“I can only spare a few minutes as I have to finish getting all of these flyers put up today. It is really important for the people to know about the big meeting and the exciting events coming up,” Donny said to Officer Walter. “It is pretty great to see some positive action taking place and to be a part of it. I don’t mean to downplay what the missions and human services are doing, it just seems like the homeless epidemic has outgrown their capacity to solve problems.”
Officer Walter looked at Danny and said, “It is right over here.” They entered an abandoned two story building through a door holding onto the frame by one set of hinges. If this building had been a home, you would have said it was an open-concept lay-out. Danny could see through the building from one side to the other. It had to be 300 feet long.
Officer Walter said to Danny, “These people have nowhere to go. Come meet some of them. Hello Darlene, this is Danny. He has some good news for you. Danny, show her one of your flyers.”
Darlene said hello and took a flyer. She read it and exclaimed, “Is this for real? I have been praying for a miracle. Forgive me for questioning you, but I have had a lot of disappointments in the last few years. May l have some more of these to pass out to the others?”
Danny gave her a stack and he and Officer Walter moved on to the next person. “What is Darlene’s situation, Officer?”
“Darlene worked as a corporate secretary for the same law firm for twenty-five years, had a nice house in a great part of town and needed only one more year of payments before the mortgage was paid off. One of the lawyers made a foolish mistake which brought down the whole firm from a lawsuit which resulted in the firm closing. She was out of work and tried her best to save the house with her savings but ended up losing it. She has been here for a while.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Danny looked around at the dirty mattresses thrown on the ground and could feel the tangible discouragement in the air. He went around, meeting others in the short time he had. There was one man, laying on a mattress, talking to himself, obviously out of his mind and Danny wondered if the man had gone over the bend because of homelessness or if he was homeless because of being crazy. He passed a bucket with water in it and a basin on a low table where people could wash their hands.
There was a table and a few unmatching chairs. This must be the kitchen. Officer Walter said, “I bring them food from a few places that are on my beat. The people save bagels and fried chicken and burgers and I bring them in the evening. Then I take the trash when I leave. It isn’t much but it helps.”
Danny wished he could stay and meet the others and learn their stories but he had to return to work. He felt compelled to get out all of the flyers so as many people as possible could get some lasting help.
As he walked, he asked God, “Why is this happening, God? Are these people being punished? Are the housed better people than the unhoused? Are the rich better people because they have been successful financially? Is there some reason these people are living in an old warehouse like rats? Anyone could get discouraged like Barbara Jean and take drugs to forget, even for a few hours.”
“I will think more about this later, but for now I need to get these flyers up where they will do someone some good!” Danny thought. After getting all of his flyers out, Danny thought, “I am going to the meeting tomorrow to see what it is all about!” He walked the rest of the way home with an added bounce in his step.