A night searching for Ottawa’s hardest-to-reach homeless
Night has fallen over the woods near Hurdman station, and Mikyla Tacilauskas and Jade Fowler find themselves lost in the darkness. They are on a mission to search for the people who sleep in the clearings as part of their outreach work with the Salvation Army. The forest is vast and dense, making it challenging to cover in just a few hours. They have divided the area into smaller quadrants with digital pins marking the spots where people have pitched their tents. However, this is the first time they have ventured into the woods at night, and it feels different, even a little spooky.
“Every other time we’ve gone, it’s been during the day, so we might find people we’ve never engaged with before,” Tacilauskas explains. The two outreach workers turn back to the main path and check the map on their phone screens before heading back into the thick brush. Soon, they come across a unique encampment belonging to Julie Voltolina. She welcomes them into her sanctuary, a complex of tents and tarps that she calls “Camp Nirvana.”
Voltolina has been living in the woods for six months, creating a comfortable and homey space for herself. Despite her contentment in the wilderness, she longs for a stable housing situation. The outreach team has helped her get on the social housing registry and connected her with a housing-based case management team. Voltolina is grateful for the peace and tranquility of the woods, preferring it over the dangers she associates with emergency shelters.
As they continue their search, Tacilauskas and Fowler come across Lucy Shoo, who resides in a tent on Montreal Road. Shoo shares her story with the outreach workers, revealing that she got cut off from ODSP and stopped paying rent before someone gave her a tent. She feels safer outside and enjoys the sense of community on Montreal Road, refusing to stay in a shelter due to the rules and regulations.
The outreach team also encounters Emadalden Kassem and Darlene Skinner, a couple living in their van since their apartment was damaged in a fire. They refuse to stay in a shelter, fearing separation and the potential dangers they may face. Kassem expresses the difficulties of living in the van, especially with their health conditions and the impending winter cold.
The outreach team offers support and assistance to these individuals, helping them access essential services and resources. As the night comes to an end, they reflect on the growing number of unsheltered individuals in Ottawa and the increasing challenges they face. Despite the hardships they encounter, Tacilauskas and Fowler remain committed to their mission of reaching out to those in need, providing a glimmer of hope in the darkness of the night.
