Lunch & Lecture
Today was not my first street Intervention with this 35-year-old homeless man. He smiled and called me by name as I drove up. I had my air conditioning on. He was baking on the street corner on this 115 F+ afternoon. Since I still had a couple lunches left from a donor, I asked, “Would you like a sack lunch, cold water, and a lecture? He laughed, and then immediately grabbed his gear and began walking to meet me in the parking lot. I remembered him from a street clan I had chatted with a few months ago. 3 of his compadres then attended that month’s Hero School. This young man did not, but instead went back to stay with his dad. Today, his 3 friends are working – and occasionally sharing with me what concerts they attend. This young man is not. Worse, he confessed he can’t work since…
Just Stop. Or Turn Pro.
It’s becoming the norm when yet another multimillion-view YouTube video, posted by some homeless helper, takes an ugly turn. I originally viewed this wonderful story of heroism and redemption about 10 months ago. Today, the same video was posted again on social media, but this time with dozens of negative comments. This is when I learned that the woman who “helped” a homeless man by raising gobs of money through “Go Fund Me” had apparently kept most of it. Dang. She said he blew the money on drugs. Only they know the truth. This story reminds me of the saying, “When the blind lead the blind, they both fall in the ditch.” -J.C. More and more of these homeless stories end like this. Mostly because it’s math. A + B = C. Of course the equation for freeing a person from homelessness is also math. I learned the first equation in 3rd…
Catman and Robin
ROBIN I spotted this sweet woman again outside of an Albertsons. The staff told me of this woman over the last couple of years, homeless living somewhere in the desert behind their shopping center, though I had been unable to find her, let alone engage her. Until today. To engage her with the least amount of pressure, I walked over to her with a bus pass that I said I found. Often, those on the street don’t want to receive something from someone who’s not also in their position or tribe, sadly like scared animals sensing a trap. She graciously accepted and I walked back to my car to continue with my tasks. Then I decided to press my luck. I walked back to her and miraculously, she let me sit down with her on the bench and we chatted, me asking questions to help her identify actually needs and…