Gen and Joel have lived for a year now in one of the three parks with washrooms that the City has said can be used for overnight sheltering. It’s far enough away from the downtown core that only two tents are typically there, and both do their best to keep a civil relationship with their housed neighbours. But Gen and Joel have found discarded syringes and garbage thrown around their campsite sometimes, and as tidy people and non-needle users, are worried that someone is trying to make them look bad to create pressure to oust them. They would love housing, but as a long-time couple, would rather stay outside than abide by the “no couples/no visitors” rules of supportive housing. Joel endured a near-fatal beating five years ago and was in a coma in hospital for a month and a half. He thought at the time that he’d surely at least end up with housing as a result. Nope. Soon after he gained consciousness, he was released into homelessness again.