance.
After viewing a few apartments and considering their locations, I chose one and was very happy with it.
The Navigator from NCSA arranged for the damage deposit and rent to be paid. After this process was completed the Navigator and I arranged for services to be connected such as power, cable, and telephone. The Housing First program provided the payment for these services, as well as the security deposits.
Once the apartment and services were secured, my Navigator delivered all essential furniture from Find* such as kitchen table/chairs, sofa and chair, TV, coffee tables, lamps, bed and dresser and bedding to make my place a home. Additionally, the bathroom was outfitted with a shower curtain, rug, towels, pictures, and stocked with necessary personal care products.
The Navigator ensured the kitchen had all the necessities to be completely functional. Such items included pots/pans, baking ware, toaster, utensils, tea towels and dish cloths, and groceries. My home was no longer at shelters or on the streets. I had a “real” home and everything I could possibly need to live safe and secure.
During all of this, I became sober with the help of my Navigator. I had come to the realization that if I returned to drinking, I would lose everything that I have worked so hard to achieve. My Navigator introduced me to a wonderful addictions counsellor who has helped me understand the power of alcohol addiction and how it has affected me and my life. My counsellor has been a great resource. I can speak with her once a week and talk about anything I feel like talking about.
My Navigator from NCSA stops by weekly to visit with me. We chat about many different things like budgeting and saving money and becoming self-reliant. This is very important as eventually the program I am enrolled in will come to an end and I want to be well prepared to maintain my stability and responsibilities.
I am halfway through my program with NCSA and I am grateful for all the organizations support and guidance. I look forward to learning more about myself and exploring my potential abilities with the many resources NCSA offers. The Housing First program is here for anyone need of a trusting support system and wants to start their journey out of homelessness.
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Debra is one 12,741 people to be housed through Housing First since 2009 (as of June 28, 2021).
NCSA is one of 37 agencies funded by Homeward Trust that provide Housing First programs in Edmonton.
*Find, a social enterprise, provides free furnishings and other essential household items to people moving out of homelessness and into housing.
For more information about NCSA’s Indigenous Housing First program, visit: https://www.ncsa.ca/programs/indigenous-housing-first-edmonton
