Breaking out of Homelessness

“Any break requires three things: knowing the layout, understanding the routine and help from outside or inside.”

This is a quote from the movie Escape Plan, which is rather insightful. I’ve compared homelessness with prison already, and I still mean it. Let’s apply the parallel to escaping homelessness and see where it goes:

Know your rights, and why they matter

You may think you have no rights, or that they don’t matter any more than you do, or perhaps that it’s got nothing to do with your predicament; of course this line of thought is self-defeating. Breaking out of homelessness and poverty means getting society to grant you status above that of a stray dog, and the only way is to stand up for yourself. Granted, rights that exist only on paper won’t do squat to help, but that’s largely up to us.

If you’ve got time to watch TikTok videos on your smartphone, you’ve got two weapons you may not suspect: a smartphone, and the ability to look up information. The combination can be an effective weapon. Let’s start with information. How about looking up those worthless rights that exist only on paper? I’ve got a few suggestions:

• The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• The BC Civil Rights Code
• Tenancy Laws and Rules
• Patient rights

Navigating all this may look as futile as attempting to break out of Alcatraz… and yet three people indeed broke out of Alcatraz. Don’t give up just because it looks daunting, that’s what society wants.

While you’re at it, why not learn about the history of civil rights?

And this is where I come back to the smartphone as a weapon. We live in an era where even a homeless person can instantly broadcast video at the push of a touch screen, and a single one can trigger a sweeping civil rights movement such as Black Lives Matter. In fact, the riots following Rodney King’s beating by cops were made possible by the release of a video tape of the assault. See, civil rights don’t just magically appear on paper; all of them have a history of being made by countless people who fought, bled, and died to make things happen, and were often triggered by a single person, such as Rosa Parks, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, or Mohamed Bouazizi. People like you and me. And we have more power than they did.

Understand the system—and its countless loopholes

Granted, there’s a world of difference between theory and practice, and navigating the system is easier said than done. Even worse, there’s also a world of difference between what the system is allowed to do and what it can get away with; fortunately, this works both ways and can tremendously help us navigating the system in turn.

I’d like to draw your attention to the case of a homeless autistic man who was being persecuted by the police, and defeated the system by asking a judge to put him in jail. Believe it or not, it actually got him the help he needed. The reason is simple: the court system is a tribune to air one’s grievances before the court of public opinion, and every democratic government fears it. Judges in particular worry about the reputation of the judiciary above all else, so one way to challenge the system is to force it to do something absolutely unconscionable for the whole world to see.

You think it cannot work for you? Well, it worked for me. My rights were being denied at the Royal Jubilee Hospital and in last resort I turned the system on its head by daring the police to arrest me and charge me with a crime—knowing no sane prosecutor would take on the case. The cops and the security guards instead did their best to broker an agreement both parties could work with. Of course that would not have been possible without understanding how the system works and being able to extrapolate the outcome should the system choose to follow its course instead.

Learn how government officials think, and you’ll know how to get what you need from them. It’s all about either giving them what they want or threatening them with what they fear.

Where to find help

You’re not on your own. There’s help out there, it’s just a matter of knowing where to find it and how to plead one’s case. Allow me to conclude with a few examples:

• Better than asking Google: have you tried calling 211? It’s a directory of community resources maintained by people that help navigating all these options. If you know what you’re looking for, it’s just one phone call or click away.
• Have you tried talking to an outreach worker? While the worker proper may not be the person you need, he or she may be able to show you around the system toward someone who can.
• Have you tried counselling? No, that doesn’t automatically mean therapy, or that there’s something wrong with your brain; plenty of people need advice for various issues, ranging from “I hate my job! I want to switch careers but I’m trapped!” to “I’m in a relationship from Hell and I need out!”. A counsellor may be able to give no-nonsense advice to a homeless person and it doesn’t cost anything to try; organisations such as Our Place Society offer counselling for free.
• Got legal issues? A homeless person is automatically admissible for legal assistance, from Legal Aid BC or the BC Human Rights Clinic, for example. Talking to a lawyer can make the seemingly inextricable a plausible prospect. You can also look for a legal clinic in your community, which can likewise dispense free legal advice in person.
• Been wrongfully evicted? Complaining to BC Housing may be worthwhile.
• Need advocacy to get on disability? Organisations such as Together Against Poverty Society offer this kind of service.
• Crippled by debt? A bankruptcy trustee might be what you need. You’re not getting out of poverty while being hounded by creditors, after all.
• Been wrongfully convicted of a crime? Innocence Canada may help exonerate you.
• If your issue is particularly difficult and unfair, an ombudsperson may be able to help you make progress; I would save this for people who have exhausted all legal options.
• Situations that are outright newsworthy may be resolved by reaching out to the mainstream media; it’s a long shot but many injustices are being resolved by having journalists call bullies on the victim’s behalf inquiring about the incident in question, and voilà! the other side is suddenly reasonable.

Here’s a list of organisations providing services to the homeless in Victoria, BC, that make good starting points:

• Our Place Society
• Together Against Poverty Society
• Umbrella Society
• Victoria Cool Aid Society
• Victoria Native Friendship Centre

If you’re desperate and overwhelmed, feel free to contact me. I’ve been volunteering on the front lines for years and I should be able to dispense advice about both legal and extralegal options.