People walked by her as she raised her hand out asking for change, but not one of them offered any kind of help. I guess it was the fact that she never stops talking to herself. I sat in my vehicle and watched men slowly drive, staring at her like a shark circling in the water.

I had given her a dollar, wishing I could do something more, just anything that could really impact her life, ironically Saint Mary’s is just a few blocks away, but I know, like she knows, she won’t qualify to be led in.

Most shelters have a drug testing procedure before they let you in, and if you test positive, you won’t get in.

Here’s an issue, in my opinion, when a woman comes to a shelter for help in a state of vulnerability at night, they shouldn’t turn her away because she’s high or drunk.

You are putting a lamb out to be slaughtered by the wolves, in her case, to be abused because her ability to fight off and protect herself is little to none.

We need a better system to protect women; this cannot be acceptable, especially with all the religious-run organisations around here.

This lady has been on the streets for far too long; her mental state is so unstable that she qualifies as a “SMI“, an adult with a serious mental illness.

These types of individuals will be in the meds for the rest of their lives, and if the city had room for her, she would probably never be seen again.

Her condition is very severe with a persistent mental illness that seriously limits a person’s ability to live independently.

It’s really a shame because she isn’t that old; it was the journey she had chosen or the path she was led into that brought hard luck, bad choices, and the association with outside bad actors that helped themselves in her abuse and demise.

Because of the long-term in the streets on her own, she became impaired, and due to the trauma she suffered at the hands of many, she is now permanently dealing with emotional issues that have her talking to invisible people.

Unfortunately, this and other reasons make her unsuitable to join society again, we can only guess if this was preventable.

When the police came, they insisted on her coming with them, not the choice I would have wanted, but it’s better than being a pinta under some man tonight

I’m hoping stories like this one will open the eyes and bring in bodies to help this barely hidden problem that is affecting a lot of women in our streets.

And if you run into a woman at night who looks and acts like a victim or seems ready to become one, please find a way to help her; more abuse is not what she needs. Your help is surely appreciated.

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By the Street Sentinel