A realistic, firsthand looks at the homeless

Until a few months ago, Charles Chapman and I weren’t acquainted. I heard about him when I… Until a few months ago, Charles Chapman and I weren’t acquainted. I heard about him when I mysteriously ended up on his mailing list. He hadn’t heard of me at all. But over those months of one-way correspondence, I learned a good deal about his experiences spending time in homeless shelters Downtown. I was interested in checking them out for myself.

My efforts to hook up with Charles over e-mail failed for one reason or another, so I decided to try to make the connection the old-fashioned way. We chatted face to face over a game of ultimate Frisbee, and he graciously agreed to let me tag along for an evening. I’m always interested in meeting new people, and who could be more interesting – or unusual – than a college sophomore who spends the bulk of his free time playing cards with drifters and addicts?

On that Saturday evening, we met up at the Quad and set out. We were picked up by one of the two Mikes who also frequent the shelters, and the four of us – Charles, Mike, Mike and myself – spent the trip talking about anything and everything except the homeless, ranging from sports to relationships to Madonna’s and Britney’s now-infamous kiss. When we drove past one of the city’s classy porno theaters, Mike was all smiles, honking the horn to see if we could catch any shady characters trying to stroll in nonchalantly. It turns out that do-gooders can have fun after all.

When we reached the shelter, snacks and fruit drinks in tow, I realized, to my shame, that I had never been to a place like it, and that I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Charles had described the routine as “laid back,” which is exactly what it proved to be. The guys were all sitting around, watching a football game, and others were standing around the dining area, chatting.

After gathering briefly for chips and drinks, some settled in to play a few games of Spades and others went back to watching the game. In this manner, we basically just hung out with them for an hour or so. By the time the ballgame was over and the card players lost interest, Charles and the Mikes had made an informal announcement that they were going to hold a Bible study in the back room if anyone wanted to attend. Four of the maybe eight or 10 guys in the room joined in.

During the Bible study, we learned a lot about each guy’s situation. One had been kicked out of his house recently, another had done some jail time. All had been involved in drugs. But, perhaps remarkably, they each took an active part in the discussion – centered initially around a reading of Second Peter – and showed that they knew what needed to be done to improve their respective stations in life. They had heard the church talk and could repeat it with vigor – covetousness, dishonestly, lust and laziness were mentioned in contrast to their counterparts, but as Charles and the Mikes were quick to point out, talk and action are always two very separate concepts.

Most of the guys at the shelter have been there before and will be there again. Because no matter how well they may understand the necessary steps to move on up, many also understand that it’s easier to just keep rolling in the shelter cycle. After their allotted time is up at one place, they move to another, and so on. In most cases, their complacency is this regard is the method by which we rationalize our complacency in regard to them: the homeless are homeless strictly because they’re lazy, so to hell with them.

But you won’t find that attitude among the shelter staff, including the churches who supply them with food, and guys like Charles and the Mikes who donate their time. They have no misconceptions about those they work with, no romanticized vision of helping the less fortunate. They simply give their time and energy to a group of people who often don’t appreciate it, and that can be thankless work. But then again, this is not a project for praise seekers.

On Nov. 15, Charles and the Mikes will host a clothing drive on the North Side to benefit Pittsburgh’s homeless. It will be an exercise in community; a reminder that, even in the individualist empire, no man is an island. If you are willing and able, I’m sure they will appreciate all the clothing donations they can get. Involvement in activities like this one will place you in very select company, among those who would break the party-and-pleasure mold to find something more valuable; people who understand the difference between talk and action. If you’re not careful, you may even find some of your convictions rocked, particularly the one that assures you an individual can’t make a difference.

For more information about the clothing drive, contact Eric Miller at save101@hotmail.com.