Plymouth Street Ministry Journal--Friday, November 21, 2014
Tonight was a busy night for Plymouth Street Ministry. I arrived at the Barstow Street parking lot a little after 5:30 pm. It wasn't too cold--the temperature was in the upper 20s. The flags on nearby buildings indicated a light breeze but I didn't notice it. I was wearing a parka, a warm hat, and gloves. Only my hands got cold and then only because I had to take off my gloves to sort through clothing and to distributed water bottles.
My arrival raised the number of workers to six! Mike, Pastor Libby (a chaplain at Sacred Heart Hospital), Jens, Mike A., and Jackie were already there. That's a big improvement from last winter, when there were often only two, and occasionally it was Mike and myself. Pastor Libby had work to do and couldn't stay very long. Jackie and Mike A. were preparing the bags to hand out. Each contained a smaller bag of popcorn, some candy bars and energy bars, several hand warmers, and a flyer for Trinity Lutheran Church's free Thanksgiving dinner. We also handed out juice pouches and water bottles to those who wanted them. At around 6pm our first visitors arrived, and we had a steady stream until we left. I didn't talk with all of them, and so I'm sure I missed many stories, but I did hear quite a few.
First we met a man who has been working at Menard's--I think at the warehouse. He walks more than two hours to get to work. Mike is trying to get him some bus tokens. The bus won't go all the way to his work place, but it will take him several miles closer. Interestingly, he is the second person we've met who lives at the shelter and walks several miles to a job at Menard's. Although he had grown up in Wisconsin, the man told us that he had lived in Florida for more than a decade, which prompted us to ask, "Why are you here and not there?" He explained that, despite the climate, Florida is not a good place to live if you don't have money. The jobs are hard, pay poorly, and usually require a long commute from affordable housing. He preferred his native Wisconsin, despite the cold. At first he didn't want any clothing from us--he said he had enough--but later he returned and changed his mind. He asked for (if I recall correctly) gloves and a stocking cap. He was wearing a ball cap, which he said was warm enough since his hair covered his ears, but then decided that a stocking cap would be good to take just in case he was wrong. We provided him with the winter articles and the usual sack of goodies.
We gave a "goody bag" (I never know what to call the bags of food we give out!) and a hooded sweatshirt to another man who thanked us and especially Mike profusely (evidently Mike had helped him out before) and continually thanked God. I'm not sure if he was sincere (although he might have been) or if he thought was gaining favor with us. He was quite gregarious and enthusiastically introduced himself to each of us.
CT then stopped by. He has a new job but ripped his gloves on the first day of work, so we outfitted him with a new pair.
An older man then stopped by. Mike discretely indicated to me that this was the man we had seen last week. Last week he had been dropped off by a budget cab, had an argument with the cab driver, and had been menacingly waving a stick around. We later spotted him leaving the shelter with his bundles and cursing under his breath. I think we might see more of the man, so I'll call him GR. After last week's incident, GR contacted Mike--although I have no idea how he found Mike's number--and Mike learned that he is struggling with a drug addiction (for which he has been trying to get help) and is also heavily addicted to cigarettes. Mike also learned that the man had not been evicted from the shelter last week--he left on his own when he learned he only got two cigarette breaks all night.
Tonight I learned more of his story. He has a rocky past that includes several felonies, although none were in the last fifteen years. He has also served more than five years in prisons in California (he rattled off the names of three or four different California prisons he'd done time in) and Wisconsin. He has had trouble finding housing because of that record (and probably also because of his addiction problems). He expressed an intense dislike of the shelter (I'm not sure why, other than the smoking policy) and said that he wished he were back in prison in California instead of in "this hell hole." Strangely, when he wasn't talking about the shelter or muttering about a government conspiracy, he seemed to be a very likable fellow. (I realize that will sound odd given my previous description of the man, it was the case.) Now that he was closer and much calmer, I saw that the stick he had been waving about last week was actually a walking cane. After quite a long chat, we gave him some food, juice, and water, and he left us. As he was leaving Mike encouraged him to keep attending drug addiction recovery meetings and to call Mike if he was experiencing intense cravings and needed to call someone.
