By Shane Koyczan:
I was lucky. I found community in Vancouver early on, and when I found myself struggling to make ends meet I had that safety net there to catch me. This is not to say I haven’t spent more than a few scattered nights trying to wait out the dark inside of a 24 hour restaurant, or thinking if I could just hold myself a little tighter the cold wouldn’t be so bad.
It doesn’t take more than a few days on the street to reach a tipping point in your mental health. When homelessness becomes a reality for someone, and when that reality really sinks in… it can feel as final as a coffin nail. It can wipe away hope from the blackboard, and it can whisper surrender to our fight so often that it can make us feel like giving up was our idea.
As housing becomes a more prevalent issue for all let’s remember that compassion is a better cure than indifference.
- Donate to Habitat for Humanity
- Written and performed by Shane Koyczan
- Commissioned by BC Non-Profit Housing Association
- Presented by HCMA Architecture + Design
- Edited by Inder Nirwan
- Music: “Mountain” by Stephen Keech
