Back from a trip to Portland, OR, it's just as I expected. The almost invisible faces of those who have been left behind are still here. There is an unease in me: things just never change. Homelessness here, or in Portland, Oregon, or Miami, Florida, will not go away, at least not any time soon.
The way it is for homeless women.
In Rhode Island, the number of individual homeless women has grown by 65% since 1998. The number of single women – among society’s most vulnerable population – has spiked in recent years. Many nights pass without enough shelter beds to go around for these women.
The way it is when you are homeless.
It s always packed at the end of the month. The money is mostly gone and folks are hungry. I've noticed many of the regulars have begun to trust me, often ask me to take another photo so they can give it to a friend or relative. I did one yesterday for Servio on his bike. He is going to give it to his grandson. Many of my subjects are not just faces. I know many names now, and some fragments of the stories that go with the faces.
Andy approached me in the hall. His pants were falling down. He asked me for scissors so he could make another button hole in his waist band. I did not have any but told him I would put out a request for 32 waist Bermuda shorts. It's sad, simple things like scissors, or shorts that fit, and/or a thousand other little things are not easy when you live in a shelter. This is the way it is.
Servio is sending this one to this granddson.
Andy needs size 32 waist shirts.
Midnight Moments, the way it was on Saturday morning...
You could say Ralph and Rose are married, but not to each other. Instead, they are married to the idea that it is worth it to help those who have been left behind.
They cruise the grittier streets of Providence every Wednesday evening and every Saturday morning with a station wagon crammed with food and white socks. A sign on the side of the car says, “Prayer and more.” More for sure. I think Ralph said. they have been doing this for many years now. They look for people who are alone, who are wandering the streets. The look in abandoned houses, or under overpasses, or behind dumpsters. They seek out the people who are pretty invisible to most of us.
They call themselves “Midnight Moments”. (His email is mmouthreach@yahoo.com).They make roast beef, meatball and P & J sandwiches in they own kitchens. They cook up a hearty beef stew when it is cold. They buy socks and bananas with their own money. They sometimes get donations from supermarkets and bakeries. They stop whenever they see someone that looks like they are in need, and they ask, “Are you hungry?” or “Would you like a sandwich? or “Do you need a pair of socks?” This is how Ralph and Rose make a difference. They reach out.
For me, going out with Ralph and Rose was, you could say, and “eye-opening experience”. Riding with these two gentle souls was really much than that. The couple of hours I spent with them were truly amazing. They are an inspiration. No one asked them to do this. They just saw the need and did it. They have been helping the homeless in their spare time, mostly with their own money for years.
Ralph told me what he is really hoping for is “duplication”, meaning, he hopes others might duplicate what they are doing. Writing a check once in a while is fine but what he hopes is that you might keep food or socks or blankets in your car and when you see a homeless person you pull over a pull over and ask, “Hey, do you need a blanket, or maybe a pair of socks?” He is hoping you will reach out. Not just once, but whenever you see someone in need. He hopes lots of folks duplicate what he and Rose are doing.
I recorded in pictures a tiny bit of Midnight Moments.I was quite moved.
Take a look here: Maybe you can buy some white socks for someone who could really use them...
Ralph Davis and Rose Preston of Midnight Moments.
The Wa It Was On The High Line
Kathy and I took a walk on the High Line and Times Square in preparation for the High Line NYC Photo Safari coming up soon. Visual overload in the Big Apple! Absolutely superb venue. Here are some shots along the way, presented as a slide show. Put on your walking shoes and get a good night's sleep the night before.
The way they were at the Sunday Friendship Breakfast
Last Sunday morning was a beautiful day in Providence. We distibuted more toiletry kits, about sixty of them, thanks to Andrea Smith and John Eastman and other good folks who donated the items. As I have mentioned before, recipients are always eager to get these little bags of personal grooming products, and very appreciative. Below is a little slide show of portraits of mens and women who received your gifts last week:
"Almost Invisible", a new video portrait of the Sunday Friendship Breakfast.
These are the folks who receive and greatly appreciate your donations. They thank you.
Forty happy people, the way it was yesterday morning
Melvin and Christina are happy because they each are holding a toiletry kit with tooth brush, tooth paste, a razor, shave cream, shampoo, and bar of soap. Happy, too, were about 40 other folks who received these kits. However, there were about 100 other people who did not get a kit because that's all we had.
If you have any toiletries in travel sizes, please drop them off at Bagelz in Wakefield in the big black box by the door. Kathy and I thank you, and so do the folks who will receive your donation next Sunday morning at the Mathewson Street Friendship Breakfast.
Some people have all the luck, that’s just the way it is.
And then some people don’t. In fact they have just the opposite, more than their share of bad luck. Homelessness can happen to anyone if their luck runs out as it did for Mindy. Go to the link below:
Louis speaks for the homeless, the way it is.
Take nine minutes out of your busy day to hear Luis’ story, then share it so others might better appreciate that homelessness can happen to anyone. Working as a chef for many years, Luis suddenly found he could not continue cooking because of a physical disability. He now is a member of the RI Coalition For The Homeless Speakers Bureau, a group of men and women who share their stories, hoping to raise awareness and make things better in our community.
Here’s the link:
Alone is the way it often is on Sunday.
Some of the folks at the Sunday Friendship Breakfast are so alone even while they are in the company of many others. It's not easy being out on the street and homeless.
