Christmas Night at Logan

Spending Christmas night at Logan and I am not alone.
Seriously the system STINKS

Merry Christmas

I hope everybody reading this is having a nice holiday.

For me today the worst thing about today is that almost nothing is open. I am at a Starbucks in Cambridge just trying to forget what day it is.

Tomorrow I can at least try to re-apply for a 14 night bed in Cambridge...today I just have to wait until 9:30 PM to see if I can get a one night bed. Last night I spent at a hostel using $40 I really don't have but I just wanted to be somewhere for Christmas Eve.

The Globe today has this story that hits home..

Festivities, loneliness take hold in shelters

I don't think I have ever been more depressed than I am right now.

Please pray for me....

Boston CLAIMS homeless numbers are down in 2010

3 days before Christmas

I look at amazement at the Boston Metro today (December 22) with a front page story saying the number of homeless living on the streets is down.

What the census conducted on December 6th found was

» 2%: Decrease in the number of individuals using Boston emergency shelters over the past year.
» 725: Number of chronically homeless people in Boston in fiscal year 2010, down from 962 in fiscal year 2005.
» 2,747: The number of homeless individuals in Boston, down from 3,944 five years ago.
» 26%: Boston’s street count reportedly found its lowest number of homeless people in 13 years, with the amount of homeless people filling ER beds and hospital beds down by about 26 percent.

Could have fooled me. Every shelter in the city is full and workers have said to me they have never seen it so bad. More likely what has happened is more have gone to Cambridge or Logan at night.

Update on my situation - I spent Sunday night at Logan but was able to secure an emergency bed in Cambridge the last two nights. Still every night until at least Sunday when I can re-apply for a 14 night bed is filled with uncertainty. I am hoping I can put together $34.99 so I can spend at least Christmas Eve at a Boston hostel.

I would like to thank Rachel who kindly sent me $25 2 days ago as it helps more than you know.

If anyone else is so inclined they can do so at the link below.



Mentally I am better than I was over the weekend but still down.

2011 will be better - it just has to be.

Happy Holidays!!!!!

DECEMBER 20th - A little good news....but otherwise very dark

My blogging last week at least helped me obtain a new pair of eyeglasses.

LensCrafters at the CambridgeSide Galleria has a 'Gift of Sight' program and with a referral from the Harvard Sq Homeless Shelter I can now see again. I am very thankful.

However - Sunday morning was my last day for my 2-week bed in the shelter cycle which means I have to wait for one week (December 26th) to reapply for another 2 week bed. The idea of having nowhere to sleep on both Christmas Eve and Christmas itself is weighing on me.

The constant Christmas music is driving me nuts as all it does is remind me of happier times in my life that are now just a memory. I am doing EVERYTHING I can to avoid picking up a drink because one would lead to 10,000 I am afraid.

Alcohol does have the illusion of making a person forget and I wish there was a medical pill that could do the same thing.

Last week I wrote a blog piece -

Praying for a Christmas Miracle..

I still have enough for basic expenses to get me through the rest of the month ( I have about $130 ) but I am facing many nights of uncertainty on where I will sleep. I called all the long term shelters again today and there is nothing, I even tried the Salvation Army and they are full. I don't want to return to a Boston shelter as the last time all my clothes were stolen. So since I can not afford to spent $30-35 at the hostel in the Back Bay, I either get one of the emergency beds in Cambridge at 9:30, or sleep Logan Airport. ( which of course plays Christmas music all night long over the PA).

Hanging at Starbucks in the Garage at Harvard Sq until 9:30 PM is really hard, and in the Garage are the others trying to get a bed at the shelter. It is VERY DEPRESSING.

I also need somehow to get a Massachusetts ID which I blogged about last week...I can't get anywhere without one.

I am really afraid I might crack which is why I am writing this. If nothing else, please say a prayer for me. 

If anyone wishes to help me out during the Holidays - PayPal is tied into my Bank of America account.



I moved to Blogspot a month ago as I was told that perhaps having ads from Google and Amazon would help out a little - Amazon has generated a whopping total of SIX CENTS - and Google about $12 but they won't pay until they owe me $100


Anyhow, thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!!!!

2 stories that will make you smile

Here are a couple of nice stories for the Holiday Season.

In Boston, a homeless vet finds a wallet and even though he is broke himself turned the wallet into the Boston Police who found the owner.

Down in Tampa Bay, the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays goes the extra mile to help the homeless.

Happy Holidays

Praying for a Christmas Miracle..

                                                                Happy Holidays to all

It was back in August that I first started blogging....it has been good therapy for me.

Sadly very little has changed since my first post then..

My world has fallen apart.... I need help

I spend as much time as I can just going from social agency to agency trying to secure something as simple as a room. The stark reality is that agencies in Massachusetts are overwhelmed. However I still continue to fight.

Here are the issues I need help with right now....

EYEGLASSES - On Thanksgiving Morning I awoke at a shelter in Cambridge to find that someone had stolen my glasses. I had just gotten the glasses the day before from Somerville Hospital as my Massachusetts Medicaid allows one pair of glasses every 12 months. The shelter staff quickly figured out who had taken them as they saw him with them but when he was confronted he threw them to the floor and stepped on them. :( - He is now barred from the shelter and they have since heard he is back in a hospital for mental issues but that doesn't help me. I have the prescription but I simply don't have the money to get another pair. They are bifocals and it seems like most places want $100 which I just don't have. I have been told by social workers that some major chains have programs to help the needy but nobody seems to know who. It is just frustrating.

