Community grieves at ninth annual Regina Homeless Memorial

Robert Krausher was once homeless. Now, years later, he works as the clinical program manger with Regina’s Street Team to help people who are going through what he experienced.

Krausher was one of more than 50 people gathered near Pat Fiacco Plaza on Tuesday to commemorate those who have lost their lives to homelessness.

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The ninth annual Regina Homeless Memorial was organized by the Phoenix Residential Society. The event was intended to allow the community an opportunity to grieve and also call for an end to homelessness.

“It’s sad that there has to be events like this, but they mean a lot to me because it gives a chance for the people who – most times – are nameless in society and forgotten about to be recognized,” said Krausher.

“And even if that is for the fact that they passed away – at least they’re not forgotten.”

Phoenix’s Eryn Langdon said some of the people who have lost their lives either directly or indirectly to homelessness might not have received a service or memorial otherwise.

“Everybody’s important. Everybody deserves to have their lives honoured,” she told reporters.

During the program, the names of those lost – submitted by community members – were displayed on ribbons and also read aloud.

The program also included a moment of silence.

“Everybody whose name we read, they have a story and there’s a reason that some people have lost their lives to homelessness, and it’s important that we honour those people and honour their story, because they’re important,” Langdon said.

“They have family out there. They have friends out there who are big supports in their lives and want to know that they are recognized.”

In October, Namerind Housing Corporation counted at least 824 people experiencing homelessness in Regina – more than twice the number counted in 2021.

Names of those who lost their lives to homelessness, either directly or indirectly, were submitted to Phoenix Residential. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

Langdon said everyone needs to come together to solve the issue of homelessness.

Krausher said the work is incredibly difficult, and can cause burnout. He said he’s had to witness many of the people he’s worked with pass away, but said his work can also be incredibly rewarding.

“It’s the bonds and friendships and stuff that I form with people on the street and – I know that the whole street team has. Being able to hear ‘I love you’ from somebody and to be able to say it to somebody that doesn’t ever get to hear it, get hugs when you walk into a place right away and big smiles, that makes it all worthwhile.”

Krausher said the rising cost of living is making things exponentially more difficult for the city’s most vulnerable residents.

While many people think cold weather and substance abuse are the primary challenges homeless people face, Megan Clark, a family doctor with Four Directions Community Health Centre and the University of Saskatchewan, said homeless people can also often suffer from ailments including chronic pain, mobility issues and mental health issues that stem from a lack of housing.

“I’ve seen people with chronic diseases or other medical conditions that go undiagnosed or untreated, and so are allowed to advance to the point of complications, or to the point where it’s not so easy to treat anymore,” she said.

“I am a white lady. I am a doctor. I’m in a big jacket, in big mitts, and I have a lot of privilege in this world, but it still breaks my heart,” Clark said.

“I talked in my speech about moral injury, which is a psychological term for when people witness circumstances that go against their beliefs and what they know to be moral, and it is something that I and other people who work with people who experience poverty and houselessness experience every day.”

Clark said she’s also witnessed a rise in drug use in recent years, saying a “parallel pandemic” of fentanyl use occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.