The everyday inconsistencies of everything. When wildfire forces someone from their home, the question is: Where can we put them? When someone is already homeless, too often the question becomes: How do we get them out of here? Over the …
When Does a Housing Crisis Become a Housing Emergency? Read more »
Kelowna, British Columbia — August 2, 2026 At approximately 8:37 a.m., I boarded the northbound Route 2 on shuttle bus 2930. The driver was helpful, but during our conversation he told me that only HandyDART drivers may assist manual wheelchair …
Field Note: Who Helps When the Accessible Ramp Is Still a Barrier? Read more »
When I was a kid, my mom and I played Punch Buggy. The rules were simple. Whoever spotted a Volkswagen Beetle first got to call it out. “Punch Buggy!” Before long, it seemed like Beetles were everywhere. Of course they …
When people think about homelessness, this is often the image that comes to mind. A bench. A shopping cart. Everything someone owns piled together. It’s a real image. It’s also an incomplete one. My experience doesn’t look like this. Tonight …
People tell you to keep looking. They mean well. They imagine looking for housing means scrolling through listings over a morning coffee, sending a few messages, arranging a viewing, signing a lease, and moving in. That isn’t what it looks …
There are sentences you’re not supposed to say out loud. “I like taking my shits here.” Read that again. It’s crude. It isn’t polished. It isn’t the sort of sentence you’d expect to open a piece of journalism. It’s also …
The shower room has a motion sensor light switch. Outside. If you stop moving long enough to wash your hair, dry off, get dressed, or simply sit and organize your belongings, eventually the lights go out. Then you have two …
Someone invited me for fish and chips this morning. I wanted to go. The people inviting me weren’t offering charity. They know me. They knew me before I became homeless. They know my work, my photography, my radio background, my …
At 4:42 a.m., I called 911. By that point, my regular medications had stopped controlling the pain. It had become so severe that simply getting from my bed to the shelter door was an ordeal. Every push on my manual …
This morning I called the BC Housing Registry. The call lasted 13 minutes. I was told my file was active. My information was updated. My mobility needs were reviewed. We discussed walkers, wheelchairs, stairs, bathtubs, income assistance, shelters, and the …