Covenant House Vancouver

Andy had been coming to us on and off for about two years. The last time he came he had recently stopped using crystal meth and he looked better than we had ever seen him.

We did an intake and though he was off the meth, he appeared to be seriously mentally ill. He would talk for 20 minutes and you couldn't understand a word he said. But he was willing to "go through all the hoops" like waiting to see a psychiatrist and taking medication.

Andy decided that he needed to go to Miracle Valley Treatment (for his addictions). After three months he came back a much healthier Andy and we didn't see any of the mental health stuff going on. We came to the conclusion that it had been the crystal meth that was causing his psychosis (it is common for street youth to still display psychosis even six months after using crystal meth and some suffer permanent brain damage). Andy is one of the lucky ones as he has recovered from his crystal meth addiction and the resulting psychosis.

While at the shelter, Andy found a job and was accepted into ROP. When he left for ROP, Andy had the hugest smile on his face. He was so happy, so relieved. He was joking with us and was so excited about this new opportunity.

As a youth worker I wanted to celebrate, because there were so many situations that were not looking good for Andy and now he is doing so awesome. I really enjoyed working with him especially because of all the willingness he put forth and that is why I do my job.