The man on the bench

During the team meeting this morning, we got an exciting announcement. Some beds opened up in our program, and they needed to be assigned. Four single beds in group residences or coops. One shared room. One rooming house. The population served by our program: about 450 people in various states of health.

Each of my team members has at least one client living in a transitional shelter. We recently enrolled a man in his 70's whose permanent address for the past two years has been a bench in Cambridge center. Two days later he was missing, and no one knows how to find him. His bench is empty, which is a shame because today we might have had a bed for him. With so many people vying for the bed, we can't hold it even for a day, hoping he'd reappear.

Statistics tell us that each year, about 650,000 people will be homeless. Most of these, reports indicate, will be homeless for a short period of time. They will get help and get back on their feet. But what happens to the rest? - They become "chronically homeless".

Not many people know what "Chronically Homeless" looks like. They visualize the stereotypical disheveled man, mumbling to himself as he pushes an empty shopping cart down the street. In reality, our clients look like you and me.

In the shelters, you'd have a cot to sleep on. The shelter provides two meals a day. There are showers, and you'd have a locker, like the ones at the gym. Laundry facilities are available.

At 9:30am, staff would tell you to leave. The shelter must be empty during the day to ensure you don't get too comfortable and "homey". Having showered, eaten, and taken any medication you're prescribed, you would have to find a place to be during the day. You can't return to the shelter before 4:30pm, regardless of weather or your personal health. You could spend the day walking around town if the weather is nice. You could also find a program at which to spend your days, which would provide lunch.

When you return to the shelter, you'd have dinner. You can't really be a vegetarian, or lactose intolerant. You can't eat Kosher food, or avoid fats or sugars. The shelter simply can't handle these things or the associated financial burden. You also have to learn to sleep in a room with multiple strangers who snore, scream, or sleepwalk at night. This is why you might opt out of the arrangement, choosing a park bench.