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Recovering NV addict helps the homeless

Deana Lancaster News Reporter dlancaster@nsnews.com

TOTO, we're not in Kansas any- more.

For most North Shore residents the corner of Hastings an in Vancouver is like being dumped in Oz cour- tesy of a disagreeable twister.

Except this place is far more sinister.

In front of Carnegie Centre a young woman straddles her bike as she negotiates for crack cocaine. She's arguing with her dealer because she doesn’t want to hand over all her cash. He holds the racks on his wide- open hand, right under her face. His message is clear: all her money, or no crack. She hands over the crumpled bills, pockets the drugs, hops on her bike and is gone.

Nearby, a girl in her teens, clad in a dark windbreaker and a knit toque is hunched over like an old woman. Her dirty fingers grasp a pair of tweezers and she’s using them to dig in the cracks of the steps.

“She's jonesing,” savs Kara Martin. “She thinks she’s dropped a rock. The funny thing is they’ sometimes find some because deal- ers drop it al) the time when they’re running from the cops. The police station is right over there.”

Martin is a North Vancouver resident who prays daily that she'll find someone to give her a ride and some help for her weekly visit to the infamous corner. She recently ere- ated the Keep Warm Foundation — an orga- nization that collects coats, sweaters, scarves, hats, mittens, socks, boots and other warm clothes and distributes them to the homeless who hang around this corner, selling or scor- ing crack, heroin or other drugs.

“Helping them is a gift for me,” says Martin. “These people have left families and lives behind them. They're not born at Hastings and Main, they just end up here.

“i was only a step above this.”

Martin, 29, is a cocaine addict in recov- cry. It’s something she’s been struggling to beat for about five vears, and after nine months of being clean she relapsed in the summer.

“IY hic such a bottom ont there.”

WITH his arms full and his head warm ina bright yeSlow hat, Oo shyly agrees to have

his photograph taken.

At her lowest point, she worked as a deal- er out of a crack house on the cast side of Vancouver to support hee habit.

But she has three children, two five with her mon, and her seven-month eld baby is in foster care. She wants them baci, so she’s cleaned up her act. Twice a day Le attends meetings for J2-step programs, and from them she also bas a strong network of sup- port. Bur one of the biggest motivators keeping her clean — apart trom her kids — is her work with the foundation.

She unpacks the boxes and bags and lays the warm clothes out on a table tn tront of the centre, men’s clothes on one side, women’s on the other. Immediately, she’s swarmed, and the warmest articles of cloth- ing are quickly snatched up. One man, who says his name is Oo, fills his arms with a brown scarf, a jacket and a bright yellow knit hat. Martin gently admonishes him.

“Just take one please. Leave some for other people.”

When she’s occupied with someone else he fills his arms and walks away. He’s proud of his haul and smiles shyly for a photo. Eddie, one of his colleagues on the street, soon sports a pink toque adorned with white clouds and flowers and a dangling pom-pom.

Within minutes the hats, gloves, scarves and socks are gone. So are the jackets.

“It’s amazing what's junk for some peo- ple is really a treasure for other people,” comments one young man at the table.

He has an English accent, and as he speaks he folds, refolds and organizes the clothes left on the table. He also pulls con- tinuously at the skin on his face, which Martin says is typical of a heroin addict.

“It makes you itchy, and you can’t stop scratching. All the people here with scabs and sores on their face are heroin addicts.”

There are lots of them.

One of the women standing at the table knows Martin. Her name is Vivian, she’s 23 and very pretty, hough her makeup is thick and uncven, and her red nailpolish chipped.

“Youre so beaudiful. How've you been?” she asks Martin slowly. She’s having trouble

See Donations page 3

the Keep Warm Foundation.

EDDIE shows off the pink hat covered in white clouds and flowers given to him by

Friday, December 24, 1999 ~- North Shore News - 3

n city streets

a

NEWS photo Jule breraon

AS foundor of the Keep Warm Foundation Kara Martin collects jackets, hats, scarves, mittens, socks, shoes and more to give té the homeless and needy in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

: S nn NEWS phote Caann Lancaster

KARA Martin (left) gives out cionations of warmn clothing to peoptie in need.