On a Rainy Night in Boston

On a rainy night in Boston, while most people are anticipating better weather and better times ahead, the homeless are struggling.  Most of the city is changing out of wet clothes, putting away their umbrella, and preparing a warm meal.  The homeless are looking for shelter, dry clothes, and food. Any food...

These are the some of the things that happen during a rainy night in Boston when you're homeless:

One of our friends recently was attacked and broke her shoulder.  While most people recuperate in the comforts of home, she is in a tent in the rubble of a broken down building.  Most people would stay dry and rest up from this injury.  Instead, she will get up the next morning, walk a mile to McDonald's, and stretch her $5 gift card we gave her as far as she can for breakfast.  Then, she will panhandle and hustle for as much money as possible, so she can afford yet again ANOTHER meal at McDonald's.  All of this while carrying most of her rain soaked belongings on her back.

Several of our friends refuse to go into the nearby shelters no matter the weather.  Whether it is PTSD from the chaos of shelter life or the fear of being robbed, staying in the cold rain is better than one night in a shelter.  To prepare for the rain, they wrapped their feet up in plastic bags.  Then, they put their new socks on over the bags, then their waterlogged shoes.  They hope this will keep their feet dry for the next 24 hours as the rain continues.

Another one of our friends was "lucky".  She contacted us needing a blanket and some clothes.  Fortunately, we had these items.  Now comes the hard part.  How do you get dry clothes on when your staying outside in the rain?  How do you get warm when rain soaked and cold to the bone?

As the rain continued, a homeless couple searched for each other.  Carrying multiple bags of drenched clothing, they trudged through the puddles, checking their   "usual" spots.  As the panic set in that they didn't even have each other, we helped these ships in the night meet up and giggle like schoolkids.  Their reward: sleeping on the floor of a shelter across town.  By 6 AM, they were back in the rain, heading back to their regular spots with only more rain to look forward to.

Imagine wearing three backpacks under a poncho while trying to get a meal at McDonald's?  How about debating whether its better to risk losing your valuables so you can stay inside until 6 AM the next day?  Consider these choices: protein or a drink?  These are just a small fraction of what happens on a rainy night in Boston when you're homeless.  So while it may seem that winter is a harsher time to be homeless, there is NO GOOD time to be homeless.

Hidden Homelessness

We all think we know the signs of homeless; scruffy man on a corner, dirty clothing, unkempt,  begging for change.  But that's just a stereotype - the homeless are all around.  And the signs aren't so obvious.

Would you guess he was homeless?

We were in Copley Plaza the other day, grabbing some lunch after a visit to the dentist. While enjoying the cool early November weather, along walks one of our buddies "MJ", a regular along Boston's "Methadone Mile".  MJ is a young man who we instantly connected with almost a year ago.  As we talked to MJ about how he had been, I looked around Copley - and noticed no one looking at us funny.

You would think seeing a couple people hanging out with a homeless man along an affluent street in Boston would raise some eyebrows.  But then I looked at MJ and confirmed my suspicions; MJ does not "look" homeless.

MJ looks like everyone else.  His clothes that day were clean (at least to anyone looking at them).  He had a nice coat on, his hat covered is hair desperate for shampoo, and his unkempt beard resembled that of a college hipster.  His backpack didn't stand out; several others had similar backpacks.  To the many walking by Copley, he just bumped into a couple of friends.

You might think this was the exception; but it's not.  It's the rule.  We saw another friend of ours that day; "Cuba".  It was only for a second, he didn't even notice us.  But, he looked like the others at Copley that day.  

The Hidden Homeless are the ones people don't see.  They see the panhandlers near Boston Medical Center or at Copley Plaza.  But they don't see the ones who look like "us" with homes.  They look, smell, and dress like "us".  Make no mistake, other than living in a shelter, behind a church, or along Melnea Cass Boulevard, they are just like "us".

When you think about it, why wouldn't a homeless person be anything less than one of "us"? They are us...

Video Montage of Project Do Something Boston

Some images of Project Do Something Boston and the people we meet...Many thanks to Danapel de Veer for putting this together!

