I will never forget the bitter cold morning that I finally swallowed my pride. I hadn't had anything to eat for two days and very little to eat before that. I had been told about Bliss Street several weeks earlier, but hadn't gone down there yet. On this cold morning I was so very hungry that I was able to overcome my fear of people and strange places. I was early that morning and managed to get a choice spot on the porch which acts as a perfect shelter from the elements. At one point I turned around and was surprised. Crowding up onto the porch behind me, on the stairs and sidewalk were a sea of faces. It was then that I knew I could never simply walk away even if I did have the means to do so.
There were so many different faces that day trying to get warm as they waited for breakfast. Each one was so different than the other with a story of their own. When recently I was asked to share a story or two I was at a loss. How do you choose which story to tell? Which face to share? Do I talk about Bonnie who has a doctorate, but because she didn't get the help she needed she has been living on the streets for years now. There is also the Vietnam Vet who wears ton of clothes and doesn't socialize with very many people. Darrell Cooper was one of the first victims this past December when he died. He was a victim of the bitter cold and lack of shelter space. Than come January Larry Dunham, another homeless man, died next to City Hall on the stairs of Symphony Hall. It was only after his death that anyone felt inspired enough to take the steps needed to prevent another death…statistics in the system and men no more.
My name is Christina and this story isn't just my story, but it's the story of the homeless community of Springfield, Massachusetts… When I first became homeless I had no idea where to go for help. I ended up staying with a brother, but couldn't stay long because of his living situation. After awhile I heard about a soup kitchen where I started to go for meals. It was while there that I heard about the "Warming Place" The Warming Place was a temporary emergency shelter that was set up in February of this year after the death of two homeless men.
It was while staying at the shelter that I realized that I had came up with the idea for H.O.U.S.E. (Homeless Openly Unite to Shelter Everyone) I knew that I had to do something. Staying in overfull shelters or sleeping on cots in the basement of local churches was not an ideal solution for anyone. My idea was simply to find a way to obtain a building that the homeless could open and run on their own. After all many of the homeless are highly intelligent and skilled and they were more than willing to do the work themselves.
Although the shelter wasn't an ideal situation it did succeed in getting people off of the road and out of the elements. It was only a temporary solution though and it's last night came on mother's day too soon as far as the homeless were concerned. On Monday night most of the homeless slept out in the rain on park benches and in doorways because they had nowhere to go. About ten homeless people were allowed to stay in the office of Arise for Social Justice. It was while we were there that we came up with the idea of setting up a "Tent City" on the front lawn of St. Michael's Cathedral in Springfield, Ma. While the church didn't have official word of the "Tent City" up front it had known about it. After awhile the Monsignor and Bishop visited us at different times. We were given permission to stay as long as needed.
That first night we had at least fifteen tents and about twenty people. Today just over a month later we have 49 tents and about 75 to 80 people staying at what we call "Sanctuary City" We set up zero tolerance rules and basic respect rules for everyone to follow and even have security at night that is chosen from the residents of Sanctuary City. While the situation is not ideal (racing up to a port-a-potty in the middle of the night for instance) it is still better than the alternative of sleeping by the Connecticut River alone.
Since it began we have done several things to get the Mayor's attention. One of which was a City Hall Bake Sale where we set up a table with baked goods right on the stairs of City Hall. This project brought in over a hundred dollars in less than two hours. Our latest was to set up tents on the steps of City Hall. This succeeded in getting us a meeting with the Mayor who told us that he would not be intimidated.
We have problems, but for the most part we have bonded together as a family and look out for each as such. We will continue to struggle as we strive to get the building that we desperately need.
