'Fentanyl, it’s destroying everybody': Homeless crisis grows in Chilliwack
CTV
On the streets of Chilliwack, there are more homeless people than ever before, and some of them are barely teenagers.
On the streets of Chilliwack, there are more homeless people than ever before, and some of them are barely teenagers.
“The youngest I saw was just the other day, she was 13,” said Bryn Troman, who works at Ruth & Naomi’s Mission.
“Fortunately, she did just get placement,” Troman explained.
Though numbers from a recent homeless count have not yet been released, it’s estimated there are about 500 unsheltered people in the community. That’s a jump of roughly 60 per cent since 2020.
“We have more seniors accessing our shelter services, we have people who access our shelter services who get up every morning, head off to work, come back here at the end of the day and they live in the shelter so they can have an affordable place to live,” said Scott Gaglardi, the executive director of Ruth & Naomi’s Mission.
Every day, the shelter serves about 380 meals, mostly to people who are homeless, but also those struggling to make ends meet.
“A week ago, we were serving dinner here, a single mom with two twins in her stroller came in and they’re accessing our food program…just to offset their costs,” he explained.
