ROSEMARY GODIN: Cape Breton Pallet shelters offering hope

Mark says he just wants to sleep in a bed.

“Basically, I haven’t slept in a bed for the last three years,” says the former electrical engineer.

Annie, who has worked as a teaching assistant and caregiver to seniors, says she just wants to sleep in a place that is warm. She is currently sleeping in a tent and isn’t looking forward to the cold weather that is coming.

Both will have these wishes come true in a few weeks when they are among the first people to move into the new pallet-home community at Pine Tree Park off Lingan Road in Sydney.

Thirty-five temporary shelters make up the supportive community that will provide safe and warm housing for people experiencing homelessness. Referred to as a “village” by its creators, the plan is to have it operating by mid-September. It’s expected that all 35 units will be filled, but the Ally Centre is keeping a waiting list. People will start out living in the little houses, and then with supports and services provided for them, it is expected that they will move on to more permanent housing within a year.

New Dawn and the Ally Centre of Cape Breton will operate the project with funding from the province. New Dawn is a non-profit, volunteer-directed social enterprise dedicated to community building. The Ally Centre of Cape Breton is a non-profit, community-based organization that provides education and health services to an under-serviced population in an environment where clients feel safe.

‘AN EXCITING TIME’

Annie and Mark are just two of the dozens of people who have turned to The Ally Centre in downtown Sydney when other doors were shut to them. Mark has been sleeping in their building since January along with up to 25 people each night. The centre and its staff have literally been lifesavers for many of CBRM’s vulnerable population.

Ally Centre director, Christine Porter has been tirelessly advocating for shelter for the rising number of homeless in CBRM for several years.

“It is an exciting time,” says Porter who has helped the under-housed get through months of delays in getting the houses built.

“We’re all in the same boat,” says Mark. “But everyone’s stories are different.”

And the “same boat” Mark speaks of includes histories of trauma that contributed to people needing help.

Mark, who had worked as an electrical engineer on boats for decades, had a stroke three years ago. He was unable to work in the aftermath and lost his home and belongings. As with many stroke victims, he still has some paralysis in one of his legs.

It was the beginning of a soul-crushing descent in his life. His is just one story that proves how quickly someone can become homeless and it has little to do with the inaccurate stereotype of illegal drug abuse. Health reasons and job losses are often beyond anyone’s control and difficult to overcome in today’s economy.

Annie, too, has experienced trauma that she is still recovering from. Two years ago, she was brutally assaulted in Sydney. The perpetrator was sentenced to six years in jail, but Annie still carries emotional and physical scars.

“I could have been one of the MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls),” she says. “I have mental health issues because of the beating.”

FINDING HOPE

Both agree that lack of family or friend support at the time of crisis contributes to the struggle of most people who find themselves on the streets. But each says that they have found a family at The Ally Centre community.

They also have found hope, especially in the prospect of having a place of their own, if only temporarily while they “get their stuff in order.”

Each of them has goals. Annie wants to find a home (the pallet housing is temporary and prepares them gradually for long-term housing) and be in a place where she can be warm.

“This is giving me hope,” she says. “I’ve tried and tried and given up so many times.”

And how does she plan to spend her first days in her own personal space?

“I’m going to write!” Annie is filled with exuberance and joy as she speaks.

“I’m going to have my own space and I’m going to write poems. I just need space to clear my head.”

Mark, a quiet, thoughtful person, is precise about the first thing he’s going to do once he closes the door of his new home behind him.

“I’m gonna lie on my bed!” he says.

Mark is looking forward to finding some peace after the months of lack of privacy sleeping in a room with up to 25 others every night.

“It’s been hard on my head,” he says.

His situation is proof the initiative is working. He already knows that he will only be spending a short time in a pallet home and will be one of the first to move into more permanent supportive housing in Pine Tree Park.

MISINFORMATION

Information that can answer a lot of the public’s questions is found on the websites of both New Dawn and The Ally Centre. Reading Facebook comments reveals that there is misinformation and a lack of compassion among many who sleep in a bed every night.

Read it, people. Read it!

In the meantime, I share the hope Annie and Mark have for their futures. I’m rooting for both of them and the 33 others who will take this initial journey beginning in mid-September.

An information session for people who want to volunteer their time and talents was held in July. People were told that the community is being fashioned like “traditional Maritime homes – warm, cozy and bright.” Unlike the photos we have seen of flat white, unpainted boxes, the tiny homes will be painted in bright colours and look distinct from one another.

The Ally Centre continues to take referrals for people who are presently homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.

To quote Erika Shea, president and CEO of New Dawn Enterprises, “This is a beautiful moment.”

Rosemary Godin is a retired journalist and is an ordained minister with the United Church of Canada. She sleeps in a bed every night in a warm home in Westmount and wishes for the same for all in CBRM. She can be contacted at: [email protected]

This article first appeared in The Cape Breton Post on August 4, 2024.