On the front page of a Capital News edition from nearly 20 years ago, a 15-year-old version of Rhea Montpetit posed for a picture with change forming the word 鈥渓ove,鈥� at her feet.

鈥淚t was a big deal to me at the time so I made sure I kept one,鈥� Montpetit said, from her home in Vancouver.

鈥淚 just thought it was the coolest thing ever and I enjoyed what (the reporter wrote) about us. It was the only time I鈥檝e been in the paper so I made sure I kept it.鈥�

As a teenager Monpetit travelled with friend Brianna Ferrie to 91大黄鸭 from Victoria in the summer in order to find work in the orchards, but that didn鈥檛 end up happening.

She was featured on the cover of the Aug. 29, 1999 edition of the newspaper, as she and her friend Ferrie begged for change.

Montpetit left her home in Victoria for a variety of reasons; a dysfunctional family life, a mother who struggled with mental illness, and she wasn鈥檛 attending public school, she said.

READ MORE: 91大黄鸭 looking for board of directors for Journey Home Strategy

She then got into partying, drinking, and drugs.

鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 want to go home, I was kind of in a tough situation with my mother鈥� it just wasn鈥檛 a supportive place to be, I felt like I was better off on my own.鈥�

Montpetit was homeless for about three years, travelling between Victoria and 91大黄鸭 where she spent a few summers.

鈥淏ecause of the climate, it was a smaller city so I felt that it was less dangerous than Victoria or Vancouver even, where there鈥檚 just so many people. It鈥檚 less safe, especially if you鈥檙e a woman,鈥� she said.

In 91大黄鸭, she connected with other summertime transients, and they looked out for each other.

鈥淓veryone would hang out (in City Park) so there was kind of a sense of community鈥� I felt like it was safe there for me as a younger person.

Montpetit primarily stayed in the downtown centre, finding meals at the Gospel Mission, but remembers walking across the Bennett Bridge with Ferrie in tow. They found shelter underneath houseboats that had been docked on land.

鈥淭he one thing I did have going for me then, I was young and I thought nothing could touch (me),鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou do get a lot of guys coming up to you offering money or a place to stay and it鈥檚 obvious what they wanted is some sort of sexual favour. Even with my friend, I would still have men approach me and ask for that kind of stuff.鈥�

She got a dog to protect herself once she parted ways with Ferrie.

鈥淚f someone was coming, (the dog) would start growling and that was a trigger with me,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou do kind of have to watch your back all the time.鈥�

Montpetit also wore baggy men鈥檚 clothing in order to hide herself.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to look attractive,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 tried to blend as much as you could. Those as just kind of coping skills as a woman you develop.鈥�

Eventually, she tired of the way she was living.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just a daily grind of being wet, being cold, being tired, being hungry and fortunately I qualified for independent living鈥� and fortunately, I lived in a time where I could still get an apartment for $300, because nowadays what people get for welfare, you can鈥檛 rent an apartment on that. But back then you could, and I was able to get a place, and from there I went to an alternative school, which was for at-risk youth, and I started getting through high school again,鈥� she said.

Montpetit stayed away from the partying and slowly built herself back up, attending online classes while she worked in the service industry in her 20s.

She now works as a paralegal in Vancouver.

鈥淲hich is hilarious, because 15-year-old me would have never thought that would happen; working in the law,鈥� she said.

Montpetit agrees with a housing first initiative, saying she was able to get on her feet after she found housing.

鈥淣owadays it just doesn鈥檛 exist. For people who are critically homeless鈥� to be able to find a place is a huge barrier, and if you鈥檙e housed in a place surrounded by others with drug addictions, it鈥檚 not a place where you can get better,鈥� she said.

鈥淵ou have to provide people with a nice clean place, with other people who are also trying to change their lives and provides a service to them and not make them seek it for themselves because even if you can get a place to live, you still have to go, for instance in Vancouver, to the Downtown Eastside to access your services so you鈥檙e always in the mix, you don鈥檛 have a chance to extricate yourself from the situation so I think having housing that actually is affordable and a nice place to live also builds people鈥檚 self esteem.鈥�

In June, a housing strategy was presented to council recommended by the Journey Home Task Force which proposes a $46.7 million effort over five years, with $18 million providing 300 units of long-term housing in buildings with supports on-site for people with complex needs such as addiction, mental health and medical needs.

Another $26 million would be earmarked for 500 new program spaces supporting people in rental housing across the city, including assertive community treatment, intensive care management, rapid rehousing and prevention. The support would be based on the Housing First model, which advocates getting people into housing before providing supportive programs.

B.C. Housing has committed to the development of two buildings in 91大黄鸭 this year with a total of 88 units, and is in discussion with the city about 100 additional units in future buildings throughout the city.

One of the complexes, called Hearthstone, has already opened on Commerce Avenue.

Another complex, located across Highway 97 in the former North Pointe Inn motel, will open later this month.

READ MORE: Ground-breaking for modular housing for homeless in 91大黄鸭

Gospel Mission executive director, Randy Benson said it鈥檚 not as common to see seasonal travellers from the coast visit the Gospel Mission.

While he said it鈥檚 too soon to see how effective the opening of the two new housing units on Commonage Road, he鈥檚 supportive of the housing first intuitive.

鈥淭he journey home plan is just getting started and we鈥檙e seeing this new housing so obviously, that鈥檚 going to be a great help for people housed there,鈥� he said.

He called it a good overall model that serves a segmented part of the population.

carli.berry@kelownacapnews.com
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