Denis. Saturday, October 21, 2017. Joe’s friend across the street, he also has two dogs.
“I used to live in California and one day, immigration came and knocked on my door because I did not renew my paperwork. They gave me a free plane ticket to Canada so I moved from California to here. So I have been here ever since and I have not been able to find a place for myself.”
Joe “nickname Joe dog”. Saturday, October 21, 2017. Near Concordia on St Catherine, he has a bulldog!
“Shelters do not take dogs in Montreal so I cannot even stay at shelters. The SPCA would take my dogs away and I can’t let that happen. So, I have to live on the streets.”
Pierre. Saturday, October 21, 2017. Sitting on a styrofoam block on the front steps of a store, on the corner of Sherbrooke and Drummond.
“I came from Terrebonne to downtown Montreal for work. I found a room to rent and that’s when I noticed that the room was infested with bugs. When I spoke to the man who rented the room out to me, to ask for my money back, he did not want to. He took all my money. I had nothing and that is how I ended up on the street. I lost all of my papers and I have no permanent address in order to get new papers. I cannot get any social benefits, I have no papers. I’m forever stuck on the streets.”
Pierre did not want his picture to be taken.
“I came back one night, just like I used to do every day, to sleep here. That was a weekend and there were people coming back from partying and from Burger King. There were five guys that walked past me and one of them struck me in the face as I was sleeping. Luckily, I had my hand over my face. I got up…it was about four o’clock in the morning and was very surprised as to why he hit me. So I got a bar and went after them but by that time the cops passed by and saw me…” – Fernando
“Her name is Joanie after Joan Jett because she has a ‘bad reputation’. She likes snausages — cookies with sausages in them” – Rick
“It’s difficult living on the streets, but I am tough. I have a hard heart and hard mind. I get by. I wish someone was intelligent in my family and told me where to invest my money. I would have been a doctor, a surgeon. Blood doesn’t bother me, you know.”
– Marcel
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