Welcome to an interactive choose your own adventure game. In this game you will play as a homeless person in Canada to experience the impact of climate change on your life.
Your first choice is where you will be sleeping tonight. Will it be at:
[[homeless shelter like Covenant House]]
[[heating vent on Dundas Street]]
So you chose the shelter, normally a relatively safe, smart choice. Unfortunately due to rising temperatures from emissions, there have been a surplus in bed bugs in the area, as they thrive in warmer temperatures. The shelter now has a horrible bed bug problem and must shut down for cleaning, leaving you with no where to sleep.
Now, you have the issue of your infested belongings to deal with, what will do you do with them?
[[abandon them at the shelter]]
[[try to salvage what little personal effects you have]]Due to differences in temperature between night and day, you end up getting sick. What do you do about this?
[[steal medicine from a local convenience store]]
[[panhandle for money to buy medicine]]
You are now sleeping on the streets without so much as a sleeping bag for comfort. Unfortunately, due to your exposure to the elements and a surplus of mosquitos carrying West Nile in the area, also due to the warmer temperatures, you have been bitten and infected. There are little resources for health care in your area. What will you do?
[[walk across town to a clinic for treatment]]
[[take your chances with trying to go to your old family doctor]]
Your belongings were heavily concentrated with bed bugs and now you are covered in bites and scratch marks from itching at them. Since you have been sleeping on the streets for the past few days , you have been exposed to many germs. Your excessive itching also left you with quite a bit of broken skin, allowing germs in, causing a skin infection. Due to your current circumstances, health care options are limited. Will you:
[[try to sell your little personal effects to seek treatment]]
[[sell your belongings for an over the counter cream]]On your walk you pass some flyers for people looking to hire someone for odd jobs around their home. This gives you a new sense of hope for what your future could be if maybe you gained employment.
[[call the number from the flyer in nearby phone booth]]
[[keep walking to clinic, but plan to come back after]]You arrive at your family doctor to be told that due to your healthcare being expired, they cannot treat you. A clinic nearby will accept you however, so they give you the address.
[[walk across town to a clinic for treatment]] Your personal effects did not raise you much funds, so you couldn't exactly afford high end care. However, a nearby clinic can start a lengthy process to help with not only this skin infection, but any other health concerns you may have.
[[Accept the help]]
[[try to find a topical cream you can afford]]Unfortunately, the cream does not work very well, and your infection continues to get worse. A new clinic has opened nearby and would be happy to help you.
[[clinic]][[clinic]] You didn't want to accept the lengthy help, you bought a topical cream for your infection. Unfortunately, it did not help. Your only option now is to go to the clinic.
[[clinic]]Well that was a bad idea and you got caught. Since the police don't really know what to do with you so you spend the night in a cell at the precinct.
Now that you're out you have to decide where to sleep tonight. Will it be:
[[a shelter]]
[[under a bridge]]You successfully panhandled and got $15, now you have to decide where the money will go.
[[name brand medicine, maybe some food if you have money left]]
[[generic brand medicine and food]]After a week at the shelter, a storm of extreme weather is set to hit the area. High winds possibly causing a tornado are forecasted.
[[evacuate]]
[[take chances in basement of shelter]]Unfortunately, a big storm occurs in the middle of the night and the area you are in floods. You and your sleeping bag and measly possessions are now soaked and you fear getting sick.
[[find a clinic]]
[[purchase medicine with the very little money you have]]Fortunately, your cold clears up but you're still hungry, as you had very little money left to buy food.
[[go to food bank]]
[[go to salvation army]]Good job! Your medicine cleared up your cold and now you even have a bit of food in your stomach. However, you still need a bit more help, as this was only a temporary solution.
[[go to salvation army]]
[[go to food bank]] While at the clinic, you meet Joel Zola, who is passing through after visiting a friend. You start talking and explain your current circumstances, and after listening he tells you about his magazine, "Street Voices" and asks you if you would like to be featured in it. He also gives you a whole list of resources that can help you find shelter and employment.
