London, Ont., mom feels helpless as son struggles on the streets, urges changes to the system

Stephanie Hanley's son Steven has spent years struggling, but things have been getting worse.

"He sleeps rough. He'll sleep wherever he can, like in a park or downtown in an ally," said Hanley, 51, of London, Ont.

Steven was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager. Today, said Hanley, he is addicted to both crystal meth and fentanyl, and has had many run-ins with the law. 

Hanley is sharing her story in hopes others gain a better understanding of people experiencing homelessness.

This week, Hanley grew worried about her son. She hadn't heard from him in a few days and the last time she saw him, he was skinny and didn't look well. When he finally called, he was not in his right frame of mind, she said, but he agreed to meet her the next day.

Steven never showed.

Recently, she put up a Facebook post asking if anyone had seen or heard from him.

"It gets longer and longer in between when I do not hear from him," said Hanley. "As a parent, you worry, even though they're adults."

Steven also has two children, a 12- and 13-year-old. They've started to ask more about their dad, said Hanley.

"It's hard. I used to run to him if he needed money," said Hanley through tears to CBC News this week. "But now I have to stand back and kind of make him accountable for a lot that he does. It's very hard."

Hanley was a teenager when Steven was born, and his father only became involved in his life when he was 12, she said.

"His father was an addict too. There was problems and he had to charge his father for something that he did to him. That kind of triggered it a bit. And then he got involved with the wrong crowd.

"And it's just gone from bad to worse.

"We've gone and tried to get help from a lot of avenues and we've been running into brick walls," she said.