Brian is a 56-year-old man who is turning his life around in a transition unit program that operates out of the Pidcock emergency shelter in Courtenay.
Brian had been living outdoors for a couple of years before entering the Salvation Army-provided program. These days, he has a roof over his head, a warm bed, regular meals and a job.
“I was so glad to get indoors,” said Brian, who prefers to withhold his last name. “I was having a lot of trouble in my life. I was drinking a lot. When you live outside, sometimes the alcohol seems like a go-to, because it eases the pain a bit…I was completely anti-social. I didn’t hang with anybody, and I didn’t want to talk to anybody.”
Brian grew up in Campbell River. Years ago, he had lived in various corners of B.C., making ends meet by building decks and fences. But the work took a toll on his body, particularly his shoulders, to the point where he could no longer lift heavy things over his head.
Living arrangements also became difficult after Brian needed to move from a couple of places, the first due to mould issues from a leaky roof, the other because the owner was selling the house.
“And I wasn’t able to find a place after that.”
Brian has lived at Pidcock since December. For the first few months he stayed in the regular beds.
“I kept coming here until there was a bed available. Once I was in, it was a matter of tuning my behaviour. Which took a while. I did stumble a few times.”
Since June, he’s lived in the transition room. He pays $375 per month.
The transition unit program evolved after BC Housing provided funds to renovate the shelter at 632 Pidcock Ave. The program offers a personal development plan (PDP) created by the transition guest and their case worker. The PDP identifies needs and goals, and outlines a course of action.
“It is a program that’s really well appreciated in our community,” said Brent Hobden, community ministries director at the local branch of the Salvation Army.
By utilizing an holistic approach, the transition unit program identifies physical, emotional and spiritual needs of each participant. The goal is to help clients overcome obstacles, and learn how to better cope with stress.
Brian is benefitting from twice weekly counselling sessions that have looked at co-dependency, relapse prevention and complex trauma.
“For me, it was a God-send, because I started to socialize again and talk to people, and not feel that I wasn’t even worth the time to talk to somebody,” Brian said. “I’m pretty motivated. I think I’ve come a long way since I’ve been here. Trying to get back into the world. I had no bank account or anything like that, just living right off the grid. Now I have a place to stay. I have a job, I have a bank account and I have all my ID, and all those things that make it possible to function like a contributing person in society.”
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