Surviving Edmonton: 1 year spent with homeless people seeking stable housing

For more than a year, Global News tracked the lives of four unhoused people in Edmonton.

From the coldest winter night to the smokiest summer day, Global News Investigates: Surviving Edmonton offers a deeply personal look into a journey that few people can understand.

You can watch Global News Investigates: Surviving Edmonton on March 18 at 6:30 p.m. on Global Edmonton. It will also be available to watch on YouTube following the broadcast. Ahead of Monday’s broadcast, Global News wants to introduce you to the people you will meet.

Four people in Edmonton welcomed cameras to document a search for stability and housing.

Global News spent time inside drop-in shelters, encampments during extreme cold warnings and inside supportive housing facilities, providing a first-hand and raw account into what it means to live on Edmonton’s streets.

According to data from Homeward Trust, there are more than 2,800 people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton.

These are a few of their stories:

Kimberley Robertson

On Jan. 19, 2023, Kimberley Robertson shared a deeply personal moment with Global News — she lent us her diary.

Within its pages, Robertson described a life few can imagine. She detailed nights spent outside in freezing temperatures, her struggles with the legal system and her desire for change inside and outside of her.

“I don’t really care if I get the (diary) back. The purpose of it is to share information about what’s going on,” she told Global News.

“The reason I am writing it is to get it lost, to get it in someone’s hands.”

Robertson has lived in Edmonton nearly her whole life.

She briefly went to Europe to work as a nanny. When she returned, her living situation began to fall apart.

Her fiancé died. She lost her job. Then, she lost housing. She hasn’t been on stable ground since.

“My life just took a different turn. I didn’t let my life slip from under me, but I was still open to the idea that I hadn’t tried hard enough to get where I was going.”

Robertson frequents Edmonton shelters, primarily the Hope Mission. She said it’s hard to focus much on the future because the present struggle to survive takes up so much of her attention.

“I don’t plan ahead. I’ve learned the ‘power of now’ is how to survive anything.

“That’s the one thing we can count on–change.”

Troy Cardinal & Leanne Wuttunee

Troy Cardinal and Leanne Wuttunee believe they wouldn’t survive Edmonton’s streets without each other.

“Without her I wouldn’t have made it these last few years,” Cardinal said.

The couple primarily sleeps outside or in encampments. They rarely utilize the shelter system because they worry they’ll get separated.

“If he’s not with me, I can’t eat. I can’t sleep without getting worried. (I wonder) how is he surviving out there?” said Wuttunee.

1:01 Couple describes a night living on Edmonton’s streets during extreme cold

The couple has been together since 2011 and without stable housing since 2019.

Like many people without stable housing, both have suffered frostbite from long periods of time in extreme cold temperatures.

Cardinal and Wuttunee both use drugs. They acknowledge their drug use makes it even more challenging for them to find solid ground.

According to data from the Alberta government, 608 people in Edmonton died from opioid poisonings in the first 11 months of 2023.

Cardinal and Wuttunee tried to help some of them.

“We’ll find someone in a back alley. Some people will be turning blue already,” Cardinal explained. “I’ll do CPR. Leanne will go get help.

“It brings back the bad memories from when I went under. No one was around,” he said.

Adam Krause

A photo of Adam Krause’s grandparents hangs on the wall in his apartment.

He’s taken an interest in personalizing his space where he can, it’s the first time in four years he’s had stable housing.

“The first night I moved in here, I slept like a baby,” he said.

He sees opportunity in the downtown core for other people without stable housing.

“If we had more buildings like this we could put them all over. Get the people that want to move, move out.”

1:03 Previously homeless Edmontonian talks about first stable housing in 4 years

Homeward Trust has more than 400 long- and short-term supportive housing units in Edmonton with 161 confirmed units under development.

The City of Edmonton is funding some of those units, along with hundreds more.

Still, many people without stable housing brought up concerns of a lack of available places to live. It highlights a problem connecting people to those resources and the perception of access.

Beyond housing needs, Krause still feels like something is missing.

He needs community. He dreams of going back home to Stony Plain to spend time with his mom.

For now?

“As long as I have a place to live, I’m happy.”

The 30-minute special Global News Investigates: Surviving Edmonton was produced by the following Global Edmonton employees:

• Reporter/producer: Morgan Black
• Editor: Clarisse Carreon
• Videographers: Dave Carels, Leslie Knight, Brandon Sobchyshyn, Charles Taylor
• Local graphics: Brad Pearson

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