on homeless living

[WilT]

Follow up on my Army not Marine buddy beaten up by strangers. He still is hospitalized after 6 days in a nearby hospital but my understanding is that he is now in a convalescent home for recovery. So far the assailants are either local ‘low riders’ or ‘skateboarders’ or I’ve heard taggers.

 

[WilT]

I was able to help an older woman push her electric chair out of the middle of the street. Apparently it had stalled and she was off of it attempting to push it. Having had a stroke she could barely move the heavy chair by herself. I was in the immediate area and helped her push it over the crest of the street and onto the sidewalk. Since the battery level was 0 I helped push it all the way to her residence for her. About 2 short blocks. As I left she waved a sign trying to tell me something. Even though she had it upside down it stated God Bless You. A sign she must use when she’s out requesting food or money. I thanked her for her kind words. I don’t know how long she was attempting to push her chair, but I managed to see many ignore her by going around her and moving on.

 

[WilT]

I ran into a man pushing an extra wide shopping cart loaded with recyclables. Bags were popping from all sides of the cart and many white plastic garbage bags bulging out and hanging by threads. He was moving his cart up a driveway and struggled with it. I was in the area and I ran to assist him. I began talking to him and after 1 hr. or so I found out that he has hopes of one day getting off the streets and settling down in a small place with a job. He was covered with soot from his black Yankee ball cap down to his dusty, sole flapping sneakers. He called himself a mule for pushing this overloaded shopping cart everywhere. He was and is like you and I hoping one day for things to go well for him. This day I learned from him to have patients, hope when things go bad, and humility struck me when he called himself a mule. I hope and pray that his hope of settling down will come true one day.

 

[WilT]

I ran into Chuck who is going through a rough patch. He lost his Chihuahua Sombrita out in the street somewhere. His buddy Robert got beat up at his campsite and he’s feeling a little sad. It’s interesting to see that Chuck doesn’t realize it but he has a following and those same people congregate around him through out the day. He blesses all those that he know and doesn’t know. bringing Christ’s blessings to all he meets. I’ve talked to Him and beyond his Drunkeness he speaks humbly of himself and knows his Spiritual limitations. We can all learn from his example of the love of others and of his humility.

 

[WilT]

Today, Chuck showed up sober and ‘wide eyed and bushy tailed’ he has spent a few days of the drink and is temporarily staying with a friend. Even though they have been good to him he says he tries not to get in their way so he comes in to their house in the evening and leaves in the mornings. A quote from Chuck; “What is the opposite of Love?..Love”. In Chucks world Love is all that matters.

 

[WilT]

Most homeless are lucky to be able to get 2-3 hrs. of sleep per night. They sleep in the open, since they have no shelter and many different people come through their campsite and get awoken. I heard that a gay gentleman indirectly propositioned one man, in the middle of the night. He listened to all this mans troubles and sent him away with hope. He had opened up to him saying why he was thrown out of his home by his parents and that he was called a Monster. He was reassured that God loves him and is waiting for him.

 

[WilT]

I met Steve while a church group were handing out hot dogs for the Halloween eve. He told me that he had been out on the street for about a week. He had lost his home, and had no regular shelter to go to. His help had run out. He told me that on one of his first days he was sitting out besides a 7’11 food mart when an unknown lady pulled up next to him. She saw his bags and offered him a ride. He took the ride that early evening to a Christian Church not to far away. He was going to get help for the night and/or perhaps stay the night safely on the churches grounds. After being dropped off he noticed the church’s gate was left open and looked for clues as to why it was open. Perhaps a burglar was inside or some one needed help. As he walked in 2 patrol cars screeched to a halt jumped out and hand cuffed him. After sitting in the back of the patrol car, handcuffed and made to feel embarrassed and ashamed, they let him go. He wondered why a stranger gave him a ride and why he had trouble when he went to the church. He felt that the church would be a safe and helpful place to be. We had our dogs and left filled with hot dogs and worries.

 

[WilT]

On this rainy night Jim went searching for some overhead shelter to protect him from the incoming rains. He found this shelter at a nearby medical center and he then decided to sit and relax till he got sleepy. It was now dark and he was getting ready to set up for sleep when a women screaming and talking to herself crossed over onto a bush area. She removed 3 loads of her stuff and took them to a dryer location. She continued mumbling and loading and loading her bike. I was told her behavior was most likely because of drugs. Minutes passed and she didn’t return. Instead 2 teenagers and a skateboarder approached his camp area. He woke him up and asked him were he was from and other questions. Apparently, his friends during the centers off hours lived in the back area of the clinic. He seemed ok upon hearing his explanation of his reasons for being there. The skateboarder turned around and reminded him not to enter into the back area of the clinic. Jim wondered on how homeless indiv. and their friends protect one another and they seem to confiscate and make theirs private buildings which indirectly house them. This is part of the homeless culture.