James was a regular around the Drop-In Centre at Covenant House Vancouver. He struggles with substance use and has some mental health concerns, which have impacted his ability to find stable housing.
Shortly after arriving at work in the morning, the team noticed that James was sitting outside the building, well before the Drop-In opened for the day. When we spoke with James, he explained that he’d had a rough night. He said he had slept outside. He was cold, tired, hungry, and experiencing withdrawal symptoms. He said he arrived early, because he had an important meeting, and didn’t want to miss it.
The Drop-In team decided to open the space early, so James could get breakfast and have a shower before his meeting. While waiting for his meeting, James fell asleep on one of the couches in the space as he had not gotten much sleep the night before. Youth workers kept track of the time and woke him up before his meeting, so he wouldn’t miss it. James later let us know, that this meeting was very important and related to a housing opportunity.
James was very appreciative of the care and attention provided to him. The team was glad we were able to meet James’s basic needs, while we supported him with his goal of finding housing.
Check out our latest Under One Roof podcast, where we talk to Marc, Covenant House Vancouver’s Housing Support Worker, about housing for youth.