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FOR ATHENS’ HOMELESS, SUMMER IS NO EASY SEASON
T he temperature is climbing toward 90, and shortly
before noon Robert craves a cold beer. He wrestles
with want versus need. The latter wins.
"I need insect repellent," he says.
Most people voice concern for the homeless during winter,
when hypothermia and other cold-weather-related conditions
take their toll on those exposed. But, according to Robert (who
asked that his real name not be used in this story) and the
approximately 450 other homeless people living in Athens in
the summer months, this time of year is no picnic.
"There are mosquitoes, ticks and fire ants," says Robert,
45, who calls himself, after 10 years of living on the streets,
"hard-core homeless." The feds call it "chronically" homeless,
and define the term as a single adult with a
disabling condition who has been continually
homeless for at least one year or has been
homeless at least four times in the past
three years. Robert, who has wit and intel
ligence in addition to street smarts, will tell
you his debilitating condition is "existential
angst." Drinking hasn't helped, either. For the
moment, he has quit. Again.
Evan Mills, a community development
specialist with the Athens-Clarke County
Department of Human and Economic
Development, says the overall number of
homeless people decreased slightly in this
year's local homeless count, but the number
of unsheltered homeless increased. "We've
lost 88 shelter beds since 2004," he says.
According to the January 2009 count, among
the county's 454 homeless are 130 people in
42 homeless families with children; of those,
11 families are unsheltered. Overal 1 , there are
205 unsheltered and 249 sheltered homeless
people in Athens.
Ed Moore, case manager at Athens'
Homeless Day Service Center on Peter Street,
says it's been busy. He says the challenges fac
ing the homeless in summer are primarily heat-
and insect-related. "...Most of our clients don't have resources
to purchase insect repellents," he says. "The heat is serious and
causes people physical problems and can be dangerous."
According to Pastor Earl Delmarter at the Sparrow's Nest on
Prince Avenue, it's important to keep the homeless hydrated.
"And sunscreen is always a blessing to have," he says. "People
come in with blistered arms. Sometimes, especially if they have
addiction issues, they don't think that far ahead."
Delmarter says the Sparrow's Nest is a ministry agency, and
it offers a place to come in from the heat "to get some water,
iced tea and enjoy some air conditioning. We're all about
relationships. We want them to just come in and hang out.
Hopefully, in a matter of days, weeks or months, we've become
someone they can trust. A drink of water seems real simple,
but if it helps us build a relationship with them, we might ulti
mately be able to help them move on in their life."
Moore says his organization reaches out to anyone needing
assistance, but those attempting to find solid footing and an
end to homelessness will benefit most. "Some people feel like
finding shelter takes away their freedom," he says. "It's an old
mindset, and it gets passed down."
he unsheltered population primarily lives in six or seven
locations in the city, according to Moore, including
sleeping on benches downtown. Whether a person is
sheltered or unsheltered, he says, "there are two times you
hear of—winter and summer—that they're struggling."
There are few people living in Athens' infamous Tent City
off Lexington Road this time of year. A walk through there on
a recent Saturday found one man standing in front of a "Mad
Houser" prefab structure measuring six by eight feet and 10
feet high. The homes are provided free to various homeless
camps by their Atlanta manufacturer.
On the other side of town, a man and a woman, who iden
tified herself as "Debbie," are talking about "flying"—the
business of holding a placard asking for monetary help from
motorists at busy intersections. Debbie, who is in her late 40s,
says she's made S30 at it quickly.
Finding a meal isn't too difficult in Athens. At noon on a
recent Saturday, up to 100 men, women and children filed into
Our Daily Bread at Oconee Street United Methodist Church to
grab a sack lunch donated by a coalition of churches. Mother
and daughter volunteers Ann Wallace and Cathy Wilson of
Antioch United Methodist Church in Nicholson greet those
entering the church with a smile. The numbers of people served
vary week to week and season to season, they say.
"We didn't have enough lunches last week," says the mis
sion's weekend manager, Richard Davenport. People who claim
the lunches do not have to be homeless, he says, nor do they
have to prove need. Several children accept a bag and thank
Wallace and Wilson with smiles. The church provides hot meals
Monday through Friday, and sack lunches on the weekends.
There are other places, too, to find something to eat, such as
the Salvation Army for evening meals.
Outside the church, a group of four older
men, all homeless, are seated on a concrete
bench. They don't want their names revealed,
but they don't mind sharing their feelings
about being without shelter in the summer
time. "It's hard to find a place to use a bath
room, especially downtown," one says. Another
man, who suffers from chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease, says having a place to
duck into out of the heat would help. He says
he's visited Athens' hospitals seven times this
summer for breathing problems associated
with his COPD. These trips to the hospital by
homeless men and women add up to a stag
gering $12.4 million annually, according to the
latest figures supplied by St. Mary's and Athens
Regional hospitals in 2005 to ACC officials.
Another economic impact is the number
of incarcerated homeless. According to Lt.
Pat Little cf the Clarke County Sheriffs office,
bookings from May 1 to July 29 numbered 23,
including five still in jail.
And there's the economic side of summer,
Moore says. "It's tricky. There's like a para
dox that happens with the school year. It's
common to hear people say there's no work
available because the students are gone; but,
then, when all the students are back, the low-skill jobs are
taken." Many of his clients do find work on footbaM game days,
though, Moore says. "And in the summer," like so many other
opportunities, "those jobs are gone."
And while, as Moore says, there are opportunities for.
those who are committed to moving forward in life and out
of homelessness, various challenges are ever-present for many
homeless. Robert, for instance, says he believes soaring tem
peratures cause people to load up on alcohol and drugs. "It
helps you deal with the heat. You don't care if the mosquitos
are biting you," he says. However, he adds, "It also keeps you
in your situation."
Cathy Mong
On a recent Saturday morning, Debbie got ready for a day of “flying”—visiting a busy intersection with her sign
to gain some cash.
AUGUST 19,2009 • FLAGPOLE.COM 9’