[[be featured]]
[[graciously accept the resources, but decline the interview]]You and many others in the shelter evacuate in time for the storm, taking refuge across town. The shelter workers managed to bring some food, water, and blankets for more comfort while you await futher instructions. The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee drops by and tells you and the others that they can help you.
[[accept help]]Unfortunately, the storm destroys the building and it is a struggle to get out. You and few others who decided to brave the storm spend a few hours slowly moving rubble to get out. Eventually, you see the light of day, but you are a little scratched and banged up from the efforts. The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee is nearby after you emerge and start to tell you about their services.
[[accept help]] You call the number and happily tell the elderly couple on the other end that you would love to help out. They gladly accept and ask when you can start, due to your current situation, you tell them you can in a few days.
[[head to clinic]]You get to the clinic and recieve the medical help you need. You begin to leave and walk back along the route you took to get there, unfortunately, the path you took before is completely flooded from a storm that happened during your overnight stay at the clinic. Due to this the flyer may be hard to find again.
[[give up on job possibility]]
[[try nearby library to see if there is another flyer]]After your overnight stay at the clinic you leave and head to the older couple's home to begin your work. After doing a few jobs they ask you to sit down and have some lemonade with them. They ask you about your life and you tell them about your current situation. They tell you that they have an extra room and want to try to help you get back on your feet, as long as you still do odd jobs to earn your keep.
[[accept the offer]]Unfortunately, this is where your story ends. Your lack of motivation and persistence to find work leave you still living on the streets. Maybe you'll try again in a few years?You arrive at the library and see no flyers on the bulletin board. Disappointed, you take a seat on one of the armchairs nearby. As you sit with a loud sigh, the elderly woman in a chair to your left looks at you quizzically. You explain to her that you saw the flyer for odd jobs before and that now you can't find it. The woman listens to your story and then after a second tells you that the couple who posted those flyers are her neighbours. She gives you their number and you go to call them, very quickly accepting the offer to work for them.
[[go to house]]Congratulations! You made it through your experience and are well on your way to making it fully out of homelessness. With the elderly couple's help, you will clean yourself up and look for employment outside their home. After working for a bit, you decide you want to attend university for social work so you can help those who are also dealing with homelessness. Good luck!After doing a few jobs they ask you to sit down and have some lemonade with them. They ask you about your life and you tell them about your current situation. They tell you that they have an extra room and want to try to help you get back on your feet, as long as you still do odd jobs to earn your keep.
[[accept the offer]] You meet Joel two days later to do the interview. He asks you how you ended up where you are and what you plan to do in the future. The article is a huge hit and you feel a bit of stardom.
[[move on]]You decide not to do the interview, but you do take the list of resources Joel offers. After making a few phone calls, you find yourself feeling a bit more hopeful about your future/
[[move on]]Regardless of whether you chose to do the interview or not, the list of resources helps you greatly. With Joel's help you are able to locate housing for your needs and start to get back on your feet. The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee helps with finding shelter and getting back on your feet after natural disasters like the one you just experienced. With their help, you and the others from the shelter can now find possibly more long term housing as well as health care.While at the clinic, you start talking to one of the nurses there. You explain how you ended up at the clinic after the flood. The nurse goes off to do a bit of research on your behalf and returns with the contact info for the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee.
[[call the committee from the clinic phone]]Your cold clears up after a few days using the medicine, however, you still need more assistance, as this was a temporary remedy.
[[go to food bank]]
[[go to salvation army]] [[accept help]] The food bank gives you a small amount of food and sends you on your way. You come back a second time a few days later, after explaining your current situation, they send you to the Salvation Army for further help.
[[go to salvation army]] The Salvation Army offers to help you with food, clothing, and housing.
[[take the offer]]Congratulations! Now with the help of the Salvation Army and other resources you are well on your way to getting back on your feet.