Meet Steve.

Why...I ask myself.  Why when I am sitting at the traffic light at 116th and 98th do I always ignore eye contact with the homeless man that often stands under the shade of the tree with his sign in hand?  I'm not a big believer in dishing out money to these guys to help perpetuate their way of life.  However, his hand-written cardboard plea on this particular day said "hot food or coffee" so I decided to make some time and pick him up a Starbucks.  In the car, my kids are firing off a million questions none of which I know the answers to.  Yet.

So I want you to meet Steven.  He's 54 and from NY originally.  He's disabled and has been homeless for 7 years and lives in a tent in Bellevue, but has been taking the bus to his (our) corner in Kirkland for about a year now.  Steve used to be a bookbinder and a heavy machine operator, but now all he has are the clothes on his body, a few things in his backpack and his coveted heater, which is hidden back at his tent.  I was curious how much these guys pull in on a good day in Kirkland.  He had been there 8am-10:30am so far and only had 60 cents.  Typically, he'll pull in $20/day which supplements his $70/mo in food stamps.   Every corner in Totem Lake has some sad eyes and a sign, thanks to Tent City, says Steve, who also mentions he "gets along great with the cops.  I dis-associate myself from the drugs and drama."  From what Steve says there is a two year wait list for local housing, so he doesn't really have a plan.  But he was kind and respectful and appreciative so I was glad that I made the stop to say hello.  And I'm pretty sure this made an impression on my kids, who got their questions answered too.  Good luck to ya, Steve.

 

Comments

[John S]

Thanks 4 sharing ur experience Janice. I am much like u. Try to ignore but sometimes morality get the best of us and we bring ourselves to treating others like normal human beings.

[Janis]

Shoot- I forgot to include some gems that Steve told me. He said, "Life is a jigsaw puzzle but you only get one piece a a time. Eventually you get 8-10 pieces that start to make a picture." Then he went on to say, " I'm just rolling with it, whatever happens happens and I'm ok with it. Longevity is not in the stars for me."

[Karen Story]

Seattle has a wonderful program called "Have a Heart, Give Smart" (http://www.givesmartseattle.org/) which helps people learn how to best help panhandlers and the homeless. I wish Kirkland could start such a program. The website is a "must read" for those of us who care about our fellow human beings!