Curtis’ Story
Curtis grew up in Saskatoon and has good memories of his early childhood. It was during his teenage years that Curtis began to abuse drugs and alcohol; these behaviors lead to extreme anger and violence. He completed grade 12, but soon after was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He moved to Victoria B.C. to work, but his mother had to bring him back to Saskatoon as he was struggling with his illness.
For over a decade Curtis was in and out of prison and psychiatric care. His life was extremely unstable, and he was relapsing every six months; there was no place for Curtis to go. Then Curtis was referred to the Journey Home program.
I was pretty much in tears wanting a place of my own, and wondering where I was going to go next.
Curtis now has a place to call home. He has an assigned crisis support worker who visits him once a week. He also has a mental health nurse who comes twice a day; morning and evening to administer his medication. Curtis takes immense pride in his apartment and keeps it spotless. He enjoys reading, feeding the birds and reflecting on how he can help contribute to society.
United Way and Journey Home and all the people involved have been my saving grace.