Star report gave him a scare and much-needed push
May 27, 2008 04:30 AM
Donovan Vincent
City Hall Bureau
A mother's public plea that her son – a homeless panhandler in Toronto – seek help, has inspired the young man to put renewed energy into kicking his drug habit
In a story last week the Star reported that Kathy Rasmussens of Collingwood has tried desperately to get her 24-year-old son Patrick O'Hara off crack, and off the streets where he panhandles for drug money.
He's been away from home for four years, and has panhandled at Queen St. and Spadina Ave. His mother has made repeated attempts to get him help.
Rasmussens said staff at her son's methadone clinic told her last winter that O'Hara has to want to help himself first.
In an interview yesterday O'Hara said his mother's plea, and seeing his story laid out in black and white, jolted him into action.
He was shown the story by staff at a youth shelter he's staying in.
"Basically that article scared the sh-- out of me. I've been clean 10 days now," he said.
"It definitely gave me a push. I was a couple days sober before the story, but I've maintained (sobriety) since the article, so it did give me a scare and a push."
Aside from daily methadone doses at the Satellite Breakaway Clinic downtown for his addiction to the painkiller OxyContin, O'Hara must also undergo weekly drug screening there.
Staff there confirmed he remains clean of all drugs.
O'Hara praised the clinic, which offers a wide variety of supports, including counselling, help getting housing and food, and access to computers.
And though he says he was shocked and a bit angry that his hardships and struggles with drugs were published for all to see, he's grateful to his mother.
"I love my mom, like any son would. Of course I do. I love what she's doing. She meant it for the best," he said.
But the two haven't spoken since January. O'Hara said he plans to keep it that way for now.
"I don't want to talk to my mother until I have myself together," he said.
His mother wrote a letter to the Star a few weeks ago after seeing O'Hara on the street in a television news report. The story was about the city's plan to spend $5 million to curb panhandling by finding housing for panhandlers.
His mother has voiced skepticism about the city's "housing first'' approach, saying O'Hara needs to kick his drug habit first.
O'Hara said he was 16 when he first tried crack as a youngster growing up in Thornhill.
"Many of the my friends I grew up with, we all tried it. I found myself using it alone, and that's when I realized I had a problem," he said.
"I used to always come to Toronto and say, I'll never be downtown doing crack, living on the street. That scared the hell out of me. Two years later that's what I was doing."
O'Hara said when he panhandles he does so for about four to five hours and makes about $200.
His mother said he stole from her when he was living at home to support his habit, but O'Hara denied the claims.
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