I arose at 5 a.m. this morning, caught the train to San Francisco, and arrived at Bill Graham auditorium by 8:30 a.m.
Today was the 9th occurrence of Project Homeless Connect. It was my first time volunteering for it.
My task: to walk a section of the city with three other volunteers and try to engage the homeless people we encountered, telling them about the project and encouraging them to go to the auditorium for assistance (hot meal, clothes, medical care, etc.). The weather was gorgeous today. We walked probably six miles — I was out there for four hours.
It’s quite an experience to strike up a conversation with a homeless person. They are nearly invisible in our culture. We usually walk right by, only grazing them with a glance.
First there’s the issue of how to determine who is homeless. Some people walking the streets in ratty clothing are not bereft of a residence, and you want not to insult anyone. There is also the issue of how to approach a person. You never want to rouse a sleeping person. One reason is to avoid startling them and perhaps receiving an injury. Another reason (I think) is that when one is homeless, the last boundary that person has is the ability to close one’s eyes. To not wake a sleeping person is a way of respecting that person, of allowing them to have a little sanctuary in their exposed condition.
It was a hit and miss experience. We attempted to talk to about two dozen people, and perhaps five or six of those listened and allowed us to give them directions to the center. If I do this project next time, I’ll volunteer to work in the auditorium assisting the other providers.
It was a long day. I arrived home at 7:45. Husband made dinner, and I nearly fell asleep in my plate. And so this post ends here.
When I worked in Santa Monica, I often walked to Palisades Park. In those days (late 80s) there were LOTS of homeless there. A few different people approached me just to chat–and one guy had come in from somewhere in the midwest, he said. If he was going to be homeless, he wanted to do it where it was warm and where the city had a feeding program. I’ve had one very scary incident–while working downtown, I left the law school on 9th St. to mail a letter a few blocks away. I was in a suit and high heels; a guy approached me for money and I said no and he started screaming obscenities at me–and I started running. I slipped into the gates before he got me. The few homeless in Redondo Beach are largely friendly, but seem to be have mental problems. Thanks, Governor Reagan, for shutting down the mental hospitals. One woman I often see hates Cookie because Cookie barks at her. There but for the grace of God—When I’m in S.F. I usually stay near Union Square and there sure are a lot of homeless there. Once I also went through the tent city that was in the big park. Do they still do that?
Kathryn, that is such a huge giving, to go out there to offer help. I feel that even if you had managed to contact no-one at all, the fact that you were walking in the streets with the intention of offering sustenance and assistance , rather than seeing the homeless person as a nuisance, as so many people walking on the street would do, was a contribution worth making.
you are doin good work.
This is a brave thing to do. I appreciate the way you have written about how we walk by a homeless person without seeing them…and the idea of closing the eyes as a person’s last defense. Very powerful and true.
On a sidenote. Thank you for your comment on my blog…I enjoyed looking through your artwork on flickr this evening. Beautiful and inspiring.
It’s interesting to hear about your experiences there… I look forward to hearing about how it goes next time! 🙂