Lighting up the night

The few weeks before I became aware we might become homeless was one of the more frantic periods in my life, more so than actually being homeless. Deciding what was necessary, needful things, and outright wants.

With my experience involving computers and mobile computing, I'd already backed up many documents and family pictures to either thumb drives or online storage, links to agencies for medical services and such...whatever came to mind.

One thing I learned was that there's no easy quick place to plug in items for recharging, whether it's a cell phone or laptop. Many places don't have readily available electrical outlets to tap in to. Many locations that 'do' have them make it a policy 'not' to use them or risk being kicked out for 'jacking' and powering up.

One family I came across had been around long enough in the homeless shelters to start using hand crank powered items, such as radios or flashlights that use led light bulbs. Both use less electricity and last a while after just a few turns, and many models can be found locally in dollar stores for under $6.00 USD.

What I didn't know is that this same technology used in small flashlights with single LEDs is now available in home lighting bulbs. Granted the initial cost is much higher than conventional bulbs, but the overall savings and ability to go 'green' is pretty interesting...especially with recent increases of our own electric bill.

You get what you pay for when you try to get a job

While there's a handful of professionals that end up living in their cars, for the most part many people experiencing homelessness with their family don't have degrees, sales training, and in many cases a formal high school diploma.

One thing of interest is Jacksonville Community College offering free education to people experiencing homelessness. It's a little known fact and one that I had reservations about blogging about, but it's something that needs to be put out there...because when I was, nobody told me about it.

If you're homeless and want to return or start college, go to the downtown campus and ask to speak to a guidance counselor. Be honest and state you want to return to school, and that you are homeless and want to participate in their education program to benefit someone experiencing homelessness.

Homeless Counts and the annual slice in time so to speak

Last month Jacksonville and other cities nationwide participated in the annual event of counting as many homeless people as possible in each of their communities, even though the numbers are baloney in the minds of many advocates and employees of service providers themselves...which won't admit the fact.

One problem in particular is the Federal Government's Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). While one Federal Act identifies a child as homeless, HUD policy does not. While one Act identifies a family doubling up or someone couch surfing, HUD policy does not.

People are human beings and sometimes someone needs to point out that when you have two Federal regulations that oppose each other in their definition of people, it's wrong.

When we can make something as simple as a sleep number bed that can adjust to the task for consumers to purchase, we can pay attention to the laws and Acts we pass that dictate how we do and interpret things for providing services to our most needy.

I'm comin' up hearts

A few weeks ago I came across an ad for cattle supplies, and it made me think about the things I missed out in and never had the chance to do.

Riding on my horse, sittin' in the saddle. That made me think about my ex-wife and made me realize how broke in that saddle felt, which I took for granted as the suppleness of newness. Youth wasted on the young, but that made me think of my prior ex-wife and the child she bore while married to me...and the questions of my family tree having African-American relatives somewhere amidst it's upper branches...or were those roots she was referring to?

Ironically in a twist of fate, said first ex-wife made contact with me and broke the truth to me, that I was not in fact her child's father...amidst much beating around the bush and pussyfooting of sorts.

Aghast at her comment, I made it perfectly clear the practicality of me being the said now young adult woman's father! Our marriage, our few nights of Shrangrala while in military training, and never the question of her having lived with another man while married to me and pregnant by another ever being a position the military took at the time.

And that's when I made it clear to her that after having found my own biological father after her statement some 22 years prior, I could offer her the following:

"After careful deduction and investigation, I have come to the following conclusion. You my dear, are black".

And so no further contact with her, requests for support, or demands for paternity testing to date. Which brings me to the final conclusion...the best thing about dating street people is you can drop them off anywhere after you're done.

But if you're gonna be free of an ex-wife's bogus power trip, sometimes ya just gotta call a spade a spade.

Somewhere over the rainbow, revisited two decades later

Someone in a local online forum mentioned in a comment thread that Jacksonville isn't considered as much the 'goto' location for transient homeless in other parts of the nation, as opposed to San Francisco. For someone having a knowledge of California lifestyles, it's understandable why the mistake was made.

From Maine to the Mississippi, Jacksonville has always been on the tip of the tongue for many migrant transients since 1988 long before the internet was made available to the masses as it is now. Word was spoken of churches offering clothing vouchers, Traveller's Aid assistance for busses to other cities, and other items of interest that were the stuff of urban legend and lore for those looking for the literal pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Always mentioned by name and reference was the First Baptist Church, most known for it's City Rescue Operation and Thrift Store. Personally I can attest to having heard of it in both West Virginia and Chicagoland area shelters by more seasoned 'hobos', those that made it their livlihood of travelling state to state either by rail or road...a lifestyle that for some it would have been a smart choice for getting travel insurance quotes before jumping trains.

Maybe in time when man colonizes the moon and we have people stranded and homeless in space will we see even the United States less known for it's homelessness.

By then when we've left our home those left behind will be the ones homeless, no?

Home security after you're homeless

Hurdles are always abundant it seems during the first two years of transitioning from homeless to homed, regardless of whatever spin is sung by service providers throwing numbers to the air in hopes of dollars raining back down.

I myself have been robbed at gunpoint on two seperate occasions while still in my work clothes enroute or around my home. What's scarier is that chances are both situations may have involved my own neighbors, rather than thieves scoping surrounding homes of people I know.

Chances are if you're coming out of homelessness and into a home, you've gotten a job. One of the first things to consider is your neighborhood...if it was cheap enough for you to get into it, chances are it's pretty risky. After getting your ducks in a row and the cable turned on, the next thing on your check list should be some form of home security, other than a baseball bat or 9-iron.

Over the last four years I've been victimized myself, talked neighbors who became victims of home invasion, as well as heard the stories of elderly women sexually attacked while heading to do errands on a regular basis.

While you can change your habits and movements, as long as you've got a home and close your eyes you're going to be vulnerable to any low life who's more desperate than you. Before you listen to anyone knocking at the door about life insurance or changing your faith, think about protecting the door from anyone that could hurt you or the ones you love most.