North Bay man says homeless struggle is real

Kevin Storie is homeless. 

The North Bay man lived behind the Cash4You on Cassells Street in a parking lot under a tent for about a month. 

He says alcoholism sent him to a bad place. 

"I carry a lot of weight anyways, on my own, that I'm trying to sort things out," said Storie. 

"And when you don't have anywhere to go to even process life as it's thrown at us, it's disheartening, it's discouraging.

"It's repeated, it feels like a continuous mistake that I'm making, but it's not one that I should be carrying."

Storie is one of the dozens of homeless who call North Bay home. 

There are options for people like Storie such as the low barrier shelter and the transitional housing on Chippewa Street in North Bay, 

However, Storie does not feel comfortable in that controlled environment. 

"Privacy is a big issue," said Storie.  

"When you're homeless, you are put out there for everybody to see, really, and they have security. For me, it's just another thing I have to do and their timelines don't exactly fall under our timelines," he explained. 

Storie says the low barrier shelter can get crowded and that discourages him and some of his friends from staying there. 

"It's actually like a safe place to go but the problem is it is a selected amount, so there are only a few beds available. So that tends to be a large problem."

See related: Will public consultation quiet 'homeless hub' hubbub?

See related: Advocacy group looking to move homeless 

Storie credits many who have tried to help him during his homeless journey. One local homeless advocate's group has been offering barbecues for the homeless as well as trying to find them a safe centralized encampment location. 

"People are thinking outside the box, you know, because not all of us homeless are criminals, or addicts, or ones with mental illness, yet some of us, we all fall into the same category of homelessness,' explains Storie about his situation.  

See related: Will public consultation quiet 'homeless hub' hubbub?

See related: Advocacy group looking to move homeless 

Storie hopes his story will change. But now, he is frustrated with the homeless perception in North Bay.

"I think more people, are more worried about how to get rid of the problem than how to solve it," he said. 

The question of what to do and where to set up and implement a new homeless hub was a big discussion at City Hall on Wednesday as business owners and politicians discussed the challenging issue.