When the People Needing Help are Providing the Help

To avoid offloading labour to service users, we need funding for the homelessness sector

Imagine a young harm reduction worker in training, a young man only months out of the shelter system himself, choosing to stay in a youth shelter overnight to help a young woman he’s known for a couple of months. Imagine this girl is shaking like a leaf because she’s fighting cravings for crack while also being overcome with fear of a repeated sexual assault by her crack dealer. There’s no beds, so the shelter staff let them both stay in the living room overnight. He stays next to her all night, one arm around her shoulders, pulling zero moves.

She makes it to morning without giving in.

I am describing two youth in a peer training program I ran a couple of years ago. This young man made the choice to help his peer knowing he wasn’t on-shift and wouldn’t get paid. He recognized that she needed this kind of one-on-one care, and that neither the shelter staff nor the sober house where she was living could provide it.

I’ve worked in social services for fifteen years, and have always been amazed and inspired by the way struggling people look after each other.

I also think this shouldn’t be happening. The funding should be available to provide folks like this young woman with proper care.