This week on The Loop, host Min Dhariwal joined Doug Cooke, business and community engagement liaison with Boyle Street Community Services. Cooke spends his days walking through the downtown community, offering supplies and support to those in need. Together they took a walk through downtown, meeting just a few of the Edmontonians living on the streets.

On their walk, Cooke introduced Dhariwal to Sheila, who's been experiencing homelessness in Edmonton for years. He shared his experience working with her and others who find themselves vulnerable on the streets, and how that cycle continues.

Doug Cooke: No two people are generally the same from one day to the next. However, relationships are being built over my time out here on the streets and when people see me, they they come up to me and ask for what they require and I offer what I can.

Min Dhariwal: You have a, you certainly have a rapport out here, with folks. Like a certain trust has been built up.

DC: This is a great community and I I love what I'm doing. It's so rewarding for me to really make these connections. And really, friendships. Sheila is someone I actually have known for close to seven to 8 years. I know more recently she's been outside. She was successfully housed for a good number of years. But we also find that you cycle through homelessness probably about five or six times before you're actually successful.

MD: The, you know, one hit wonders, so to speak, are probably very rare.

DC: Very rare. Yeah, very rare.

MD: So you get off the street, you get into some housing, you're back on the street, you get back in. It's kind of a bit of a cycle.

DC: It's a cycle.