Nothing like showing up at the shelter at 7:30 am to sign up for a bed that night only to discover you’re No. 18 on the list, says Lawrence. “You know you’re fucked when that happens. You need to be no more than 12th on the list or the only way you’re getting a mat is if someone else cancels.” Nobody did, so Lawrence had slept outside, and got his phone stolen while he was asleep. But he had a better plan for this particular night – he would call the Victoria Native Friendship Centre and they’d pick him up to drive him to their shelter outside of the downtown core. “They’re the best,” says Lawrence. “They feed you, and you can get a shower and even do laundry. They keep me alive.”