“My name is Ilayda. I’m the case manager in the Peer X van. It’s a bit different than our regular van outreach. It’s heavily focused on harm reduction. We carry HIV testing strips, drug testing kits, first aid and more. We visit different places in the city to provide care. If someone wants to get housed, start a detox program, need income assistance, help reuniting with their families and other long-term goals, I assist them.
I like getting to know the people I help. I enjoy seeing them become more comfortable with me and start sharing their problems. It makes me happy to know that they trust me despite having negative experiences with others before and that they want my help.
The most challenging part of my job is finding housing for folks. They are required to have a lot of things to get housed, like IDs, landlord’s reference, and money for rent. It gets harder than it needs to be because the system doesn’t recognize them or has failed them.
When someone misses an appointment or cannot follow through with a plan, I never want them to feel like I’m disappointed in them. When a person doesn’t have stable housing, food, access to basic hygiene and comfort, they’re not going to be able to fight the system all the time. Even when they work hard to get all these pieces that the system requires of them, they still get discriminated against because they’ve had a history of homelessness or sometimes because of their race.
Main Street Project follows a Housing First approach. We believe that people need a stable home before they can make positive changes in their lives. We need a system that doesn’t make it so hard for people to get housed. We need people to advocate for the rights of those living unsheltered. I am honoured to be able to show up for my clients in that way and be a part of the solution.”