Mike then spotted a young couple walking down the sidewalk toward us. They were still a hundred yards away or so but Mike recognized them (it's interesting how many people you can identify by their gait and silhouette after you've been out several nights!) and encouraged Jackie to talk with the woman. Mike had helped the woman before and thought she would be less afraid talking to another woman. I call her a woman, but we aren't sure she is an adult--she looks like she is only 16 or so, although she said she was 19. (You must be 18 or older to stay at the shelter so we suspect some younger people lie about their age to get in.) In any event, this young couple told us they were kicked out the shelter last week and were not allowed back in until tonight. However, when they talked to the shelter worker, they were told that they were not allowed back in until tomorrow night, and this made them quite upset. (We found out later that the couple thought tonight was the 22nd, so shelter worker was correct about the timing.) Jackie talked with the woman while Mike A., Jens, and I tried to find the right size of winter clothing for the man. I don't know what Jackie and the woman discussed, but Jackie must have helped her because the conversation ended with the woman giving Jackie a big hug. The couple eventually phoned a friend and talked that person into putting them up for the night.
A van pulled up with a familiar older couple. I've seen them for a year and a half--sometimes they live in a shelter, sometimes in their van, and, they told Mike once, they used to sleep in a storage unit they rented. Although their van is quite large, it is so packed with belongings that it looks like there isn't enough room in the back for a person. I think they sleep in the front seats. They, too, were not permitted to stay in the shelter, and the woman said they now are banned for life. (I have no idea if this is true or not.) We gave them some food and water and a pair of gloves.
We then had quite a few visitors at once. I helped a very quiet woman who asked for socks. She told me that yesterday she looked at her feet as she left the shower in the shelter last night and they were blue from cold and were very sore. I gave her the warmest pair I could find.
At around 7pm the shelter doors opened and began letting people in, and we were left by ourselves. I counted 25 people waiting outside, but some might already have been let in when I started my count. Mike told me that we gave out 28 bags, and that a few people didn't take one, so he estimated that we helped 32 people tonight. In addition to the bags we handed out hats, coats, hooded sweatshirts, a warm vest, socks, at least one pair of boots, and many gloves.
We decided to call it a night and Jens, Mike A., and Jackie left. Mike and I were getting ready to leave when another man stopped by and chatted with Mike. I didn't know whether to offer to help him or not--I wasn't sure if he was homeless or a someone who was dropping off supplies for the Street Ministry!--but then Mike gestured for me to get him a bag. The man told Mike about a job that didn't work out and then headed over to the shelter. Mike then informed me that the man was quite educated but had trouble staying employed. Mike wasn't positive but had reason to suspect that the man has a serious alcohol problem that has cost him many jobs.
Finally I headed home to type this up and to warm up with warm mug of hot cocoa, and Mike headed to a thrift store to give JF a ride to the shelter. I think we had a successful night making a few lives a little better.
Please pray for, and care for, the poor.
George
Street Journal 11/18/2014 - Karen
The temperature remained around 15 degrees during out time out this evening, about 25 people were served. The evenings are quite still until about 6:30pm when our friends leave whatever warm and safe space they'd been in to dash to the Sojourner House and wait for a bed. Without proper gear, simply standing about is a very uncomfortable and cold prospect, and many of the people are not outfitted for the weather. We provided gloves, hats and socks but still need larger sized coats. Some requests for boots were filled, the recipients were very grateful. Please keep the homeless in your prayers.
Karen
Needs List:
We need 2XL and larger winter coats and hooded sweatshirts, bus tokens, gas cards for the van (we always need gas cards), ski-type gloves, and warm winter hats. Used items should be clean and in good condition.
