Friday, March 11, 2011

Service Piece

How To Survive Living in a Toronto Homeless Shelter

Anyone can wind up homeless. According to Canada’s largest youth shelter, Covenant House’s website, “On any given night, some 33,000 Canadians are homeless.” Sometimes things happen in life that are beyond our control that could lead someone to end up in the streets – such as family breakdowns, mental illness, and job losses, where one’s only choice is to stay in a homeless shelter.


There are over 55 homeless shelters in the GTA according to the City of Toronto’s website, where men, women, youth and families have a temporary place to stay so they may re-root their lives and position in the community.


Entering the shelter system can offer those who find themselves homeless many opportunities to better their situation, like a bed to sleep, free meals, and counseling but it’s not just a free ride. Living in a shelter creates its own hurdles.


Amber Rodriquez, a 19 year old who has been in the shelter system for over two years said, “I didn’t know anything about living in a shelter – rules, warnings, shared rooms with no locks, drug addicts, people who talk to themselves. There were so many things that I wasn’t used to that I had to follow through with just to have a place to stay.”


But there are many survival tips to follow to ensure you get the most out of living in a shelter, and make it through this difficult part of your life.


1. Take Advantage of the Resources Available – There are housing, counseling and life skill meetings and workshops offered. “Every resident has a different worker. You meet up with your worker maybe once to twice a week, depends on what you’re meeting up for, like housing, schooling or work.” Said Rodriquez.


2. Stock Up – Shelters have designated meal and snack times. Make sure to take a little extra, because chances are, you’ll be hungry later. Most shelters give out subway tokens in the morning. Even if you aren’t going anywhere that day, make sure to grab them anyway. You may need them another day, or you can sell them. There are many convenient stores around the city that will buy tokens for $250 each. Many shelters also have donations where you may receive free clothes, shoes and necessities.


3. Lock Up Your Belongings – Most shelters provide either closets or lockers to keep your possessions in. “Keep everything in your closet and locked up, because things do get stolen, trust me, you turn around and in five minutes, something is gone.” Said Rodriquez.


4. Make Friends But Keep An ‘Every Man For Himself” Mentality – Timone Taylor, a 23 year old who has been in the shelter system since May of 2010 said, “You meet people you click with, and then you end up getting caught up in their bullshit, and you kinda forget about yourself, which is really bad, because the whole point of you coming to a shelter is to upgrade yourself and make yourself better.”


5. Stay Out Of The Drama – Living in a shared environment, without privacy, with others going through a difficult time is a recipe for drama. There are also many people of all walks of life, race, and religion with different beliefs. It is easy to get sucked into it, but it is best to ignore the tension and arguments, and focus on you.


6. Voice Your Concerns To Staff – Even if you feel like they don’t care, confide in the workers available if you have any issues. If they understand who you are, they will be more likely to be able to give you the help you need.


7. Follow the Rules – “The hardest part about living in a shelter is following the rules.” Said Taylor. There are strict rules that you must follow while staying in a shelter to make sure it runs as smoothly as possible like no violence, making it back for curfew, doing chores, no discrimination, quiet hours, you must be off the floor during the day and no drugs or alcohol on the property. Failure to follow these rules could result in being discharged.


8. Never Give Up – “I am now housed thanks to a program they got me into and I’m thankful for where I am today. Living in a shelter was quite the experience. Whether positive or negative, I’m still here and no longer homeless. “ Said Rodriquez.