'A lot of them want to talk': How Tami MacIntyre helps Charlottetown's street people

Tami MacIntyre has been working in downtown Charlottetown since June, trying to help the people there who have no one else to turn to.

"Some are homeless, some aren't. They do a lot of couch surfing," MacIntyre told Compass host Louise Martin.

MacIntyre is Downtown Charlottetown Inc.'s street navigator, charged with doing what she can to get these people off the street, or at least make their lives there a little easier.

"When I first started it was hard," she said.

"They don't know me. They don't trust anybody. So I had to gain their trust. A lot of them want to talk. They don't have anybody to talk to."

Over the summer she has done what she could to get them health cards and other ID, the first step in helping them find jobs. Others she has convinced to go to detox.

"I don't just leave them there. I stay with them and I go back, and I take them out for the day," she said.

"I don't forget about them. I never forget about them."

Keeping in touch

Shoes are another issue, and not just for thoseshe talksto on the street.

Once this summer, she sought out shoes as a form of rent payment. A couch was available for a few nights, but the couch's owner needed shoes. MacIntyre delivered the shoes to the street person, who then enjoyed some time with a roof over their head.

MacIntyre says she has had three success stories so far this summer, and she is still staying in touch with those she has helped out.

She can get them clothes, she can get them ID, she has even found them jobs, but there is one problem MacIntyre has found intractable.

"I can't get them housing. It's hard to go to work when you have nowhere to live and you're on the street," she said.

MacIntyre's position is funded by the City of Charlottetown, Skills PEI, and Downtown Charlottetown Inc. DCI is hopeful the third party funding will continue, so MacIntyre will be able to continue her work helping people on the downtown streets.

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With files from Compass