Kingston homeless man describes pandemic experience: ‘I just want a place to call my own’

Homelessness is an ongoing crisis made worse during a global health crisis.

Government officials have urged the public to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but what if you don’t have a permanent place to call home? These are challenges that Mike Lespearance is facing.

“Living out here is perfect because I’m terrified to go out there, because I’m considered to be one of the highest risk categories for catching COVID-19,” Lespearance said.

Lespearance says he believes one of the main contributors to homelessness is the combination of Kingston’s housing shortage and costly rentals.

He moved to Kingston thinking there would be available housing, but after struggling to find a place that was affordable, Lespearance says he stayed in the Kozy Inn. The conditions were awful, he said, and found it cleaner to stay in the camp he has set up for himself.

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Simple amenities such as running water and electricity are non-existent while living in the woods but Lespearance and his friend make it work by growing their own food and collecting rain water.

Now that several resources in the community for homeless people are closed, in order to prevent the spread of the virus, Lespearance has taken matters into his own hands by creating his own camp in the woods.

But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

“I deal with an incredible amount of pain every day. I don’t even have a mattress to sleep on at night. I sleep on a wooden floor on top of some blankets,” says Lespearance.

Ryan Rolfe is a street outreach coordinator from Home Base Housing, a not-for-profit organization. He regularly visits Lespearance.

“We come and provide them with meals, snacks, water and whatever we are able to provide for support. We do the best we can,” says Rolfe.

Home Base Housing currently provides an emergency shelter, In From the Cold, in Kingston. Located at the former location of Fairfield Manor East, the new shelter is quarantine-friendly, as it offers people with their own room and bathroom.

However, Rolfe says if those that are homeless cannot stay at the shelter, they usually stay outdoors.

Even though Lespearance feels more safe being secluded during this time, he would prefer a stable home.

“I just want a place to call my own…I deserve to have an apartment, a bathroom, a sink, a refrigerator, a stove… to enjoy the rights and freedoms that everyone else does.”