Seeing Calgary with a different set of eyes

Last week’s Urban Exposure Project adventure was different from our first, and in a very real sense,  we saw downtown from an entirely different perspective.  Our downtown tour guides were Frank and his wife Elizabeth. They were both homeless when they became friends with Melanie, a participant of the same United Way project last year.  Frank and Elizabeth took a group of us for a walk on a breezy Sunday afternoon to tell us their story and give us a tour of downtown through their eyes.   Since a lot of my friends live in the Beltline area of downtown, I thought I was familiar with the area…until Sunday!

Have you hear of St. Francis Church? Or Inn from the Cold? Or The Alpha House? Do you know what they are or the kind of services they provide?”

Some people may know Inn from the Cold as they are a bigger organization with a reputation of providing temporary shelters for homeless people. But I bet not very many know about St. Francis Church and The Alpha House or the fact that Inn from the Cold is the only shelter that will take in an entire homeless families – with children AND men as well!

St. Francis Church is one block behind the busy trendy shopping area on 17 Ave SW. Tucked behind where people stroll around – enjoying the sunshine, a cup of Starbucks coffee and shopping – is this church that opens once a week to homeless people (providing the best hot meals, according to Frank).  People line up as early as 2 o’clock in the afternoon even though they open the doors at 3:30pm.   Being homeless before, Frank said for many living on the street this may very well be the only hot meal available in a week.  This was the only place that they’d serve you a meal without asking you a single question or turning you away.

With the hope of speaking to those lining up, to hear their stories, we joined the line up too.  We received a lot of curious and sometimes “discriminating” looks (a bunch of youngsters wearing clean trendy clothes with our camera bags on our backs, and some of us wearing brand name sunglasses, and mostly girls), of course!  Unfortunately, when the volunteers  found out we were a group from United Way, we were asked to leave (due to privacy issues). We understood the concerns of the church, but at the same time, we were disappointed by a missed opportunity.

During our stop at the Inn from the Cold, staff member Carla said that she finds that there are homeless people who come in, having issues with addiction of alcohol or drugs, but it does not exempt anyone from being one pay cheque away or being one accident away from living in poverty or on the street.  She told the story of a past client who came to the shelter with her daughter fleeing fom an abusive husband.  They became homeless overnight regardless of whether they live in a luxurious house or not.   Fortunately, they found appropriate help in a timely fashion.

At the end of our tour, we stopped by The Alpha House.  Frank told us The Alpha House is usually the last resort among the shelters.  They accept homeless people who are on drugs or drunk that are often turned away from other facilities.  Frank’s wife, Elizabeth, described to us how she once had to pretend to be high on some drugs in order to be accepted into the shelter because she had no where to go – as all the other shelters were full.  It came down to desperate measure just to find a place to sleep at night.  The irony is that the Alpha House is located right beside the Victoria Park c-train station and by the newly-developed Sasso condominums.

It was an eye-opening experience to see places which I thought I was familiar – but in a  different light.   Frank made a candid comment that “poverty lives right here in Calgary”.   It lives right by the park and right on your doorstep. Don’t forget about the people in your very own community.

My Experience with Poverty in the Community

Urban Exposure Project 2010: Poverty in the Community is a volunteer project that I am a part of, using photography to document my own learnings and reflections on this social issue in Calgary. As part of the learning process, I went out on a little adventure with a few friends over the weekend, walking in downtown on Stephen’s Ave, all the way to Chinatown and looping back along the c-train line, observing and hoping to be inspired.

I went out with an optimism that there are people out there who are doing their best to overcome poverty and all they need is just a little bit more understanding and help from the society to guide them onto the right track. I also went out with an open mind eager to learn about the stories behind each person wondering on the street or busy working on a weekend. The outcome at the end of my adventure was bitter and sweet.

I met a young man on 8th Ave near Flames Central, his name is Henry. He’s 20 years old originally from Ontario. He just got laid off a month ago and is now living in the Homeless Shelter because he couldn’t afford rent on his part time job delivering papers for the Calgary Herald. He was energetic, clean groomed and dressed, and very open to answer all of my questions. He has 5 years of experience working in kitchens, but now having a real hard time finding a job due to the economy. He also mentioned the discrimination he’s experienced as soon as people find out that he currently does not have a permanent home address.

During our short conversation, he asked me to spare him 40 cents for a phone call. He said he needed to call some restaurants where he applied for jobs. I was sympathetic of his situation and also hopeful to see someone living in poverty is still trying hard to turn things around. I was optimistic in that whatever we (the people who want to help in society) do have a positive effect in some ways. He was almost the ideal example I could find and I felt good about stepping outside of my comfort zone to understand what poverty means to this young man.

I left with satisfaction and a sense of wanting to contribute more. When I was waiting to cross the street at a traffic light two blocks down, a street cleaner sweeping the curb came up to me and said

“How much did you give him, young lady? He fooled ya!”

I was confused…and I replied “5 bucks.”

Then he said, “Oh perfect! Just enough for a beer!”

Chatting with the street cleaner, I learned he has been sweeping 8 Ave for two years now and he had heard Henry asking for money and telling people the same story many times already. The street cleaner showed contempt towards Henry saying that he was just lazy regardless of having a healthy body, intact limbs that are more than enough to find a job to support himself. He claimed that Henry is an alcoholic who rather bag for money than getting back on his feet. In contrast, he’s doing everything he can include sweeping the street on a Saturday afternoon in order to feed and support his entire family.

A combination of emotions flood over me. Anger that I was fooled and that I was too naive, sympathy towards Henry’s situation nevertheless, apathy because of the lies and human nature, and a faint memory of slightly smelling that alcohol 0n Henry…

Obviously, Henry and the street cleaner are just two examples of the different perspectives of poverty out there in our community. After the emotions fade away and calming down, I recognize that there are many layers of issues contributing to the root of poverty, both internal and external problems. My friends explained it as that Henry didn’t lie intentionally, he was just too desperate for his current needs that he would make up stories to get alcohol, which is probably the main reason why he’s impoverished. His act of lying does not erase the fact that he is in poverty and he still needs help.

I wonder, is it simply a matter of personal choice or is it deeper than that? No surprise that there is a tension out there between those who dedicate their lives to help end poverty and those who are skeptical about whether all the charitable works have a impact or not when personal choice is really the determining factor! Now, if it’s really a matter of personal choice, is it realistic to have a goal to end poverty someday? I mean, it’s scary to think that a small decision could set back all the effort people put in trying to help! Perhaps it’s part of human nature that we keep hope and strive towards that goal.

Even though I work in the non-profit sector, I am still learning. For others who contemplate these same questions, I’d love to hear your thoughts.