03/06/2026
A couple days ago, a mother learned the kind of news no parent should ever have to hear. The remains found outside of Nelson ten months ago were confirmed to be her son, Chris Newton, who had been missing for two years.
Chris was 34.
For two years his mother, Christine, lived in the unbearable space between hope and despair. Anyone who has ever loved someone who is missing knows that “not knowing” can slowly destroy you. But knowing carries its own kind of finality.
Chris was unhoused.
He lived with schizophrenia.
Like so many struggling with severe mental illness, he turned to substances to try to quiet a mind that would not give him peace.
And his story ended in tragedy.
Right now, as I write this, there is a man with schizophrenia sleeping in the alley behind my work. I’m doing what I can with the limited resources I have — blankets, cushions, a bit of food, conversation — trying to help him stay alive through the night.
But let’s be honest.
This is not a solution.
A community should not rely on random acts of kindness from people passing by to keep someone with severe mental illness alive. We should have systems. We should have support. We should have places for people to go when their minds are fighting against them.
Instead, too often what we see is anger.
People complaining about the homeless from the comfort of their couches.
People talking about “tax dollars.”
People treating human beings like problems instead of people.
Behind every person sleeping outside is a story. A family. A mother like Christine who once held that child in her arms and never imagined their life would end this way.
Schizophrenia is not a moral failure.
Addiction is not a character flaw.
Homelessness is not a lifestyle choice most people wake up and decide to pursue.
It is what happens when trauma, illness, poverty, and a lack of support collide.
And as a society, we are not doing enough.
Chris Newton deserved better.
The man in the alley tonight deserves better.
Every person living with severe mental illness and homelessness deserves better.
If compassion started to outweigh judgment, maybe fewer families would have to live through the nightmare Christine just did.
Because every person sleeping on the street tonight is someone’s child. Rest easy, Chris. 🌺