Saturday Night - Always on Watch

Project Do Something Boston is more than just homeless outreach.  It is a way of life where you never just "clock in" and "clock out".  We are helping "OUR community" here in Boston.  We live four blocks from where we give out our donated items and food.  We see many of the people we help on a daily basis just while commuting to and from our apartment.  Although we plan on handing out items on Tuesday and Thursday, there are times where our help is sorely needed.

The other night was no exception.  After a long day of picking up and sorting donations, we decided to get something to eat from the Olive Garden.  As we are pulling out, we notice one of the regulars, Mike, limping along, cup in hand.  Noticing the limp, we pull over to see what is going on.

We could have just gone home - it was Saturday night and we had been on the road since 9 AM.  We could have just told him to see us on Tuesday.  But, that just isn't what Project Do Something Boston is all about.  In the 15 - 20 minutes it took us to stop and talk to Mike, we not only helped him out, but helped his friend Brooke out as well.

Mike tells us how he hurt his leg, but hadn't gone down to Boston Medical to get checked out.  But, instead worrying about his leg, he wanted to talk to us about Brooke.  Another regular, Brooke recently checked into a program to get clean.  Mike tells us how she doesn't have any clothing.  She knows about our efforts on Tuesday and Thursday, but can only leave her program in the morning to go to the clinic.  With some recently donated items, we arrange to have him take a small bag of clothing to her after our next visit to Mass Ave next week.

Mike was excited about the chance to help his friend, although seeing Brooke get into a program caused him to question his own struggle with addition..  He talked about his family and trying to re-established diminished connections with family.  Instead of talking about his limp and needing medical attention, what really ailed Mike was the chance to speak to someone about his friend's new program and his own life.

At the end of our conversation, we offered to take him to the hospital.  For whatever reason, Mike didn't want a ride.  He was happy with what he had - enough money from pan-handling, some food from our stop, some extra socks and underwear to change into.  He was happy to help Brooke out as she took a step forward towards recovery from addiction.

And for us, we were just happy to lend a hand to another one of our friends.  Even if it was on a Saturday night.

The Documentary

Thanks to our friends at Brand Fearless, Project Do Something Boston has a mini-documentary!  If you want to get an idea of what Project Do Something Boston does, check out the YouTube Video below.

Project Do Something Boston is now on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Check us out!

Why Help the Homeless?

There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help.~ Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky

Society likes to rally around catch phrases.  Mottoes as "Cure" cancer, "Strike Out" ALS, or "End" poverty are regular jargon in American society.  But when it comes to homelessness, there are no catchy slogans.   Most people understand that October is "Breast Cancer Awareness" month.  Few realize that November is "National Homeless Youth Awareness" month.  Most states offer their citizens licence plates which proclaim slogans like "cure cancer" or "save the environment".  But most states (if any) do not offer an "end homelessness" plate.  

Sadly, much of America has become immune to the homeless population.  As Paul Toro, a psychology professor at Wayne State University observed, most people are concerned about the homeless.  However, when confronted by a homeless person panhandling for change, it becomes too "ugly".

When confronted with a homeless person on the street, many people look at the person as having some sort of personal failing.  Granted, it is not uncommon for a homeless person to suffer from a drug and alcohol addiction.  But these illnesses often times are not the root cause to chronic homelessness.  More often than not, more deep-rooted issues, such as domestic violence, broken homes, mental health, and unemployment began the spiral leading to sleeping on a park bench.

No matter the circumstance, doesn't a human being deserve some amount of kindness and compassion?  We often talk of being a "forgiving" nation, so why not forgive and lift up someone with a Master's Degree from Boston University who lost is way through alcoholism? 

But giving change to a beggar on the street may not be the best way to help.  All too often, that money goes right down the bottle or in the needle.  Instead, offering "survival items" such as food and clothing can provide more aid than any financial donation. 

Even more important than the items themselves is the personal relationship that develops.  Sometimes all these folks want is someone to talk to.  Just a person willing to listen to their opinions for just a minute.  This is something all of us can do.