How becoming homeless helped one man kick his addiction and plan to buy his first home

“The only place I had to go was out to the streets. I stayed in the parks, I stayed in people’s backyards with tents, in cars, couch surfing.”

While he wasn’t around active drug use, he found it was difficult to get grounded so he found a room at the homeless shelter that was operating in Prince Albert at the time.

“I was able to figure out where I need to go from there,” he explained.

He had found a job at McDonald’s that he didn’t want to lose. Getting the bed at Our House gave him enough stability to keep working and look for a longer-term place to live.

He became a manager at the restaurant and worked there for six years before moving on to Canadian Tire. He was a supervisor there for three years but still had higher plans while he was working there.

Beebe went to school and got a diploma in Social Services through TDI College and then was hired as a shelter attendant at Stepping Stones.

“Once I completed my program, I got hired there and have been there ever since and I love it,” he said.

Being homeless did not give him the luxury of planning a future. He needed the bed and stability in order to be able to think ahead in order to think beyond very basic survival needs, such as staying warm and finding food.

“If you’re not into the drugs and stuff, your energy comes from food like it should but you’re beat down to the point where that’s all you can think about; where am I going to go? How am I going to eat?”

In Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs, the most basic needs must be filled before the next level is possible.

This is what the emergency shelter provides, Beebe explained.

He still rents his accommodations, but he is looking to purchase in the foreseeable future.

As his needs were met, he progressed up the hierarchy and can now maintain relationships, such as with his children and his spouse.

“We just built a life together now and I’ve never been happier in my life,” he said.

That stability gives him the drive to help others who are lower in the hierarchy of needs.

The topic of homelessness has been a hot topic in Prince Albert for years as a growing number of homeless people can be seen in the downtown area, on the West Hill, in the Cornerstone Shopping District and camping in the trees on the east side of the city.

Organizations have estimated their numbers at over 100 and as high as 200.

The YWCA, which runs Stepping Stones, has been looking for years for a spot for a permanent shelter, which city council has committed to choosing in the next several months.

Beebe told his story at the first of four public consultations into what constitutes a good shelter locations on Wednesday evening.

One of the things the city and organizers are trying to do is dispell the myths that surround the homeless population, including that they are all criminals.

A samples of some of the people who have made their way through shelter services in Prince Albert. (Susan McNeil/paNOW)

The next meeting will be on Monday at the Midtown Community Centre, followed by a meeting at the Art Hauser Centre the day after.

The final meeting will be at the Prince Albert Grand Council’s Urban Services building next to Gateway Mall on January 30.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

How becoming homeless helped one man kick his addiction and plan to buy his first home

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