Alberta family grieves loved one who died at a Calgary shelter

Dying on the street or in a shelter is unfortunately not uncommon for those living rough, suffering from addictions and other health issues.

Every morning on her drive to work in the heart of Calgary, Dominika Rozlowski scours the streets and underpasses, bottle depots and long lines outside shelters — trying to spot a familiar face in a crowd of people: the face of her sister.

“I just kept looking, everyday I thought of her,” Rozlowski said.

It’s been a decade since the Airdrie resident last saw her sister Joanna.

Rozlowski clenches a picture of the 50-year-old  mother-of-three in her hands. Joanna is beautiful, with a beaming smile and bright blonde hair.

The joy in that picture, however, was overshadowed by an insurmountable battle with mental illness and addiction that led Joanna to a years-long life on the streets.

“Hospitals, we tried to get a mental health order, we tried to take her home, I tried to keep her in at my place — we were just so exhausted that finally we just had to let her go and make peace with it,” Rozlowski said.

Two weeks ago, she got the call she had always feared.

“She was unresponsive and then they took her to the Alpha House and they gave her a mat on the floor, all they can do is breathing checks because they are volunteers and by the morning, 8 a.m., she was gone,” Rozlowski said.