Recently, I stopped at a local gas station to fill up and get a soda. It was a brisk 19 degrees outside when I arrived there at about 7:30 AM. I went inside to the soda fountain and heard a strange commotion from the back room, where the door to the bathroom was. I heard a woman declaring loudly that "this is not a halfway house or shelter." Her comments were met with silence. She was not in my line of sight, and I just assumed she was on the phone with someone. Moments later, a man arose from the area, and I could determine that she was talking to him, and she was possibly the manager on shift.
By anyone's account, he was homeless. He was wearing dirty, mismatched clothes, his physical appearance was not clean, and he was covering his head with an old, dirty blanket. He was carrying a plastic bag and a gallon of milk.
She continued to direct him out the door and began to shout while holding her cell phone in her hand. She informed him that he was tresspassed from the store and that he could not use their bathroom to sleep. From all of the back and forth between the clerk and the manager, I could determine that he snuck into the bathroom and had been sleeping in there for two hours. The man never spoke, and it was obvious that he was ashamed and beaten down by the interaction. He left without any fuss and stood outside to determine his next move.
I understand the business's position on catching someone sleeping in their bathroom; but there is always a place for dignity and decency for the homeless. I minded my own business as I listened for any sign of compassion from the woman. It never came. I felt like she could have been less abrasive. I felt like she could have offered to call someone for him. I felt like she could have shown some kind of empathy.
What did I do? I did nothing. I paid for my drink and left. He was still standing outside as I drove off. I did none of the things that I thought the store manager should have done. I have written and spoken extensively about poverty and how we can help the poor, but I have no personal experience with homelessness. I don't know what to do or how to do it. Just as he was ashamed, so was I.
My uneducated, narrow view of homelessness is this. If a man or woman is reduced to sleeping on the street or in a gas station bathroom, every single support system that person depends on has failed in some way. This could be family, friends, social services, etc. I get irritated when I hear someone say that homeless people should just get a job, as if that is the magic bullet to prosperity. It is not, but it is a good start. Entry-level jobs and blue-collar work that require no experience or training do not even provide a basic standard of living, even if you work full-time. Many people doing this type of work still need SNAP and Medicaid to get by and raise their families. Homeless people need much more than work. They need belonging and a renewed sense of self.
I preach about leadership, but I showed none in this situation. Leadership is only present when action is taken. I kept my head down. This is a violation of what I believe and of my faith. I have no idea what I could have done or what was appropriate to do. I just know I was another person not helping.
I want to take this opportunity to shout out to the non-profits that are taking action and making a difference, most notably, the West Frankfort Coalition for the Homeless. This group is a task force seeking to find the causes of homelessness in the West Frankfort community and how to provide services to prevent homelessness. Action is leadership, and I'm thankful for people working on these issues, even if I am not equipped to. Keep up the good work, and I will do better.
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