Some Winnipeggers do as well. This spring I woke up to a guy asleep in the driver's seat of my car. Notified a friend/neighbour I was gonna go wake him up in the off chance something happened. Had Naloxone ready. But he was just asleep and went on his way!

10000%! My pottery studio is right in the core, where all our main emergency shelters are, and where the mobile overdose prevention team sets up. I'm genuinely more concerned for the safety of the folks living on the street in this area than I am about my own personal safety.

Also, I hope people understand that sometimes you're just going to be told to eff off, and that's fine. Poverty, homelessness, and addiction are traumatizing. If they don't tell you to eff off, they might not say thank you, and that's fine, too.

Groups like the DSCP, Bear Clan, Morgan's Warriors, etc, are on a first-name basis with many homeless folks in this city/know their routines, etc. So if you notice that someone you usually see out and about hasn't been around, it doesn't hurt to give them a call and see if they can check up on them.

Maybe it's just the change in temperature that made this guy come around to being willing to go to a shelter, but building non-carceral relationships with folks on the street is so important.

The guy hasn't been on our steps at all this week, so my coworker called around and was able to arrange a non-police wellness check on him. He's been located and is open to going to Siloam now, when he previously wasn't.

He gives us any updates on items this man might need, and tries to bring him food as often as possible. We all try to pitch in.

It'll be different this time, we swear!

And stay down!!!!!!