Tyler Moyah knows what it’s like to be in poverty. He’s living in an alley and is thinking about how he got here.
“Personal choice. Once I came to the city, I was going to go to detox and I found fentanyl or it found me,” he explained.
“Either way, I was hooked from there.”
Winter is approaching and those living on the Regina's streets don’t know where they will be going.
Last fall, there was Camp Hope. This fall, things are uncertain.
“We are seeing homelessness rise across the province,” Sask. NDP MLA Meara Conway told CTV News.
“We’ve reached out to folks across the province and in some cases the point in time counts have increased upwards of 50 per cent so this is really a brewing crisis. Winter is coming.”
Those who work with people on social assistance, like Peter Gilmer with the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry, have said even families who are housed are still struggling.
“People have to pay not just for their rent or their mortgage but also all of their basic utilities out of a very small or limited amount,” Gilmer explained.
The government has stated that it is always assessing the situation to make sure that those who need help are receiving it.
Still, for those on the street like Moyah, the situation is more complicated.
“There are resources out there. I am just too stubborn and bullheaded,” Moyah said.
“I’ve always lived the hard way, you know? But, you have to live that way in order to see the right way I guess.”
Those living on Regina’s streets are counting on the supports being there for when they’re ready.
At the moment, the more immediate concern for many is simply getting through the coming winter.
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