The weather outside’s not frightful any more…!
The seasons haves turned, and with warm clothing is no longer a priority. Now it is time to collect toiletries in travel sizes. These are always needed and always much appreciated. Kathy and I made up a few packets from those donated by George Salter and others. One of the first to receive one of these “kits” was this woman we found sitting at the entrance to the parking lot. I offered her one of the packets which she accepted gladly and thanked me several times. She told me her name was Renee and mentioned she was going to be helping in the kitchen today. I asked if I could take her picture she said” Sure, I don’t mind!” So I did.
The way we were on Palm Sunday
It was busy at the Sunday Friendship Breakfast yesterday. All of the clothes we brought, all of the toiletries, all gone in minutes. The need is there, for sure.
The room is always filled on last Sunday of the month. People are hungry. Pastor Jack was at his best, sporting his Spring tie and offering hope. The volunteers worked frantically to feed everyone. And there were new faces. Click to enlarge.
Operation Stand Down RI was the way out of homelessness
Operation Stand Down RI’s mission is to help homeless and at-risk veterans secure stable housing as well as other assistance according to individual needs including case management, basic human needs, referrals, and education and employment services.
Standout came through for Robert and Jessica and kids. You can hear about their long struggle to find decent housing for their family here.
Gifts from a nice angel in Narragansett, Rhode Island
Another angle landed on a little girl’s shoulder last night, thanks to Terrie Mancoll. I dropped off clothing and toiletries that Terrie had generously gathered for both mother and daughter. These many gifts out of the blue brought bright shining eyes and many thanks. The smiles on this child’s face reminded me of my own daughter’s smiles on Christmas’ mornings long past.
The Way it is for Vernon
Vernon and I have been in contact off and on over the last 6 months. I met him at the Sunday Friendship Breakfasts and we seemed to immediately hit it off. He is a good man, trying hard to make a come back from a checkered past. I admire him for his determination to get back on his feet. Vern has started a handyman business called “Humble Beginnings”. At the moment he is living at Crossroads. The winter has been both bad for his new business but at the same time the heavy snow falls have provided opportunities for work, shoveling off roofs and removing icicles. We are collaborating on a web page that will hopefully will generate some business. I’m rooting for him to make it. You can hear Vernon tell it like it is here:
Barbara, not quite homeless now.
I attended the RI Coalition for the Homeless “speakers bureau” on Friday. Barbara and other homeless and previously homeless folks told their stories. Barbara told of the infestations in her house and showed everyone the bite marks up and down her arms. A group of Fulbright Scholars joined our little group and asked many questions of the members including one I often ask myself, “How, in a country of such plenty, can there be so many people living in shelters?”
The way they were at the bus station last night.
Last night, on an Outreach with John and Barbara, we rescued a family. It was a quiet, undramatic rescue, but still, a very real one. It began the night before when John was doing his evening Outreach rounds at Kennedy Plaza. He noticed 26 year old Patricia and her 5 year old daughter Katie (not their real names) sitting in on the bench in the bus station. He discovered they were homeless, with no place to go. Patricia had not sure where they were going to find shelter for the night, or in the future. Somehow John found something for them just for one night.
Barbara and John knew this little family would need a better arrangement so yesterday morning John posted an appeal on Face Book. “Was their anyone out there who could provide temporary room and board for a young mother and her daughter until they could get into permanent housing.“
Right away several offers came in. (That, in itself, is reassuring.) There was a woman in Warwick who sounded like she had a decent place, a finished basement “mother -in-law” apartment where they could stay. After a phone consultation, Barbara and John decided this Angel in Warwick would provide a safe place for these two.
We met up with the Patricia and Katie and waited in the bus terminal while they had their dinner of Pepperoni pizza and soda. Then we were off to this apartment that had materialized, almost as if from heaven. It was quiet in the car on the way down. We all were hoping this would work out. Neither Barbara nor John knew the family who had offered a place in their home. When we pulled up to the nice house in a nice neighborhood we were all greatly relieved. Little Katie ran to the front door. She wanted to ring the bell. John and I took the two small bags of clothing and Katie’s little backpack, apparently all they had. Barbara carried the box with half a pizza. Our Angel came to the door, opened her home to five complete strangers.There were introductions all around and we chatted around the kitchen table. Luckily, this was a safe place for Patricia and, her little girl, at least for now. The last I saw little Katie, she was playing on the floor with a fluffy little dog named Maxie.
Thinking about this whole thing, there are lots of questions rattling around in my head. There were so many other ways this could have gone for these two kids. Luckily there are still some real nice people out there.
No easy to find your way.
Roth came to Providence from Hawaii. He is homeless. At first he found it hard to navigate the system. Listen to him tell it in his way:
An "affirmation" at the Sunday Friendship Breakfast.
This is Stephen. I could tell he was pleased with his picture. At first I was surprised at the smiles and "Thank yous"when the folks I photographed received their pictures. To me it seemed these little color prints I handed out were no big deal. But as Pastor Jack pointed out to me, "No, the pictures are not a small thing to the recipients." He continued, "Taking these is actually an affirmation that your subjects are real people, and worthy of your attention." I never thought about it in quite that way but perhaps he is right. Scroll down to hear Stephen's comments.
You can hear Stephen's take on what it is like to live on the street in the video link below. Please share if you care.