1
I met a woman at the shelter named Lisa. I had been staying only a week, maybe, and she started talking to me. We had an instant connection, talked about all kinds of things. Environment, politics, religion, the homeless, too. She was openly gay; I am neither gay nor straight. Having survived an emotionally abusive marriage, I have renounced all sexual entanglements.
Lisa was mentally unstable. Bipolar, taking a wide variety of drugs, and recently relapsed back to drinking. I can’t imagine her doctor approving of her combination of drugs and alcohol. I just don’t know. Talking to Lisa helped me adjust to life at the shelter. When it started getting colder, she gave me a coat, and, knowing I was low on cash, she would give me a few dollars from time to time.
She wasn’t a regular, at the shelter every night. She’d been living in Denver for fifteen years and had a variety of friends, both gay and straight, and she could crash at their places occasionally. Toward the end of my three-week stay, she expressed an interest in coming with me to Idaho Springs for the winter. I was somewhat apprehensive, knowing how unstable she could be. I was unwilling to be her caregiver or enable her addictions. I told her I would be traveling the first day alone. Moving is so stressful without any other distractions. She seemed okay with this. I never saw her again. We spoke on the phone, and she promised to be there on my last night to say, “Good luck, I’ll see you soon.”
Well, four nights went by without Lisa, and on my final night, I called her to tell her that, obviously, we would not be continuing our new friendship. Still, knowing Lisa opened my eyes to her world. Dependent on others, unable to make it on her own, unwilling to face her need for hospitalization. So I imagine it must be for others also.
2
Two other issues bothered me greatly. One was the women with dogs. There were five women with dogs, only one of which was medically needed. They all treated their dogs well, except one young lady who had a fifty-month-old puppy. I know she had a drug problem because each morning at 5:00 am she’d be out the gate to the people who spent the night on the sidewalk. She would then tie the puppy by a short leash to the fence, with no blanket to protect its feet from the cold sidewalk, while she partook of her drug of choice.
I inquired and learned that these dogs rarely, if ever, received vet care. Most of the women obviously loved their pets, and these dogs were well-fed and warm. Doggy coats and beds on the sidewalk to keep them warm. Still, all I wanted was to take them all to a shelter, where they would hopefully end up in a better situation.
The other issue was the pregnant women. Where do they go after the baby is born? Are they then eligible for housing, is this maybe why they got pregnant? I know that, in Connecticut, many women would have many kids to remain on welfare, not having to work while the kids were little. How many I used to see abusing fancy cars, while I had none!
So what kind of life will this baby have? Will the mother be able to maintain a clean a safe home? Will she return to drugs and abuse? Ah, I lie awake sometimes wondering about the fates of these babies, and why birth control is not more noticeably posted everywhere.
3
I met a young girl at the shelter; she was 20. She was so bouncy, always listening to music and dancing. It made me jealous, her youth. I can barely walk. Well, she had stolen money from her mom, $500. Her mom turned her into the police. Her step-dad wanted to drop the charges, but her mom said no. She spent two to four weeks in jail and then came to the shelter to wait until her mom thought she’d learned a lesson. So, she wasn’t to become a long-term guest.
A few women who were there for the first time would sit at the dinner table and cry. I didn’t intrude, but I imagine they were crying because they were scared of what might be in their future. I would see one woman who spent nights in the shelter on the 16th Street Mall holding a cardboard sign – HUNGRY, HOMELESS, PLEASE HELP – and then using whatever money she got to buy her drug of choice. I saw her do this with my own eyes – she may have been homeless, but she wasn’t going hungry.
At the shelter, we got fed breakfast and dinner everyday. In discussing the homeless with someone, I concluded that those who chose to stay on the sidewalks really wanted no rules imposed on them. The ones who came in didn’t mind what few rules there were and preferred to stay safe and warm. Also, a toilet was just a short walk away. Where did the women and men on the sidewalks defecate? I don’t know, maybe at St. Francis? That place wasn’t far, except if you had to go NOW. What then? On 16th Street there was a public toilet at Arapahoe Park. I used the toilets at Union Station, they being VERY clean. I would remain there for a while to charge my phone and write letters to my mother and read a newspaper I had found. Sometimes I would fall asleep, but generally security left me alone as I did not appear to be homeless, only waiting for a train, maybe.
4
We here in Idaho Springs have our share of homeless people, only they generally take to the mountains, erect a tarp, build a fire, cook some food. Yes, it must get pretty cold up there at night, and there are few public bathrooms to wash up in. I belong to the Senior Center here now, and these next few words are taken from their monthly publication:
"We live in a thought police state like our nemesis Mother Russia. A woman abused can be evicted because of the abuse. $631 billion for the war machine. DISPARITY. $2.1 billion for the homeless. 33% of cities make it illegal to stand around or loiter anyplace in the city. 53% make it illegal to sit or lie down in particular public places."
I once witnessed a Vietnam vet making a stand against the security on 16th Street Mall for not allowing him to sit and rest on the side of a planter. I spoke to another young man who had been arrested a few times for loitering. He spent a couple nights in jail. Finally, a judge dismissed the charges and told him to “go away.” So, this is how some of Denver’s citizens’ tax dollars are being spent. Such a waste. Except for the young man, who got some free food and a warm place to sleep for a couple nights. Not all of the homeless beg for money. Where does their money come from? Good question, but I don’t have the answer.
