丁香园AV

Nicholas is the head of the Persons with Lived or Living Experience of Homelessness for the Community Advisory Board of Metro Vancouver and has joined our CMHC-SSHRC-funded project on homelessness in later life where he brings the voice of persons with lived experience to the table. He hopes his 10 years of being homeless can contribute to improving the lives of others who are struggling with addiction and homelessness. Nick shared his story with us:

鈥淢y stint with depression, addiction, and homelessness came about in 2003. My mother was living in the USA and I was barred from visiting her for almost 14 years while she became ill. Eventually I was allowed to visit her for a short time, but after I left I was not allowed to re- enter the USA and she passed away. At that point I faded into severe depression and I started using crack cocaine on a daily basis due to the fact that the work I was doing needed my full attention. Eventually I quit my job and ended up on welfare, and rather than live in an SRO, which was unlivable, I chose to live on the streets, and stayed on them for about 10 years. Thanks to the At Home project I was able to get my life back on track (which I know would happen again one day) and have been taking what I have learned through those years of despair to help and teach others that are going through what I had to.鈥�

To learn more about Chris and the work she does, visit her website. http://misschrissyd.com/