We also need volunteers for Friday the 28th of November. Right now I may be the only one working that Night. If your in town and would like to help out please e.mail us at the street ministry. [email protected]
Thanks for your support,
Mike, George, Jens, Mike A., Jackie and Pastor Libby
Tonight was a busy night for Plymouth Street Ministry. I arrived at the Barstow Street parking lot a little after 5:30 pm. It wasn't too cold--the temperature was in the upper 20s. The flags on nearby buildings indicated a light breeze but I didn't notice it. I was wearing a parka, a warm hat, and gloves. Only my hands got cold and then only because I had to take off my gloves to sort through clothing and to distributed water bottles.
My arrival raised the number of workers to six! Mike, Pastor Libby (a chaplain at Sacred Heart Hospital), Jens, Mike A., and Jackie were already there. That's a big improvement from last winter, when there were often only two, and occasionally it was Mike and myself. Pastor Libby had work to do and couldn't stay very long. Jackie and Mike A. were preparing the bags to hand out. Each contained a smaller bag of popcorn, some candy bars and energy bars, several hand warmers, and a flyer for Trinity Lutheran Church's free Thanksgiving dinner. We also handed out juice pouches and water bottles to those who wanted them. At around 6pm our first visitors arrived, and we had a steady stream until we left. I didn't talk with all of them, and so I'm sure I missed many stories, but I did hear quite a few.
First we met a man who has been working at Menard's--I think at the warehouse. He walks more than two hours to get to work. Mike is trying to get him some bus tokens. The bus won't go all the way to his work place, but it will take him several miles closer. Interestingly, he is the second person we've met who lives at the shelter and walks several miles to a job at Menard's. Although he had grown up in Wisconsin, the man told us that he had lived in Florida for more than a decade, which prompted us to ask, "Why are you here and not there?" He explained that, despite the climate, Florida is not a good place to live if you don't have money. The jobs are hard, pay poorly, and usually require a long commute from affordable housing. He preferred his native Wisconsin, despite the cold. At first he didn't want any clothing from us--he said he had enough--but later he returned and changed his mind. He asked for (if I recall correctly) gloves and a stocking cap. He was wearing a ball cap, which he said was warm enough since his hair covered his ears, but then decided that a stocking cap would be good to take just in case he was wrong. We provided him with the winter articles and the usual sack of goodies.
We gave a "goody bag" (I never know what to call the bags of food we give out!) and a hooded sweatshirt to another man who thanked us and especially Mike profusely (evidently Mike had helped him out before) and continually thanked God. I'm not sure if he was sincere (although he might have been) or if he thought was gaining favor with us. He was quite gregarious and enthusiastically introduced himself to each of us.
CT then stopped by. He has a new job but ripped his gloves on the first day of work, so we outfitted him with a new pair.
An older man then stopped by. Mike discretely indicated to me that this was the man we had seen last week. Last week he had been dropped off by a budget cab, had an argument with the cab driver, and had been menacingly waving a stick around. We later spotted him leaving the shelter with his bundles and cursing under his breath. I think we might see more of the man, so I'll call him GR. After last week's incident, GR contacted Mike--although I have no idea how he found Mike's number--and Mike learned that he is struggling with a drug addiction (for which he has been trying to get help) and is also heavily addicted to cigarettes. Mike also learned that the man had not been evicted from the shelter last week--he left on his own when he learned he only got two cigarette breaks all night.
Tonight I learned more of his story. He has a rocky past that includes several felonies, although none were in the last fifteen years. He has also served more than five years in prisons in California (he rattled off the names of three or four different California prisons he'd done time in) and Wisconsin. He has had trouble finding housing because of that record (and probably also because of his addiction problems). He expressed an intense dislike of the shelter (I'm not sure why, other than the smoking policy) and said that he wished he were back in prison in California instead of in "this hell hole." Strangely, when he wasn't talking about the shelter or muttering about a government conspiracy, he seemed to be a very likable fellow. (I realize that will sound odd given my previous description of the man, it was the case.) Now that he was closer and much calmer, I saw that the stick he had been waving about last week was actually a walking cane. After quite a long chat, we gave him some food, juice, and water, and he left us. As he was leaving Mike encouraged him to keep attending drug addiction recovery meetings and to call Mike if he was experiencing intense cravings and needed to call someone.
Mike then spotted a young couple walking down the sidewalk toward us. They were still a hundred yards away or so but Mike recognized them (it's interesting how many people you can identify by their gait and silhouette after you've been out several nights!) and encouraged Jackie to talk with the woman. Mike had helped the woman before and thought she would be less afraid talking to another woman. I call her a woman, but we aren't sure she is an adult--she looks like she is only 16 or so, although she said she was 19. (You must be 18 or older to stay at the shelter so we suspect some younger people lie about their age to get in.) In any event, this young couple told us they were kicked out the shelter last week and were not allowed back in until tonight. However, when they talked to the shelter worker, they were told that they were not allowed back in until tomorrow night, and this made them quite upset. (We found out later that the couple thought tonight was the 22nd, so shelter worker was correct about the timing.) Jackie talked with the woman while Mike A., Jens, and I tried to find the right size of winter clothing for the man. I don't know what Jackie and the woman discussed, but Jackie must have helped her because the conversation ended with the woman giving Jackie a big hug. The couple eventually phoned a friend and talked that person into putting them up for the night.
A van pulled up with a familiar older couple. I've seen them for a year and a half--sometimes they live in a shelter, sometimes in their van, and, they told Mike once, they used to sleep in a storage unit they rented. Although their van is quite large, it is so packed with belongings that it looks like there isn't enough room in the back for a person. I think they sleep in the front seats. They, too, were not permitted to stay in the shelter, and the woman said they now are banned for life. (I have no idea if this is true or not.) We gave them some food and water and a pair of gloves.
We then had quite a few visitors at once. I helped a very quiet woman who asked for socks. She told me that yesterday she looked at her feet as she left the shower in the shelter last night and they were blue from cold and were very sore. I gave her the warmest pair I could find.
At around 7pm the shelter doors opened and began letting people in, and we were left by ourselves. I counted 25 people waiting outside, but some might already have been let in when I started my count. Mike told me that we gave out 28 bags, and that a few people didn't take one, so he estimated that we helped 32 people tonight. In addition to the bags we handed out hats, coats, hooded sweatshirts, a warm vest, socks, at least one pair of boots, and many gloves.
We decided to call it a night and Jens, Mike A., and Jackie left. Mike and I were getting ready to leave when another man stopped by and chatted with Mike. I didn't know whether to offer to help him or not--I wasn't sure if he was homeless or a someone who was dropping off supplies for the Street Ministry!--but then Mike gestured for me to get him a bag. The man told Mike about a job that didn't work out and then headed over to the shelter. Mike then informed me that the man was quite educated but had trouble staying employed. Mike wasn't positive but had reason to suspect that the man has a serious alcohol problem that has cost him many jobs.
Finally I headed home to type this up and to warm up with warm mug of hot cocoa, and Mike headed to a thrift store to give JF a ride to the shelter. I think we had a successful night making a few lives a little better.
Please pray for, and care for, the poor.
George
Street Journal 11/18/2014 - Karen
The temperature remained around 15 degrees during out time out this evening, about 25 people were served. The evenings are quite still until about 6:30pm when our friends leave whatever warm and safe space they'd been in to dash to the Sojourner House and wait for a bed. Without proper gear, simply standing about is a very uncomfortable and cold prospect, and many of the people are not outfitted for the weather. We provided gloves, hats and socks but still need larger sized coats. Some requests for boots were filled, the recipients were very grateful. Please keep the homeless in your prayers.
Karen
Needs List:
We need 2XL and larger winter coats and hooded sweatshirts, bus tokens, gas cards for the van (we always need gas cards), ski-type gloves, and warm winter hats. Used items should be clean and in good condition.
We also need volunteers for Friday the 28th of November. Right now I may be the only one working that Night. If your in town and would like to help out please e.mail us at the street ministry. [email protected]
Thanks for your support,
Mike, George, Jens, Mike A., Jackie and Pastor Libby