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LETTER: We don’t know the stories of all those who need our help

The Editor, Re. “3030 Gordon: open doors & open arms” (The Tri-City News, Dec. 11).
3030 GORDON
The new homeless shelter in Coquitlam opened its doors this week.

The Editor,

Re. “3030 Gordon: open doors & open arms” (The Tri-City News, Dec. 11).

That panhandler we pretend not to see as we go into the grocery store might not be the person we assume they are.

I went into Safeway on Saturday night on Austin Avenue and there was a young black man asking for spare change. While I had money in my pocket, I told the person all I had was plastic — and I hated myself for the lie I had told.

This same person was outside my local Safeway tonight, and as I walked past him, he did not ask me for money. While in Safeway, I resolved to give him $5. Upon exiting, I walked up to him and apologized for not helping him out on Saturday and gave him $5.

We started chatting and I realized that this could be me one of these days. Marshall had been laid off from his trades job before he had enough weeks to collect Employment Insurance. His girlfriend left him and he was evicted from his rental unit in Burquitlam. He’d sold his tools so he could keep paying his rent, and now without tools, he can’t work.

As I was about to get in my car, I asked Marshall if he’d had dinner yet; he said he had not. We walked him to Subway and I bought him a foot-long and some soup. As we are walking back to my car, the heavens opened up and the rain came pouring down. I had an umbrella in my car that my Uncle Barry had given me and I told Marshall he needed it more than me. I wished him luck and went on my way.

I don’t recount this story so people will tell me how good I am, because I am not. In my own struggles to pay my bills, I routinely see past the homeless in our community and forget that this could be me one day.

I suggested to this young man that he contact MLA Selina Robinson’s office as they might be aware of emergency resources for him to access as, while he has applied for social assistance, it is still eight days until cheque issue day and he is homeless right now.

Coquitlam’s homeless shelter can’t open soon enough.

Robert Bottos, Coquitlam