Photo: Darren Handschuh

There are no easy answers on how to resolve homelessness.

Lack of affordable housing, poorly paid jobs and programs stretched to the limit all make it a challenging issue to address.

But when you add mental illness to the mix, things get that much more complicated.

Barb Levesque, executive director for the John Howard Society of the North Okanagan/Kootenay, said not all homeless struggle with mental health issues, but many do.

Levesque said there are basically two categories of mental illness: one is physical, such as schizophrenia, and the other is mental illness born from trauma, such as an abusive childhood.

“We see both types at the shelter,” said Levesque, adding more than 90 per cent of the women they see at the shelter have been sexually abused at some point in their life. “We see people who are extremely depressed, or who have other psychological problems as a result of trauma.”

Levesque said there are programs available through Interior Health and the Canadian Mental Health Association to help those with mental illness, but the services are stretched thin and are only beneficial if people access them.

Levesque said someone who has endured a lifetime of abuse may not know things should be different and someone with untreated mental illness may not know they are unwell.

“We have to find ways to help these people,” said Levesque.

This is where providing them with food and shelter come in.

But one of the most important things outreach workers do is build a relationship with a segment of society most people would just as soon avoid. And building trust takes time.

“Sometimes the path to recovery from trauma is a really long path,” she said. “It's about humans connecting with other humans.”

Levesque did not have any hard numbers for the percentage of homeless in Vernon that struggle with mental health issues.

But according to the CMHA, “People with serious mental illness are disproportionately affected by homelessness. The consequences of homelessness tend to be more severe when coupled with mental illness. People with mental illnesses remain homeless for longer periods of time and have less contact with family and friends. They encounter more barriers to employment and tend to be in poorer health than other homeless people.”