Plymouth Street Journal, June 9, 2015
It was about 90 degrees in the parking lot when I arrived at a quarter to six. It wasn't humid, but the sun seemed especially bright and hot and the van provided very little shade. We had seven people working--Barb, Bruce, Jens, Karen, Michelle, Mike, and I--and we all kept busy. We had many visitors--I'm guessing 30 or more--and handed out food bags and lots of water. Some people had walked quite a distance, I'm guessing they came from the Community Table, and they looked very hot and sweaty. We gave extra water bottles to those who needed them. Our water bottle supply ran low so Jens left for a few minutes to buy more.
Although we had many visitors, I spent most of my time talking to three men. One was in a wheelchair. Evidently he was new to living on the street and was amazed at and grateful for our help. We give him a pair of shoes, a pair of shorts, and a few other items, but then I was called away to help the next person and Karen continued to work with him. Another man has a full time job but recently lost his housing. He looked a bit overwhelmed and unfamiliar with street survival. He knew Mike and gave Mike a call when he became homeless. Mike told him to come to visit us and was coaching him on how to avoid problems in the shelter. We are hoping his homelessness is temporary and that he can get off the street when his next paycheck comes in. Mike gave him a lead on an inexpensive room.
Most of my time was spent talking with another man who recently lost his housing. He and his family--the man, his fiancée, and her two children--were living in an apartment but were worried about its safety. It had a large quantity of mold in the walls and floor and other code violations. He contacted his landlord, who did little, and then he contacted the city. The city decided that the apartment was unfit for human habitation, so he needs a new place. He and his family are currently staying in a borrowed camper. Although both the adults work, they are having trouble getting by. One of the children has major medical issues and needs oxygen. Although they get some medical supplies at a reduced rate, the costs, especially the oxygen, are eating up their incomes. Their food stamps were recently cut which made things worse. Furthermore, the campground in which they are staying is expensive but because of the child's medical needs, they need electricity at their campsite. (I should note that it is not expensive for a campground, but all campgrounds are more expensive per week than renting an inexpensive apartment.) We did what we could to make it easier for them to get by. We supplied him with shoes for the whole family as well as some socks, food, and water. (I'm not sure why, but we had many more shoes than usual in the van today. They were even the correct sizes! Thank you to whoever donated them.) Mike is going to help the family find housing and Michelle and Mike are going to get them food supplies soon. Mike will also try to find a way to get the child's oxygen tanks refilled at an even lower rate. The family's story is a sad commentary on our society--even though they accept help from programs when they can find it, two adults, both with full time jobs, still cannot afford to eat, pay rent, and purchase needed medical supplies for their child.
We had many more visitors, some who stayed quite a while, but I didn't hear their stories. I did briefly see a few of our regulars at the end, including our friend who works at the car wash and TM. I also want to say thanks to Jill from St. James Trinity Lutheran in Fall Creek who stopped by with supplies. Thanks, Jill! A few minutes after seven we packed up and left.
Please pray for, and care for, the poor.
George
It was about 90 degrees in the parking lot when I arrived at a quarter to six. It wasn't humid, but the sun seemed especially bright and hot and the van provided very little shade. We had seven people working--Barb, Bruce, Jens, Karen, Michelle, Mike, and I--and we all kept busy. We had many visitors--I'm guessing 30 or more--and handed out food bags and lots of water. Some people had walked quite a distance, I'm guessing they came from the Community Table, and they looked very hot and sweaty. We gave extra water bottles to those who needed them. Our water bottle supply ran low so Jens left for a few minutes to buy more.
Although we had many visitors, I spent most of my time talking to three men. One was in a wheelchair. Evidently he was new to living on the street and was amazed at and grateful for our help. We give him a pair of shoes, a pair of shorts, and a few other items, but then I was called away to help the next person and Karen continued to work with him. Another man has a full time job but recently lost his housing. He looked a bit overwhelmed and unfamiliar with street survival. He knew Mike and gave Mike a call when he became homeless. Mike told him to come to visit us and was coaching him on how to avoid problems in the shelter. We are hoping his homelessness is temporary and that he can get off the street when his next paycheck comes in. Mike gave him a lead on an inexpensive room.
Most of my time was spent talking with another man who recently lost his housing. He and his family--the man, his fiancée, and her two children--were living in an apartment but were worried about its safety. It had a large quantity of mold in the walls and floor and other code violations. He contacted his landlord, who did little, and then he contacted the city. The city decided that the apartment was unfit for human habitation, so he needs a new place. He and his family are currently staying in a borrowed camper. Although both the adults work, they are having trouble getting by. One of the children has major medical issues and needs oxygen. Although they get some medical supplies at a reduced rate, the costs, especially the oxygen, are eating up their incomes. Their food stamps were recently cut which made things worse. Furthermore, the campground in which they are staying is expensive but because of the child's medical needs, they need electricity at their campsite. (I should note that it is not expensive for a campground, but all campgrounds are more expensive per week than renting an inexpensive apartment.) We did what we could to make it easier for them to get by. We supplied him with shoes for the whole family as well as some socks, food, and water. (I'm not sure why, but we had many more shoes than usual in the van today. They were even the correct sizes! Thank you to whoever donated them.) Mike is going to help the family find housing and Michelle and Mike are going to get them food supplies soon. Mike will also try to find a way to get the child's oxygen tanks refilled at an even lower rate. The family's story is a sad commentary on our society--even though they accept help from programs when they can find it, two adults, both with full time jobs, still cannot afford to eat, pay rent, and purchase needed medical supplies for their child.
We had many more visitors, some who stayed quite a while, but I didn't hear their stories. I did briefly see a few of our regulars at the end, including our friend who works at the car wash and TM. I also want to say thanks to Jill from St. James Trinity Lutheran in Fall Creek who stopped by with supplies. Thanks, Jill! A few minutes after seven we packed up and left.
Please pray for, and care for, the poor.
George