Jonathan and Treva Wittner strolled across a walkway adorned with the message “Hope is here” — a testament to their journey.
After overcoming homelessness and addiction, the Wittners moved into their own apartment last year with the help of Hope Village, one of the city of Vancouver’s Safe Stay communities. Now, as outreach workers for Safe Stay programs, the Wittners help others find hope.
“When I was homeless, I felt like I wasn’t worth anything, but now I want people to know that they are worth it,” said Treva Wittner, 49.
New beginnings
The Wittners met when Treva Wittner was babysitting Jonathan Wittner’s foster brother.
The two were in a long-distance relationship for about a year. They kept in contact through phone calls, and Jonathan would write Treva poems.
“I knew the second I saw her we’d be together forever,” said Jonathan Wittner, 51.
Over the years, the Wittners have faced many obstacles together — and overcome them. Both struggled with addiction. But more than four years ago, the couple made the pledge to recover.
Treva Wittner said her grandchildren were a large motivation for getting clean and sober.
“My kids went through our addiction with us, and when my son had said when my daughter-in-law got pregnant, that his kids would not be around us and addiction, I thought: ‘No, I need to be in their lives,’ because family is so important,” Treva said. “Now, I’m a part of my grandkids’ lives.”
But fresh into their recovery, the couple became homeless. Family members they were living with moved to another state and sold their home. The Wittners couldn’t afford the high cost of rent.
For about a year, they stayed with friends and family, but mostly lived in their car.
“It was a hard experience, horrible. Reality just smacked us in the face,” Treva Wittner said.
However, the two persevered. Although challenging, they continued attending their addiction support groups to sustain their recovery. They also faced a lot of trouble getting into shelters because they couldn’t find a place that would take them together.
“We’ve spent half a lifetime together. It was scary to think that we might have to be split up,” Treva Wittner said.
In September 2022, they attended Hands Across the Bridge, an annual event celebrating recovery, and they heard Living Hope Church Pastor Brian Norris speak about Hope Village. Jonathan Wittner chased Norris down to see if there were any openings.
The Wittners moved into Hope Village four days later.
“I was super apprehensive at first moving in, because I’d only been homeless for about a year and we avoided everything,” Jonathan Wittner said. “But when we moved in here, everybody treated us like family.”
For Treva Wittner, moving into Hope Village showed her she wasn’t alone. After her dad died three years ago, she shut down. When the couple moved into Hope Village, she didn’t leave her tiny house very often.
“If it wasn’t for Hope Village and my job, I probably would be still in my addiction. People here at Hope Village and my case managers really helped me leave the house by showing me they were my friends,” she said. “It was a huge part of helping me move forward because I didn’t think life would go on without my dad.”
In June, the Wittners celebrated one year in their new apartment, which they said has been amazing and relaxing.
After moving out of Hope Village, Jonathan Wittner kept returning to visit. He eventually became an outreach worker and recovery coach at Hope Village. Treva Wittner worked as a cleaner before recently joining the staff of the third Safe Stay community, 415 West.
“They’ve got this kind and gentle spirit about them that gravitates others to them,” Norris said. “And they wear their recovery and their journey on their sleeve so that others feel comfortable being around them and opening up.”
On a warm spring day, Jonathan Wittner sat at a table at Hope Village, listening as two residents excitedly shared their plans to move into their own apartment soon.
“Imagine getting to see that all the time. That’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m doing this work,” he said.
Found family
Recently, under a canopy of string lights, Jonathan and Treva Wittner held hands and gazed into each other’s eyes.
After more than three decades of marriage, they renewed their vows with Norris as their officiant. As they tearfully recited their love for one another, both their blood relatives and the family they’ve found at Hope Village celebrated with them.
“Hope Village is our family; they’ve been where we once were. I want to show people that things can move toward the good,” Treva Wittner said.
