Tom, Temporarily Homeless

Tom was enjoying the early morning sun when I asked if I could take his picture. This sparked a lengthy conversation.

Tom put himself on the street for reason he didn’t full explain. He spent years as a trucker before a workplace injury left him on disability. Benefits provide him with just enough income to appreciate how fortunate he is compared to others on the street. This is temporary, he says, as he’s eyeing a new apartment in the area sometime in the late summer. For now, he spends his nights at a nearby church.

Tom sees an epidemic of mental illness among young people. Addiction is rampant, with meth being the substance of choice. In the shelters he sees the rift between belligerent alcoholics and hard-drug users. He’s tried to play peacekeeper on a few occasions. The trouble makers are removed and dealt with, although I don’t know exactly what that means. I ask about the police and if they treat the homeless like criminals. “No, no.” he quickly replies. That was nice to hear.

Tom has no children and no family in the city. He tells me his girlfriend passed away 18 months ago; a gut punch to our conversation. There was a long pause as he fought back tears.

We made small talk about the usual topics, like Trump and COVID, before getting into homelessness. The Edmonton EXPO Centre and the Kinsmen have been operating as temporary shelters as a result of Coronavirus. But things are slowly going back to normal, he says with disappointment, as he mentions the EXPO Centre is closing in August.

Tom had some interesting things to say about the situation in Edmonton. One comment that struck me was his view that the Hope Mission makes it “OK” to be homeless. That could mean a lot of things, but I didn’t press for answers.

It comment got me thinking, though. It aligns with the impression I’ve always had that many on the street are 'content’ in their situations. Certainly we play some role in this. Why would they want the headache and responsibility of paying bills and maintaining a home when there are plenty of services available to live a relatively ‘comfortable’ street-life? Think about how stressful our daily lives are. Now tell a person with a completely different lived experience - no rent, mortgage, kids, routine, bills, or responsibility - to take those on. Simple acts like cooking, doing the dishes, and laundry, can be daunting - especially if you’re struggling with addiction or mental illness. I’m not saying that services for homeless are not needed, because they absolutely are. They are vital. But we need better programs in place to transition people from the streets to stable lives. I don’t know exactly what that looks like, but I think a universal basic income is a good start. The key is prevention. Housing is a right and we should treat it as such. What better time to implement it then now.

Steve, a friend from one of the shelters, walks across the street to join us. He looks young. Our interaction was brief, but palpable; you can see the struggle in his eyes. As he sat down next to Tom it felt like my cue to leave. I offered to grab them coffee and bagels so they could catch up. Steve struck a few poses as Tom chuckled. I could tell he has a good sense of humour. It left me wondering why he’s on the street.

The most memorable thing Tom said was neither groundbreaking, new, or controversial. It was a simple statement of fact.

“It’s fucking sad out there, man.”