taking it to the streets: vancouver, get ready. i'm coming.

Six days. That's how long I have to figure this out.

I'm taking it to the streets.

Whistling. Dancing. Drawing. Talking to people. Holding up a sign and hoping that enough people still care about another human being trying to survive.

I'm an artist, photographer, writer and blogger. I've spent years making art, telling stories, documenting history and trying to put a positive spin on the world, even when the subject is difficult.

Now I'm trying to keep a roof over my own head.

I have six days before I may be out on the street.

And apparently, if I can afford to go to Mexico, I can afford to live here. That's the argument I've heard.

Let's talk about that.

the numbers people don't seem to understand

According to the BC government's published income assistance rates, a single person may receive up to $1,060 a month in regular income assistance, depending on their circumstances. The standard rate includes $560 for basic support and up to $500 for shelter. That's the shelter allowance, not a promise that suitable housing can be found for $500. BC government income assistance rates.

Read those numbers again.

Try finding a room, buying food, paying for transportation, keeping a phone working, and covering everything else on that income in Vancouver.

BC Housing has subsidized housing and rental assistance programs. Those programs matter. But they have eligibility requirements, different rules, and limited availability. Being told that BC Housing exists is not the same as being offered a room tomorrow.

An application is not a home.

how many people are we talking about?

The 2025 City of Vancouver homeless count identified 2,715 people experiencing homelessness. Of those, 763 were unsheltered and 1,952 were counted as sheltered. The count took place over a 24-hour period, so it is a snapshot, not a complete tally of everyone without stable housing.

Across Metro Vancouver, the 2025 count identified 5,232 people experiencing homelessness, an increase of 9% from 2023.

Sources: City of Vancouver homeless count and 2025 regional count results.

And those are the people counted. What about everyone quietly couch-surfing, staying temporarily with family, moving from one place to another, or living with the constant fear that their temporary arrangement is about to end?

How many people are one lost job, one family crisis, one rent increase or one unexpected bill away from joining them?

How many people have to lose everything before we admit that something is wrong?

no frills. robson and burrard. the streets.

Every time I go out, I see people in distress. I see the crisis on the SkyTrain and around Vancouver. I have seen people who appeared to be overdosing, and I have wondered whether someone survived.

Recently, I saw an older, neatly dressed man asking for help near Robson and Burrard. I told him I might be joining him soon.

Sign says "Trying to get back on my feet"

I thought about that conversation afterward.

Now I'm making plans of my own.

I'll show you my sign. I'll tell you how it goes. I'll draw, whistle, dance and talk to people. I'll do what I can with what I have.

I'm not going to pretend this is an adventure or some romantic story about the freedom of the streets. It's frightening. It's cold. It's exhausting. And it is not where I want to be.

But I need to try something.

how many are so completely clueless?

People talk about homelessness as though it happens to someone else. They tell people to apply for assistance, find housing, get a job, make better choices, or go to a shelter.

Have they tried navigating the systems themselves? Have they looked at actual rents beside actual benefit rates? Have they considered what happens when a person has nowhere safe to sleep, cannot rest properly, and must somehow make decisions while exhausted?

Have they asked what happens when the shelters available to someone don't feel safe to that person?

It's easy to offer advice from the security of your own home.

It's harder to imagine what it means to have no certainty about where you'll sleep next week.

I don't claim to have all the answers. I do know that telling people to apply for housing doesn't magically create housing.

And I know that poverty is not proof of laziness, stupidity, or moral failure.

this is not just about me

I've been trying to find my footing since losing stable housing in 2019. I have art to sell, stories to tell, a blog I've built over many years, and plans for a more affordable life in Mexico.

I'm not asking anyone to believe that I have made every decision perfectly. Nobody does.

I'm asking people to look at the reality in front of them.

A person can work hard, have skills, make art, help others, and still end up without a home. A person can have plans and determination and still need help getting through the next six days.

I don't want pity. I want a fair chance to get back on my feet.

And if I have to take my whistle, my sketchbook and my sign to the streets to try to raise the money I need, then that's what I'm going to do.

vancouver, get ready.

I'm coming out with my sign.

I'm going to meet people, make art, talk, whistle, dance, and see whether kindness still exists in a city where so many people are struggling.

I'll share my experience honestly.

Maybe someone will stop and talk. Maybe someone will buy a painting. Maybe someone will help me find a practical solution before those six days are up.

I don't know.

But I refuse to pretend this situation is normal, and I refuse to believe that a person's worth can be measured by their bank balance.

As the Doobie Brothers sang, “Takin' It to the Streets.”

This time, those words have become a very personal reality.

Six days. A sign. An artist trying to survive.

Vancouver, are you paying attention?