Homelessness - Part 1

Years ago, for a period of about three weeks, I was homeless. I ran out of money, couldn't pay the rent, so I moved out and lived for while in my car, on a friend's sofa for a few nights, and spent one night on a bench in a local park. I was waiting, hoping for a job at a company where I had been working as an unpaid intern. A job did eventually come but three weeks too late. 

The folks who keep statistics about our national finances say that a large majority of the population lives paycheck to paycheck. They have no savings, nothing set aside for an emergency, and if they lost their jobs, they could very easily end up homeless. As a result, many people work in fear. They can't afford to be fired or laid off, and therefore they are afraid to take risks, uneasy about change, and resentful of management. 

One day, a stout little man who reminded me somewhat of the cartoon character Popeye knocked on my door. He introduced himself as "Gary," and said he had been painting my next door neighbor's basement, and that my neighbor had mentioned I might need some work done at my place. I asked what else he did besides painting, and he replied that he could pressure wash or do yard work. 

The back deck on my house needed pressure washing, so I took him around back and showed him the job. He said he could do it for $50 if I could rent the pressure washer and provide a can of gas. I thought this was a bit odd that he would ask me to provide his tools, so I asked, "How much if you provide those things?" 

"I don't have a car right now," he said. 

I figured that was a temporary situation, so I agreed to rent the pressure washer and fill it with gas, and asked him to come back tomorrow. When I got home the next morning with the washer, he was waiting for me in my driveway. He helped me upload the washer from my van, and he quickly went to work on the deck. He was detailed and thorough and worked through lunch, finishing about two in the afternoon. 

After paying him, he offered to help me load the pressure washer back in my van, and remembering that he didn't have a car, I asked if he wanted a lift somewhere. He eagerly accepted, and together we went to the tool rental store and returned the pressure washer. When we got back in my van, I asked him where he needed to go, and he told me that I could drop him off along a highway about five miles away; however, before doing that he wanted to know if we could drive through McDonald's. 

"I'm hungry," he said, "I haven't eaten today." 

I was surprised that he had been able to work most of the day without any food, and I had no problem swinging through McDonald's on the way. He ordered two small junior hamburgers from the dollar menu, and quickly wolfed them down. 

As we drove along, I decided to ask a few questions. "How did you get to my place this morning?" I asked. 

"I walked" he said.

"From where you want me to drop you off?" I asked disbelievingly. "That's like five or six miles."

"Yeah," he said, "It took a couple of hours."

When we arrived at our destination, he asked me to let him off at a bus stop along the busy four lane highway. 

"You live nearby?" I asked. "I can take you there if you want." 

"No," he said, "You don't want to go there, this is fine." 

I saw Gary again about two weeks later. He showed up at my door one Saturday and asked if I needed anything around the house. I didn't need anything at the time, so I said no, and he turned dejectedly and started walking away. Then, I suddenly wondered if he had walked the five miles to my house just to ask me for work. 

"Did you walk here again?" I called after him.

He turned and looked back at me like he had done something wrong. "Yes," he said sheepishly. 

"Listen," I said, "How about mowing my yard. You can use my mower, and I've got plenty of gas."

"That would be great!" he said with enthusiasm. 

"How much?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied as he looked around on the ground as if the answer was there somewhere. 

"How about $50?" I asked. 

"Sure," he said looking up with a smile, "If that's okay." 

I was really starting to wonder about Gary's situation, so this time after I paid him, I offered him another ride, and this time as we drove along I asked a lot of questions. I learned that he didn't have a phone or car, and did odd jobs for people that were in walking distance from where he was staying. He had lost his job a few months ago, his car had broken down in the middle of an intersection and was towed away by the police who gave him a ticket for blocking traffic. 

"I was living in that car before they took it away," he added. 

"Where are you living now?" I asked. 

"With some friends," he said looking back down at the floorboard. 

Once again, he asked to be dropped off at the bus stop, but this time before I left he asked, "Do you think you might have anymore work for me?"

I thought for a moment, and although no chores immediately came to mind, I went ahead and said, "Yes, how about next Saturday."

"Great," he said getting out of the van. 

As I drove home, I realized the poor guy was going to have to hoof it five miles again next Saturday to my place, and I decided to offer him a ride. I turned around and went back to the bus stop, but he was already gone. I looked around, and saw him disappear into the trees in the distance across a large vacant lot. Still curious about his situation, I parked my van, got out, and followed after him. 

There was a small path through the lot that led to the tree line, and as I entered among the trees, I was startled by what I saw. There were tents scattered around in the woods, with clothes hanging on tree limbs, men and women sitting around at their campsites, and even some small children playing. I saw Gary walking along the path in the distance, so I hurried on after him and eventually caught up.

"Gary!" I called as I ran up behind him out of breath.

He turned around with a look of shock on his face. "What are you doing here?" he asked dumbfounded. 

"I just wanted to offer you a ride next weekend," I said. 

"Oh," he replied, not knowing what else to say. 

"Do you live here like this?" I asked. 

"No," he said. "I don't have a tent." 

"Where do you live then?" I pressed. 

"Come on," he said. "Follow me."