Michael is a street-wise survivor that society passes by and ignores. His home is an alleyway. He pleads for spare change to stay nourished. He is smart and alert. He is homeless, but not helpless. Read how a random encounter with Michael caused one woman to reinforce cognize that all who have met with hard times deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
“You know, ma’am, if you park there, you’re going to get a parking ticket.” I saw a man dressed in worn work clothes in my rearview mirror. I assumed he was a construction worker on the way home from a job site. He was watching me park my car, and I rolled down my window to better hear what he was saying.
“A little closer, you’re almost there,” he said. “OK, stop. That’s perfect, but you know you can only park there until four o’clock or you’ll get a parking ticket. You know how it is; rules are rules.”
I thanked him for saving me from a fine.
Homeless, Not Helpless
The man—I’ll call him Michael—told me that he was from Nova Scotia and was here in Ontario to find work. “My family don’t know where I am and I’m not going to tell them. They’re better off not knowing. But I’m OK, I really am.” At that moment, I realized Michael was homeless and yet I saw dignity and pride in his bearing.
I asked about his health, and Michael proceeded to roll up his shirtsleeve, showing me the lumps that had appeared on his arm. He told me he couldn’t go to the hospital because
someone had stolen his ID and health card. Inside, my heart was breaking for him.
“It doesn’t hurt,” he said in a warm, convincing voice. Concerned, I asked him if he had a safe place he called home. “I sleep in that alleyway, between those houses. I’m OK there. The streetlights don’t bother me at all.”
I couldn’t imagine how he could find comfort without a roof over his head or people to care for him. But as I listened to him speak, I realized Michael knew how to keep himself safe. He was smart and alert—homeless, not helpless.
Silent Prayer
As our conversation drew to a close, Michael asked me for some spare change for a coffee—“It’s not for booze or anything like that.”
“It would be my pleasure, Michael,” I said. “After all, you saved me from a parking ticket; it’s the least I can do.” I gave him all of the change in my purse.
“Can you do me a favour?” I continued. “Can you visit the Salvation Army Booth Centre on York Boulevard and give it a try? If you don’t like it, that’s fine.”
“Yes, I promise,” he replied.
As I crossed the street, I asked Michael to do one more thing for me. “Keep yourself safe, OK?” “I always do,” he answered.
Oddly enough, I was on my way to a lecture on why the poor can’t get ahead in society. The guest speaker was a social-policy analyst who had been specializing in this field for more than 28 years. He was in town to share his views with local poverty advocates and activists.
Listening to the lecture, I thought about Michael, stuck in a bureaucratic limbo that affects homeless people like him. I knew that Michael would keep himself safe wherever he was, and I said a silent prayer for him. But I couldn’t help wondering how, in such an affluent society as ours, we allow the Michaels of this world to call an alleyway home.
A Story Worth Listening To
When I met Michael, I’d been working for The Salvation Army for a week. For the eight years before that, I’d been a volunteer advocate for children living in poverty.
I realized after encountering Michael that any of the children I’d advocated for might have been him. When we as a society ignore or pass by the Michaels on the streets, it’s as if we’re saying they don’t exist.
Yet Michael is someone’s son, brother, friend. Michael is real.
Each and every Michael has a story worth listening to with understanding and empathy. Since meeting him, I treat everyone who walks through our doors with the respect and dignity they deserve.
By Teresa Kaulback
Teresa Kaulback is a residential worker at The Salvation Army Booth Centre,
a homeless shelter for men, in Hamilton, Ont.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Teresa,
I have seen many people in micheals position. Although have met the odd person who would act like that man you met, i sometimes worry. Its not that i worry about what they do with the money, or what they are willing to do for money. I worry that there is no way our, or if people are really willing to find a way out.
A begger was once asked just what they made, the man had been asking people for change by some shops in toronto. the man said “sometimes i can make almost $568 in one day. A slow day is always more than $400!” Im not trying to say that people like this shouldn’t be getting the money, i am only afraid that people may prefer this to working hard all day for less pay.
on top of that, i find that people only offer money as a solution. The way i see it is that they cannot get the employment they seek due to how presentable they are. they dont have resumes, some without any id’s. People are not willing to take the chance of hiring someone like that over the vast amounts of people with better qualifications who may have a cleaner appearance.
It seems to me that the real way to help people who are in this position is to find jobs that can offer employment, people who can help them gain identification, temporary shelter, drug and alcohol help programs, and educational scholarships to help them get the qualification they need.
We need to start finding long term fixs for short term problems. some food, shelter, and blankets helps until the food is gone, the shelter is left, and the blanket is wet.
“Give a man to fish, and he eats for a day.
Teach a man to fish, and he eats forever.”
Thank you for your time,
Harlen Card
Entrepreneur and Accountant
December 1st, 2009 at 1:08 am
Thank you Harlen Card
I believe you are right, long term fixes are required. There are places that help with getting I.D., medical, drug rehabs as well. There are also many, many homeless people with mental health disabilities. Depression is also not a way of life, but some don’t know that there is help one step away. Some of which cannot help but be where they are. Some only know where they are, they have done it for a very long time. It is so much easier to stay the same and very hard to change. The very best that we can provide is HOPE, and hope that (the homeless) they stay safe.
Thank you for your comment.