(SEE ACCOMPANYING REACTION TO HOMELESSNESS FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THIS .)

Where are we supposed to stay? Where are we supposed to go?

Ken Derkach asks these questions several times throughout an interview last week from the sidewalk of Alexander Street.

Personable and thoughtful during this conversation, he is referring to the predicament of people who are homeless in Salmon Arm.

Derkach says police have kicked him out of three spots in the past three weeks or so. Last week an officer told him he can鈥檛 be within 15 metres of a bank, he says, pointing to the RBC Financial Group near him.

While he says he doesn鈥檛 like or respect the RCMP, 鈥渢hey鈥檝e actually treated me fairly well.鈥�

Bank staff, he says, are friendly.

鈥淚 want to go up against a judge. I鈥檓 even willing to do a little time in jail 鈥� at least I鈥檇 have a bed鈥︹��

He says he thinks the city gets the RCMP to crack down on homeless people because they鈥檙e bad for tourism.

鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want anybody to know we have homeless people in Salmon Arm. You have to look good鈥� The truth is, we鈥檙e here.鈥�

He notes that the Salvation Army鈥檚 Lighthouse Emergency Shelter closes from April 1 to November 1.

鈥淲here are we supposed to go? I鈥檓 not blaming anyone. One of my sayings is, 鈥業t is what it is. Deal with it.鈥欌��

Derkach says he spent 30 years in construction, as well as working as a DJ (disc jockey).

He lived in Coquitlam and, before Salmon Arm for the past five years, 琉璃神社.

His eyes fill with tears when he talks about how his life went into a tailspin.

鈥淢y wife died at 42. Brain tumour. That was kind of my downfall.鈥�

He says he has two daughters, now 25 and 27, but he rarely sees them. Sometimes they talk on the phone.

His drinking spiralled.

鈥淚 used to be a weekend drinker. Now it鈥檚 pretty much every day.鈥�

He adds, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 cause any problems.鈥�

Derkach now has Parkinson鈥檚 Disease and, last year, he suffered a heart attack. He鈥檚 53.

He points out that he holds his knees as he sits on the sidewalk so his legs don鈥檛 shake. He also struggles with anxiety and depression.

Recently someone told him he looks thinner and more unhealthy than the last time they saw him.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the street life. I used to be about 195 pounds. Now I鈥檓 about 140. It has to do with health and everything else. You don鈥檛 get from 195 pounds to 140 and keep your health. I鈥檓 intelligent enough to know that. And it鈥檚 over the last two years. In high school I was 165, now I鈥檓 140.鈥�

鈥淚 actually feel like I鈥檓 not long for this world,鈥� he says, as tears well again. 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry. I don鈥檛 worry about it 鈥� it鈥檚 one less mouth to feed.鈥�

Forging ahead, he says when he was 12 or 13 years old, he remembers hearing there were about two billion people on earth.

鈥淣ow there are 7.4 billion in the world. I don鈥檛 understand how we鈥檙e going to take care of people.鈥�

He says when he came here from 琉璃神社, he was on his way to New Brunswick.

鈥淚 got stuck here because of the people and the atmosphere,鈥� he says, adding people in 琉璃神社 weren鈥檛 friendly, whereas people in Salmon Arm are.

During the interview, a young man stops by to wish him well and give him a bottle of water. A woman also greets him and gives him a handful of change.

This year is the first he鈥檚 had to panhandle, he says.

鈥淭he people in this town are the best I鈥檝e ever seen鈥� Walking along the street, you hear 鈥榞ood morning, good morning.鈥� In 琉璃神社, you鈥檙e trying to have a conversation at a bus stop and they look at you like you鈥檙e crazy. People don鈥檛 understand I鈥檓 a sociable person, I get to meet all kinds of people.鈥�

He says the odd person tries to verbally assault him and his friend, and they just say, 鈥淗ave a nice day.鈥�

He wants to rebut what he saw in a newspaper recently 鈥� that homeless people are lazy bums. He says he used to work at the bottle depot, and tried going back after his heart attack, but he didn鈥檛 have the energy.

Derkach grew up in Saskatoon and came to B.C. to escape the cold.

He says he is something of a social worker on the street.

I listen 鈥� that鈥檚 the biggest thing. Hopefully you can give them a little bit of advice 鈥� and maybe they follow it.鈥�

鈥淚 used to call God the higher power. Since coming to Salmon Arm, I鈥檓 actually believing in God. God is benevolent and he is real. I had a Sprite can burst in my back pack and it ruined my bible. A couple of people are going to bring me one. I like to read it. It鈥檚 not all believable. But it inspires me to help other people and be a good man.鈥�

What help would he like to see for people who are homeless?

鈥淚f they have the shelter open 24/7, 365 days a year, that would help.鈥�

He says paying rent is out of the question because it would take $2,000 to get a place, with the damage deposit, utilities and the first month鈥檚 rent.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why a lot of us are homeless. We just can鈥檛 afford it鈥�

鈥淭he RCMP say why are you here? I say, there鈥檚 no place else to be.鈥