By Spencer Sterritt

‘Without tent city we’d be lost:’ Nanaimo’s invisible homeless join downtown camp

Jun 15, 2018 | 1:11 PM

NANAIMO — Standing near the entrance of downtown Nanaimo’s tent city, Dereck Paul says he’s on the verge of a breakdown.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he told reporters early Friday after the van holding all of his and his wife’s possessions was towed away. “The van is all we have and that’s the last possession my wife has from her parents who both passed away. We’re really struggling to make ends meet.”

Paul and his wife are what’s called the “invisible homeless.” They have nowhere permanent to stay, in this case living at friends’ houses and apartments or in their van, but you won’t see them living on the street. They moved from Powell River, where they were looking after family, and are in Nanaimo looking for work.

Once their van is found they’ll use the last of their money to have it towed to Discontent City, set up at 1 Port Dr. beside Port Place Shopping Centre.

“Now we’re back to square one,” he said. “We had to give away our cats when we moved here. We just gave away the mama cat we had for three years and the male we had for a year. We have one little kitten left staying with us in our tent. We have each other and our kitty.”

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Paul said he’s looking for work as a carpenter and has several jobs lined up, such as painting houses and working construction. Until those calls come in however, he’s forced to wander the streets and ask for change.

“For me to sit back and struggle like this, after working as a carpenter for 27 years, is very difficult.”

Accepting cars and trailers is the latest development at Discontent City, which is now more than 100 tents and roughly 150 people.

Cori Mitchell moved her fifth-wheel trailer onto the site Friday morning. Before, it would be parked on the street or at RV parks if she could afford it.

“I have a home, just nowhere to put it,” she said.

“I had a couple jobs I had to let go because I can’t tow my trailer around behind me for work. It’s hard. My daughter told me ‘You have a job, just go.’ And I said ‘What am I supposed to do with the trailer? Tow you behind me while I’m working?” I can’t do that. I need somewhere safe to put my RV.”

After her trailer was robbed early Friday morning, Mitchell said she’s happy to finally have a safe place to park it.

“In here, everyone watches each other.”

Both tent city organizers and the City of Nanaimo are collecting affidavits in preparation of an impending court case.

The City says they intend to have the matter in front of the Supreme Court of B.C. by the end of the month.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit