Tuesday, November 25, 2014
I'm writing this on Thanksgiving Day, a time where I hope all of you are with family, warm and content. In the back of my mind are the homeless individuals I've gotten to know over the last couple of months and I wonder what they are doing and where they are today. Mike H. brought concerns up that I hadn't considered: on holidays, most of the city is shut down including many businesses that the homeless routinely go to for various purposes. If those businesses are closed, where do the people go to stay warm, to simply get a drink of water or even to go to the bathroom?
I met a homeless man on Tuesday night and the encounter has since been on my mind frequently. Several weeks ago, I think I had mentioned the importance remembering someone's name had made, the person said he didn't think he mattered. Again this week, I was talking with a different man and asked his name. He didn't respond right away so I asked again, not being sure if he'd heard me. He finally responded that he didn't think he was very memorable and started walking away. Being persistent (or annoying!) I wanted him to tell me his name and if nothing else, test my memory for the next time I see him. He reluctantly told me his name and it is etched in my mind, I'll likely never forget him. Somehow I wish we were able to support him enough that he knew and accepted that he does matter and that he is memorable. He was talking to Mike A. and was saddened that he had not been able to arrange to be with any of his five kids on Thanksgiving.
It didn't seem that we had the volume of people coming to on us on Tuesday as we've had in the past few weeks. One woman had good news that she was going to getting an apartment soon, her move in date is 12/1/2014. She said she had people helping her find items such as furniture but she may return to us to request items such as towels or bedding. I commented that I was happy for her but I would miss her constant smile, every time we encounter her she's smiling and seemingly positive. She said that if she didn't try and keep a positive attitude every day that she would lose hope and never get anywhere in life, and that she tries to share that with other homeless people. This woman lost her husband to illness last spring and subsequently moved to Eau Claire to be with her daughter. That living situation didn't work out at all, this lady has been on the street since about September, I believe. She's been volunteering at Kings Corner at least once a week and enjoys the interaction she has with customers and staff. If she returns with needs for her new home, I'll post them. Stay tuned ...
Thank you to all who have donated items to the street ministry, those in need sincerely appreciate your help and caring. Spread the word and keep the donations coming, unfortunately there seems to be no immediate end to homelessness.
I hope your Thanksgiving day is filled with blessings.
Karen
Karen is a nurse and a student in social work at the University.
Plymouth Street Ministry Journal--Friday, December 5, 2014
My car thermometer read 35 degrees--warm for a December evening--as I pulled into the Barstow Street municipal parking lot across from the homeless shelter. There was no wind, and, after the recent cold spell, it felt quite pleasant. The streetlights had faint halos from a thin fog. It was a little after 5:30pm. Mike, Jens, and Tom were already there gathered around the Street Ministry van, and Pastor David arrived a few minutes later.
We were expecting a slow night. We often have fewer visitors in the first few days of each month. Many shelter homeless folks receive a pay check or SSI check on the first. They will often use part of their checks to rent a cheap motel room, usually together with several others, and enjoy a rare night or two away from the shelter.
I hadn't been there long when our first visitor arrived in his car. He chatted with Mike for a bit before I wandered into the conversation. He was in the shelter the previous night, he said, but he couldn't stand all the noise and commotion and left in the middle of the night. Leaving late at night, he said, earned him a week's suspension from the shelter. (I don't know if that is true or not.) He has a car and warm blankets and will sleep in it for the remainder of the week. He excused himself so that he could walk to the Community Table before it closed. He didn't want to drive--his car's brake lights weren't working and he didn't want to risk a ticket. We offered him, as we did to all our visitors, a bag with a power bar, candy, water, juice, and hand warmers. Tonight the bags also had some dried apple chips and plastic-sealed sausage snack.
Two other men then dropped by. One had asked Mike for a pair of boots earlier, and Mike had found a pair in his size. A third man came by and told us he'd had his wallet stolen a couple of days ago, including his ID, his food assistance card, and whatever cash he had. He had already called in to cancel his food assistance card so that he could get another one, and Mike offered to drive him to get a new ID some time later in the week. He told the story twice, once to Mike and once to me.
The next visitor was familiar to me. The last time I had seen him, quite a few months ago, he was planning to travel to Las Vegas with his girlfriend. He had worked for casinos there in the past. He stopped by to tell Mike that his partner was in a substance abuse rehabilitation program. Mike gave him some encouraging words and said he would stop in to see her early next week. I never found out if they ever made it to Vegas.
After talking with the man I turned around and found CT talking to Pastor David, Tom, and Jens. CT has a new temporary job: carrying an advertising sign in front of the Kmart that is liquidating. He asked for a warmer pair of gloves, and we soon found him a pair. Another man came by and asked for long johns. We didn't have any with us that were his size, but did outfit him with a pair of snow pants.
I then listened to a very soft-spoken man. He told Mike and me about his health problems and an upcoming surgery. He also told us that he has been "off weed" for 40 days. He was participating in more than one support group to help him keep off the drug, and has a list of people he can call if he gets cravings. Mike told him to add his name to the list. Mike asked him what his dreams were, and what it would take for the man to escape homelessness. The man replied that after his surgery is completed he hopes to get a job in the restaurant business--he said he had worked at both fast food and nicer restaurants in the past--and that that would be his best way out.
At a few minutes before 7pm--shelter opening time--JF arrived. He is still working at the thrift store and still hopes his position will be made permanent. JF landed into some minor trouble in the shelter last night. (I think it was last night--in any event it was some recent night). The shelter was full so he didn't get a bed, but did get a chair to spend the night in. He developed a pain in his stomach from the odd position in the chair so he tried lying on the floor. That was too hard and cold so he walked around a little and saw an open bed. He knew the bed was reserved for someone working a late shift, but he thought that it wouldn't hurt if he slept in it until that person arrived. A shelter worker noticed him and gave him a warning that if he did that again, his shelter privileges would be suspended. He then went back to the floor and tried to get back to sleep, only to be roused again and told that he was a fire hazard and had to sleep in the chair. He finally resigned himself to a night of very poor sleep.
I counted around 20 people waiting when the shelter doors opened. Our visitors were almost all men tonight--usually around a third of our visitor are women. I think we served around 25 people total, more than were lined up at the shelter. (Many of those we helped were sleeping in cars or had made other arrangements for the night.) We distributed many bags of food, several pairs of gloves and boots, and a few other articles of winter clothing. Not such a slow night after all. A little after 7 we called it quits for the night. It had actually warmed up a bit--my car thermometer read 38 degrees on the way home.
Please pray for, and care for, the poor.
George
Pictured are Kari and Julie from the Renal Dialysis program of the nursing school at CVTC. Kari and Julie are preparing to load up presents from money they and their classmates raised through the Renal club at the school. The presents will be taken
to families at Christmas time that the Plymouth Street Ministry Shepherd. The Dental school students also chipped in Dental supplies. Thank-you to all the students for their hard work, generosity and compassion.
This morning I gave a ride to one of our homeless friends to a grocery store and he purchased three smoked hams with his food shares to be served at the shelter around Christmas time. He spent around $60 and then I dropped him by the shelter to put them in the refrigerator. I felt humbled by this jester.
Needs list for the street ministry:
The Plymouth Street Van will soon have to undergo repairs
to the front end ball joints. The estimates that we have received are in the range of around $350.00. Anyone who would like to help out may send a check to
Plymouth United Church of Christ
2010 Moholt Dr.,
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703
c/o The Plymouth Street Ministry
We are again at this time providing food for people sleeping in their vehicles. We are requesting gift cards for Subway, MacD, Burger King and Pizza establishments. We are also running low on water. So when you see it on sale we would appreciate it if you can pick us up some.
In our next journal we would like to mention some of the folks that have volunteered or stop by to visit over the last month.
We want to thank all of you for your support and feel free to join us on the street.
Mike, Karen, George, Kari and Julie
The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied...but written off as trash. The twentieth-century consumer economy has produced the first culture for which a beggar is a reminder of nothing. ~John Berger
Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit. ~Eli Khamarov, Lives of the Cognoscenti
I'm writing this on Thanksgiving Day, a time where I hope all of you are with family, warm and content. In the back of my mind are the homeless individuals I've gotten to know over the last couple of months and I wonder what they are doing and where they are today. Mike H. brought concerns up that I hadn't considered: on holidays, most of the city is shut down including many businesses that the homeless routinely go to for various purposes. If those businesses are closed, where do the people go to stay warm, to simply get a drink of water or even to go to the bathroom?
I met a homeless man on Tuesday night and the encounter has since been on my mind frequently. Several weeks ago, I think I had mentioned the importance remembering someone's name had made, the person said he didn't think he mattered. Again this week, I was talking with a different man and asked his name. He didn't respond right away so I asked again, not being sure if he'd heard me. He finally responded that he didn't think he was very memorable and started walking away. Being persistent (or annoying!) I wanted him to tell me his name and if nothing else, test my memory for the next time I see him. He reluctantly told me his name and it is etched in my mind, I'll likely never forget him. Somehow I wish we were able to support him enough that he knew and accepted that he does matter and that he is memorable. He was talking to Mike A. and was saddened that he had not been able to arrange to be with any of his five kids on Thanksgiving.
It didn't seem that we had the volume of people coming to on us on Tuesday as we've had in the past few weeks. One woman had good news that she was going to getting an apartment soon, her move in date is 12/1/2014. She said she had people helping her find items such as furniture but she may return to us to request items such as towels or bedding. I commented that I was happy for her but I would miss her constant smile, every time we encounter her she's smiling and seemingly positive. She said that if she didn't try and keep a positive attitude every day that she would lose hope and never get anywhere in life, and that she tries to share that with other homeless people. This woman lost her husband to illness last spring and subsequently moved to Eau Claire to be with her daughter. That living situation didn't work out at all, this lady has been on the street since about September, I believe. She's been volunteering at Kings Corner at least once a week and enjoys the interaction she has with customers and staff. If she returns with needs for her new home, I'll post them. Stay tuned ...
Thank you to all who have donated items to the street ministry, those in need sincerely appreciate your help and caring. Spread the word and keep the donations coming, unfortunately there seems to be no immediate end to homelessness.
I hope your Thanksgiving day is filled with blessings.
Karen
Karen is a nurse and a student in social work at the University.
Plymouth Street Ministry Journal--Friday, December 5, 2014
My car thermometer read 35 degrees--warm for a December evening--as I pulled into the Barstow Street municipal parking lot across from the homeless shelter. There was no wind, and, after the recent cold spell, it felt quite pleasant. The streetlights had faint halos from a thin fog. It was a little after 5:30pm. Mike, Jens, and Tom were already there gathered around the Street Ministry van, and Pastor David arrived a few minutes later.
We were expecting a slow night. We often have fewer visitors in the first few days of each month. Many shelter homeless folks receive a pay check or SSI check on the first. They will often use part of their checks to rent a cheap motel room, usually together with several others, and enjoy a rare night or two away from the shelter.
I hadn't been there long when our first visitor arrived in his car. He chatted with Mike for a bit before I wandered into the conversation. He was in the shelter the previous night, he said, but he couldn't stand all the noise and commotion and left in the middle of the night. Leaving late at night, he said, earned him a week's suspension from the shelter. (I don't know if that is true or not.) He has a car and warm blankets and will sleep in it for the remainder of the week. He excused himself so that he could walk to the Community Table before it closed. He didn't want to drive--his car's brake lights weren't working and he didn't want to risk a ticket. We offered him, as we did to all our visitors, a bag with a power bar, candy, water, juice, and hand warmers. Tonight the bags also had some dried apple chips and plastic-sealed sausage snack.
Two other men then dropped by. One had asked Mike for a pair of boots earlier, and Mike had found a pair in his size. A third man came by and told us he'd had his wallet stolen a couple of days ago, including his ID, his food assistance card, and whatever cash he had. He had already called in to cancel his food assistance card so that he could get another one, and Mike offered to drive him to get a new ID some time later in the week. He told the story twice, once to Mike and once to me.
The next visitor was familiar to me. The last time I had seen him, quite a few months ago, he was planning to travel to Las Vegas with his girlfriend. He had worked for casinos there in the past. He stopped by to tell Mike that his partner was in a substance abuse rehabilitation program. Mike gave him some encouraging words and said he would stop in to see her early next week. I never found out if they ever made it to Vegas.
After talking with the man I turned around and found CT talking to Pastor David, Tom, and Jens. CT has a new temporary job: carrying an advertising sign in front of the Kmart that is liquidating. He asked for a warmer pair of gloves, and we soon found him a pair. Another man came by and asked for long johns. We didn't have any with us that were his size, but did outfit him with a pair of snow pants.
I then listened to a very soft-spoken man. He told Mike and me about his health problems and an upcoming surgery. He also told us that he has been "off weed" for 40 days. He was participating in more than one support group to help him keep off the drug, and has a list of people he can call if he gets cravings. Mike told him to add his name to the list. Mike asked him what his dreams were, and what it would take for the man to escape homelessness. The man replied that after his surgery is completed he hopes to get a job in the restaurant business--he said he had worked at both fast food and nicer restaurants in the past--and that that would be his best way out.
At a few minutes before 7pm--shelter opening time--JF arrived. He is still working at the thrift store and still hopes his position will be made permanent. JF landed into some minor trouble in the shelter last night. (I think it was last night--in any event it was some recent night). The shelter was full so he didn't get a bed, but did get a chair to spend the night in. He developed a pain in his stomach from the odd position in the chair so he tried lying on the floor. That was too hard and cold so he walked around a little and saw an open bed. He knew the bed was reserved for someone working a late shift, but he thought that it wouldn't hurt if he slept in it until that person arrived. A shelter worker noticed him and gave him a warning that if he did that again, his shelter privileges would be suspended. He then went back to the floor and tried to get back to sleep, only to be roused again and told that he was a fire hazard and had to sleep in the chair. He finally resigned himself to a night of very poor sleep.
I counted around 20 people waiting when the shelter doors opened. Our visitors were almost all men tonight--usually around a third of our visitor are women. I think we served around 25 people total, more than were lined up at the shelter. (Many of those we helped were sleeping in cars or had made other arrangements for the night.) We distributed many bags of food, several pairs of gloves and boots, and a few other articles of winter clothing. Not such a slow night after all. A little after 7 we called it quits for the night. It had actually warmed up a bit--my car thermometer read 38 degrees on the way home.
Please pray for, and care for, the poor.
George
Pictured are Kari and Julie from the Renal Dialysis program of the nursing school at CVTC. Kari and Julie are preparing to load up presents from money they and their classmates raised through the Renal club at the school. The presents will be taken
to families at Christmas time that the Plymouth Street Ministry Shepherd. The Dental school students also chipped in Dental supplies. Thank-you to all the students for their hard work, generosity and compassion.
This morning I gave a ride to one of our homeless friends to a grocery store and he purchased three smoked hams with his food shares to be served at the shelter around Christmas time. He spent around $60 and then I dropped him by the shelter to put them in the refrigerator. I felt humbled by this jester.
Needs list for the street ministry:
The Plymouth Street Van will soon have to undergo repairs
to the front end ball joints. The estimates that we have received are in the range of around $350.00. Anyone who would like to help out may send a check to
Plymouth United Church of Christ
2010 Moholt Dr.,
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703
c/o The Plymouth Street Ministry
We are again at this time providing food for people sleeping in their vehicles. We are requesting gift cards for Subway, MacD, Burger King and Pizza establishments. We are also running low on water. So when you see it on sale we would appreciate it if you can pick us up some.
In our next journal we would like to mention some of the folks that have volunteered or stop by to visit over the last month.
We want to thank all of you for your support and feel free to join us on the street.
Mike, Karen, George, Kari and Julie
The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied...but written off as trash. The twentieth-century consumer economy has produced the first culture for which a beggar is a reminder of nothing. ~John Berger
Poverty is like punishment for a crime you didn't commit. ~Eli Khamarov, Lives of the Cognoscenti