February 1a
Mayor,
I really don’t get it.
The Village of Hope is such a huge improvement over what is chronically at it’s same location.
Why?
What sense does it make?
Is it just a battle of the wills? Is it just ego and pride?
It makes no sense.
I am overwhelmed with grief and sorrow. I can hardly do my work.
Human life is being destroyed now. So what if tomorrow things are just the way you want them. TODAY they suffer. And much of the suffering is increased by the selfish egos of the leaders of our city.
Michelle was 55 or so. She had never been homeless before. Single with a dying mother, she moved into her mother’s apartment and became her primary caretaker. Michelle is very good at taking care of others. She has an uncanny sense of what others need. She realized too late that she wasn’t going to be able to rearrange her life quickly enough to keep the apartment. And she hadn’t had opportunity to look for work while managing her mother’s burial and wrapping up her estate. There was nothing left after paying the bills.
She didn’t own a car. And she had her dog and her cat who were more important to her than a bed indoors.
I don’t know how Michelle found her way to the delta area where I bring a hot meal and groceries every week but she’s not the type to sleep in a doorway. Soon she was mothering all the campers out there. Before long she was nursing one of the long time homeless men and when he had a stroke, she was the one to call the ambulance. Helping Jimmie lead from one thing to another and in the end they were able to qualify for an apartment with the help of JOIN and she received SSI money again for being a caretaker. Before that she was homeless for nearly a year. She lost her beloved cat. She didn’t use drugs but she did suffer a lot. When Jimmie had a second stroke and could no longer walk he had to be moved to a nursing home. Michelle is in Seattle now and I don’t know how long she’ll be able to stay indoors. She definitely deserves a better life.
Roland is about my age, which is 63. For many years he lived with his sister and her husband working on their ranch. His brother in law paid him “under the table” but their relationship seemed solid and Roland just considered himself part of their family. Then his sister and husband divorced. But his ex brother in law loved him so much (he is a sweetie) that he allowed him to stay for several years. But you guessed it, the brother in law remarried. The new wife couldn’t abide the brother of the first wife and Roland was asked to leave.
Roland is a hard worker. He’s never asked anyone for anything. No, he’s going to pull his own weight. His camp is in perfect order. He is always well groomed. He does not smoke, drink or use drugs. He is incredibly polite and never takes more than his share. He has a current drivers license and a clean record. He’s never been arrested. Roland heard about a truck driving job opportunity. He realized he was very qualified for the position. I didn’t see him for a couple of weeks and the other campers told me he’d gotten a job. I was disappointed to see him back. The trucking company told him they couldn’t hire someone without a resume, no work history, and no address.
Troy has been homeless for about four years. He’s been on JOIN’s list for housing and they have connected him with the Veterans and yes, he’s qualified for housing. But guess what? I see him every week anyway because there is no housing and he can’t move farther away from his family. He has teenage children that he needs to stay in touch with, His wife divorced him when she had a stroke – she told him she wasn’t going to have him take care of her. Of course I don’t know the “whole” story but I don’t need to know it. I know Troy and he deserves to live indoors. He has skills. But once you’ve been out of the work force for awhile it’s nearly impossible to get back in, particularly if you’ve been homeless.
Martin (not his real name) has been living in his SUV but still working for over a year. Divorce was the reason he lost housing initially but finding housing has proven difficult. He has been saving money for first and last month rent, but even with help from nonprofits he still hasn’t been able to find anything. He is not mentally ill, a drug user or a thief. He calls me an “angel” every time I see him. I’m not much of an angel, I can’t solve his problems.
He’s “taken in” a woman who was also newly homeless and very vulnerable. Within the first week of being homeless her ID was stolen (a common occurrence to the uninitiated). She has an anxiety disorder and though she’s been applying for work, she’s willing to do anything, but she’s so nervous I’m sure that’s why she hasn’t been hired, besides the lack of an address.
Martin started having extreme headaches so he saw his doctor. His doctor discovered a cyst behind his eardrum. Surgery took longer and was more invasive than at first planned. He had to stay indoors in a hotel for several weeks to “recover” (to the point he could move back into his car, not to the point he could go back to work) Even with financial assistance his savings are gone. He also must return to have the bones reconstructed that were removed in his first surgery, when he’s healed up “enough”.
I ask a lot of questions. Everyone has a story. There are themes that run through most of my friends lives. Foster care. Addicted parents. Step fathers that throw irritating 13 year olds out of the house, causing diminished education. I’ve been amazed at how many years these poor starts take to catch up with my friends. But many have not graduated from high school. Trouble with the law, often for very minor offences but then chronic recurring jail time for parole violations, next to impossible for a homeless person, without transportation or money, to achieve.
And yes there is drug addiction. Some folks become homeless because of drug addiction. It is my experience that there are about the same percentage of drug addicted housed as unhoused. But when your unhoused everyone can see you.
Life is not perfect. Solutions are compromises.
Trauma and suffering can be minimized.
Please.
Frani