| Rick Sanderson shares two stories of hope. |
Jun. 8, 2009
“When Mike* came to us in June 2008, he was referred by Forensic Psychiatric Services and suffering from untreated psychosis. He was also addicted to street drugs and was well know to police and court services, having had numerous serious run-ins with the law. He had been homeless for five years, and lived in a parkade.
Despite his varied needs, the ACT program is designed to enable us to treat his concurrent conditions as well as to find housing for him. In the past, he would have had to look to numerous different supports to get the help he needed. But most people in Mike’s situation don’t have the necessary motivation to seek out help; fortunately, we are able to bring it to them.
Mike received daily treatment and took his anti-psychotic medication. We were able to find him permanent housing through Cool Aid, and he is off all stimulants. He has even started contacting family members back east, which means a great deal to him.
He completed the Food Safe program and is enrolled in the Better Employment Strategies and Techniques (BEST) program at Camosun College where he is upgrading his English and Math skills. His goal is to find suitable employment.”
“Peter* was also suffering from psychosis and was addicted to Crystal Meth. He had been served an eviction notice from Johnson House for numerous rule violations and was also well known to police and the courts. The only way Peter would have been able to stay housed was to agree to become a client of the Downtown Outreach Team.
We provided Peter with treatment for his mental illness and addiction, and he also became one of our ‘money managed’ clients, which removed his ability to purchase drugs. We visited him twice daily, to provide him with medication and spending money for essentials.
His progress was excellent, and he is now drug free, medication compliant, and in a relationship. He was able to keep his housing and has transformed his apartment into a clean, functional home, where he even hosted MLA Rob Fleming on his tour of the facilities. Peter currently works part-time at two jobs.”
