From Newfoundland to Parkdale – he now has stability
Curtis Bishop is the 2016 recipient of the mental health community individual category, awarded by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH). Curtis is an advocate for those who still struggle. He recounts in his acceptance speech:
It was a pretty amazing moment for me because after being outside for so long and not talking to people to have this extraordinary act of kindness being given to me. It was humbling and yet it was inspiring.
I spent six or seven years living on sidewalks and in parks. So I a learned
a little bit about homelessness, and I think that most people try not to
see you. I don’t mean that they try to avoid you, but that you become
invisible to them. I think that’s because they don’t want to admit that you
exist, because that’s a failure on their society. It’s easier if it’s that there’s
something wrong with [the homeless], they deserve what they get.
Curtis recounts his story from living on sidewalks and in parks until he became involved with Houselink and started to rebuild his life.
Click here to read his story.