Saskatoon woman's life transformed after news story about panhandling

A Saskatoon woman who spoke to CTV News last year about the realities of panhandling says the attention brought by the story has changed her life for the better.

Elisapi Ningiurluut never got past Grade 9. That’s when she left her group home leading her to a life of panhandling, trying to earn money for drugs, she says.

She spoke to CTV News about the day-to-day realities of panhandling in February 2022.

After her story was aired on television and published online, she says it prompted her to take a hard look at herself.

“It was really embarrassing to admit that the generosity and the money was going towards drugs and not anything productive,” she says.

• Get the CTV News app for Saskatoon area breaking news alerts and top stories 

Ningiurluut says she had people recognize her from TV, giving her more money or stopping to chat while she panhandled.

It was that generosity and care, she says was part of the reason she wanted to make a change.

“I’m really excited to change my life around and I can’t wait to see what sobriety has to offer,” she says.

In December, she told her mental health worker that she wanted to stop begging to feed her addictions.

Elisapi Ningiurluut is shown panhandling in a February 2022 photo. (Carla Shynkaruk/CTV Saskatoon)

“One day I was getting high, and I felt this is not right and this isn’t what I should be doing,” she said.

That’s a step Jacqueline Hoffman, the CEO of Prairie Sky Recovery Centre admits is very significant.

“When anybody makes that change and wants to make that positive change, that is commendable,” Hoffman told CTV News.

“All we can hope is somebody is ready to make that change because no matter what we provide, federally, provincially, privately. No matter what we provide for them if they’re not ready to make that change, then recovery is out of grasp for them,” Hoffman said.

Ningiurluut is currently trying to raise money to enter a one-year detox program she believes will help her heal.

On a GoFundMe page where she's trying to raise $1,100, she candidly addresses her struggles and her hopes for a brighter future.

“Through the generosity of people, I was knee-deep in my addiction, but through this Go-Fund-Me page, I feel you would be helping me get out of this lifestyle which is so wrong,” she says.

It was Ningiurluut who contacted CTV News, wanting to share an update on her life in the hopes of inspiring others.

In her email, she shared a poem.

One part says: "I know to my very core that when I’m free from drugs I’ll happily roar. I know it’s going to be a chore to get to sobriety. I know I’ll finally fit in society."

While Ningiurluut is well aware that it’s not going to be an easy road, she says she's determined to come out on the other side.