I met a woman at the shelter named Lisa. I had been staying only a week, maybe, and she started talking to me. We had an instant connection, talked about all kinds of things. Environment, politics, religion, the homeless, too. She was openly gay; I am neither gay nor straight. Having survived an emotionally abusive marriage, I have renounced all sexual entanglements.
Lisa was mentally unstable. Bipolar, taking a wide variety of drugs, and recently relapsed back to drinking. I can’t imagine her doctor approving of her combination of drugs and alcohol. I just don’t know. Talking to Lisa helped me adjust to life at the shelter. When it started getting colder, she gave me a coat, and, knowing I was low on cash, she would give me a few dollars from time to time.
She wasn’t a regular, at the shelter every night. She’d been living in Denver for fifteen years and had a variety of friends, both gay and straight, and she could crash at their places occasionally. Toward the end of my three-week stay, she expressed an interest in coming with me to Idaho Springs for the winter. I was somewhat apprehensive, knowing how unstable she could be. I was unwilling to be her caregiver or enable her addictions. I told her I would be traveling the first day alone. Moving is so stressful without any other distractions. She seemed okay with this. I never saw her again. We spoke on the phone, and she promised to be there on my last night to say, “Good luck, I’ll see you soon.”
Well, four nights went by without Lisa, and on my final night, I called her to tell her that, obviously, we would not be continuing our new friendship. Still, knowing Lisa opened my eyes to her world. Dependent on others, unable to make it on her own, unwilling to face her need for hospitalization. So I imagine it must be for others also.
2
Two other issues bothered me greatly. One was the women with dogs. There were five women with dogs, only one of which was medically needed. They all treated their dogs well, except one young lady who had a fifty-month-old puppy. I know she had a drug problem because each morning at 5:00 am she’d be out the gate to the people who spent the night on the sidewalk. She would then tie the puppy by a short leash to the fence, with no blanket to protect its feet from the cold sidewalk, while she partook of her drug of choice.
I inquired and learned that these dogs rarely, if ever, received vet care. Most of the women obviously loved their pets, and these dogs were well-fed and warm. Doggy coats and beds on the sidewalk to keep them warm. Still, all I wanted was to take them all to a shelter, where they would hopefully end up in a better situation.
The other issue was the pregnant women. Where do they go after the baby is born? Are they then eligible for housing, is this maybe why they got pregnant? I know that, in Connecticut, many women would have many kids to remain on welfare, not having to work while the kids were little. How many I used to see abusing fancy cars, while I had none!
So what kind of life will this baby have? Will the mother be able to maintain a clean a safe home? Will she return to drugs and abuse? Ah, I lie awake sometimes wondering about the fates of these babies, and why birth control is not more noticeably posted everywhere.
3
I met a young girl at the shelter; she was 20. She was so bouncy, always listening to music and dancing. It made me jealous, her youth. I can barely walk. Well, she had stolen money from her mom, $500. Her mom turned her into the police. Her step-dad wanted to drop the charges, but her mom said no. She spent two to four weeks in jail and then came to the shelter to wait until her mom thought she’d learned a lesson. So, she wasn’t to become a long-term guest.
A few women who were there for the first time would sit at the dinner table and cry. I didn’t intrude, but I imagine they were crying because they were scared of what might be in their future. I would see one woman who spent nights in the shelter on the 16th Street Mall holding a cardboard sign – HUNGRY, HOMELESS, PLEASE HELP – and then using whatever money she got to buy her drug of choice. I saw her do this with my own eyes – she may have been homeless, but she wasn’t going hungry.
At the shelter, we got fed breakfast and dinner everyday. In discussing the homeless with someone, I concluded that those who chose to stay on the sidewalks really wanted no rules imposed on them. The ones who came in didn’t mind what few rules there were and preferred to stay safe and warm. Also, a toilet was just a short walk away. Where did the women and men on the sidewalks defecate? I don’t know, maybe at St. Francis? That place wasn’t far, except if you had to go NOW. What then? On 16th Street there was a public toilet at Arapahoe Park. I used the toilets at Union Station, they being VERY clean. I would remain there for a while to charge my phone and write letters to my mother and read a newspaper I had found. Sometimes I would fall asleep, but generally security left me alone as I did not appear to be homeless, only waiting for a train, maybe.
4
We here in Idaho Springs have our share of homeless people, only they generally take to the mountains, erect a tarp, build a fire, cook some food. Yes, it must get pretty cold up there at night, and there are few public bathrooms to wash up in. I belong to the Senior Center here now, and these next few words are taken from their monthly publication:
"We live in a thought police state like our nemesis Mother Russia. A woman abused can be evicted because of the abuse. $631 billion for the war machine. DISPARITY. $2.1 billion for the homeless. 33% of cities make it illegal to stand around or loiter anyplace in the city. 53% make it illegal to sit or lie down in particular public places."
I once witnessed a Vietnam vet making a stand against the security on 16th Street Mall for not allowing him to sit and rest on the side of a planter. I spoke to another young man who had been arrested a few times for loitering. He spent a couple nights in jail. Finally, a judge dismissed the charges and told him to “go away.” So, this is how some of Denver’s citizens’ tax dollars are being spent. Such a waste. Except for the young man, who got some free food and a warm place to sleep for a couple nights. Not all of the homeless beg for money. Where does their money come from? Good question, but I don’t have the answer.
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