This month we are sharing stories of lived experiences, an effort to help convey the importance of anthropology while designing solutions to address homelessness, especially our homeless addiction disorders. If you have read the previous brief you were introduced to Saphire, if you haven’t, these build off previous Briefs. She continued interacting with our program and other network members for the next several years. In fact, all those who have ever been involved with us are welcomed life-long members. As much as Doc has retired from the office, our old cohort is always welcome to reach out to us.
A lived experience for administration was our parents’ dilemma of which way to turn, how to address their child’s demise. Is it ok to allow my struggling son or daughter to live at home with their active addiction? Is this the right or wrong thing to do? There is no simple answer to this question. One thing for certain, the home environment is more than likely associated with many powerful cues and triggers and research indicates that addiction disorders are just as intertwined with environment as they are with the targeted substance or acting out behavior.
Narration from our founder: Along comes Coyote. Another beautiful model type female. We had met earlier at her IOP (intensive outpatient program) where I was volunteering as a SMART Recovery facilitator. The Pavlovian bell rings as the front door opens. No one is in the reception area, “Come on in the back,” I invite aloud.
She enters semi-slouched, jammed off her rocker, and let’s her fur slide from her shoulders to the floor. Oh man, I hope that is all that’s being removed. Plop, down on the sofa she slumbers and smiles in a euphoria unknown to me. “I need to do your program,” she petitions. “What do you mean, I just saw you in your IOP last week?” “They kicked me out because I overdosed in their bathroom.” My conversation continues somewhere along these lines. Let me get this straight, you’re at an outpatient program for heroin addiction, you use there, and they toss you out? Wouldn’t an overdose indicate the need for more intensive treatment rather than less?
To top things off, the following Friday SMART Recovery meeting I host is etiological, Ms. Coyote accompanies me, as our IOPs were essentially community-based. We didn’t stay in the office much. We would do things together, like laundry, groceries, renew licenses at the RMV, drive to doctors’ appointments, etc. We held rolling meetings in the van which soon earned the name – “the druggie buggy.” That certainly made keeping confidentiality a challenge! In other words, the van meant recovering from an addiction.
Ms. Coyote was not homeless fundamentally, just not allowed home unsupervised and no key of her own for access. This is understandable due to the pilfering often symptomatic of OUDs. Being dismissed from a program for using certainly re-enforced a “tough love” ideology, you think? We arrived for my scheduled voluntary recovery meeting.
“Oh, she can’t come in here, she’s not allowed on the premises” the receptionist states. “She’s with me being supervised and in our ARMOR Program,” I respond excitedly. I then petition for a supervisor. Oh man, oh man! “Who are you?” the woman asks. I am her addiction specialist. “Well, she isn’t allowed on the property,” she continues while Ms. Coyote is present and listening. I wanted to cry for her, the rejection and disenfranchising tone was excruciating! Needless to say, I ended facilitating those meetings with that organization and let’s just leave it there!
A truck with our client arrives at Tall Jimmy’s morning gathering: “she’s going to die,” Dad says as we shake hands. “She’s going to die; I just know it” he repeats. I walk away solemnly and hold back my words. Sometimes it does seem as if a client has lost their will to live for one reason or another. And a recent article sent in by Mr. Tell involves AI generated obituaries, right on cue. Thank you, “Written in Granite” and Joan T Stylianos | Sun columnist: May 18, 2026.
Allow me a tangent, if you’re familiar, I stray from topic easily. This involves our attempt to use digital mediums for administrating our ARMOR Program. Our challenge is with the Affirmation Element. We do our best to refrain from AI generated material within our programs and websites, as we believe interpersonal veracity to be imperative to the addiction remission process. How best can we provide a hug, handshake, that human touch of acceptance, affirmation, via online strategies? Share an idea in the comments below, please.
Coyote, an affectionate nickname, is derived from the image of a coyote she sent. It was running in a snow-covered field across from her home. She was one who easily tuned into that free spirit found in the wild. I too knew what her dad knew, although from a different point of view. Maybe it was her indigenous birthright that resonated within our dialogue. She was on a spiritual quest! To know how best to resolve our Homeless Addiction Disorders, we must first endeavor a jaunt in their moccasins. This starts with hearing what they’re saying! As so well worded by Ms. Mary Lathrap in her 1895 poem … “just walk a mile in his moccasins before you abuse, criticize, or accuse!” …her/him/their/them/hers/his… oh boy! “Judge Softly”
Next, we’ll meet Mr. Fisher, Ms. Vulpes, Monique, and maybe a few others!