'I never thought I'd be living under a bridge': Calgarians are sleeping rough in dangerous weather
CTV
In a makeshift lean-to made of foam, pads and blankets underneath the Reconciliation Bridge, you'll find Trey. He has been "sleeping rough" in Calgary for more than two years.
In a makeshift lean-to made of foam, pads and blankets underneath the Reconciliation Bridge, you'll find Trey.
He has been "sleeping rough" in Calgary for more than two years.
"I definitely didn't think everything would end up, well, it isn't over yet, but I never thought I'd be living under a bridge," he said.
"I used to drink a lot. That was some of it. But I think I just kind of got depressed and lost the ambition, you know? I sort of said 'screw it,' and kind of stopped caring for the most part, I guess.
"But I haven't had a drink in three years now."
Ryan Pleckaitis, chief of Calgary Community Standards, says it's hard to put an exact number to the unhoused people in the city who remain sleeping outdoors, away from the shelter system.
"It changes based on the seasons. Warmer weather obviously influences those numbers. Right now, we have just over 200 complaints of encampments and camps across the City of Calgary," Pleckaitis said.