STATE ID -  This is driving me nuts. I currently have a valid out of state drivers license but for certain housing programs I need either a Massachusetts ID or license. However the registry will not convert my out of state license to a Massachusetts one because the City of Cambridge has me for unpaid parking tickets dating back 20 years from when I drove a cab. I explain in detail that situation in the link above. On top of that they will not issue me a state ID because of a mistake that was made several years ago with the Somerville Court computer system.Back in August of 2004 I paid a fine on a simple matter and somehow it was never credited to my docket number. 30 days later the court issued a warrant automatically. I was oblivious to this until March of 2008 when I returned to the court, the warrant was removed and fee was waived by the judge. However because the court had notified the Registry of Motor Vehicles of a warrant, the Registry wants $100 which again I don't have. The Registry people were actually very nice about it but they say there is nothing they can do unless the court WRITES a letter saying there was an error. Somerville Court says it is a Registry problem. Aye yi yi.

I can fully document all of this to anyone who wants to see my paperwork.

As far as what I owe the City of Cambridge - the bulk of it is now interest - I am willing to work as many hours of community service to pay my debt. I am not looking for a free ride.

Right now my income is $788 a month from Social Security (which also gives me full medical coverage)
Now I am sure you might say - well "suck it up" and pay the money to the court and buy eyeglasses. Fair enough question.

But this is the way my life is right now. I am in a shelter for 2 weeks at a time and then must wait a week for apply for another 14 days. You can try for a one night bed at 9:30 in the evening but there is no guarantee and the competition is huge for the available slots. There are simply not enough beds and the people living in the long term shelters are not moving because it is cold and nothing else is opening up.

On nights that I can not secure a bed I am either forced to sleep at Logan Airport (which has a growing homeless population overnight) or try to get a cheap room at a hostel. The hostel charges anywhere from $31-$41 a night and it adds up quickly. Then there are the small day to day expenses like T fare, a cup of coffee and what little I have erodes quickly. To compound things even further, I am buying clothing at Goodwill to replace belongings that were stolen from me when I stayed one night at Pine Street.

My budget is very, very tight. Right now on December 11th I have roughly $240 to last me until January 1st but I am facing the week out plus starting on December 18th.....

So that is where I am at.

I do thank you for reading, and for any prayers that you may send my way.

I have gotten a few dollars from some very nice people over the past few months via PayPal and it has helped. If you are so inclined I would be humbly grateful.



But as much as a few dollars would help, I just need help with the system. If you know anyway I can get eyeglasses please let me know and also for some legal guru to help me with this minor snafu between the Registry and the Somerville Court.

BTW Somerville Court is a ROYAL pain because of a rule they have at the courthouse dating back to 2000.
Cellphones are FORBIDDEN in the building. I am not taking about making sure your phone is turned off and not using it inside, you can not bring one in the building PERIOD. The court officers say "Just leave it in your car." but if you are traveling there by bus you are forced to hide the phone somewhere around the building.

Only in Massachusetts.

I wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season.

(BTW if you shop on Amazon.com...clicking on any of these links will allow you to browse their site and should you purchase anything I would get a small commision)

When it rains it pours......I need eyeglasses

I simply can not believe how bad my luck is right now....

Since November 15th (when it opened) I have been spending most evenings at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter which is totally run by Harvard students.

The shelter works this way as their website indicates

Two Week Beds: We are now lotterying all 14-night beds. Callers may call in between 7:30am and 8:00am to put their name in the lottery at which point the caller will receive a lottery number. The lottery will be run between 8:00am and 8:05am. People may call back between 8:05am and 8:30am as well as between 7pm and 9pm to find out if their lottery number was picked. Lottery numbers that have been selected (but not names) will also be posted on the shelter door during the day.

One Night Bed: When a guest with a reserved two week bed is not able to make it to the shelter that night, their bed is open for others to use as an emergency one night bed. Call in the evening at 9:30PM for a one-night bed.

So when the shelter opened I was able to get a bed for 8 days ( as when they open they do not give out all 14 night beds ) and then on several nights have been able to get a 'one night bed'.

If I don't get a one-night bed, it is off to the airport for a very uncomfortable sleep.

So that is good, but going to the shelter cost me dearly in another way.

Just 2 weeks ago I got a new set of bifocals as my old frame was broken. My insurance allows one set of eyeglasses a year. I put the eyeglasses inside my shoes when I went to sleep and someone stole them. Now on top of everything else I am can't see except to read.

If anyone has any suggestions on where I can go to get an inexpensive pair of glasses I would be very grateful.

Thanks

A sad story in Chicago

I can't really blame people for being leery of homeless people when I read a story like this..

Horrible

http://bit.ly/ebPQBC

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving

In the Boston area Tavern In The Square is serving free Thanksgiving Dinner starting at 11:30 AM to anyone at their locations in Central Sq Cambridge, Allston and Salem.

www.taverninthesquare.com

This has not been a good year for me but I do believe things will get better.

I guess I fit into this

Reading the print edition of Spare Change (a Boston street paper sold by vendors who are homeless) had an interesting article on how homeless people across the world have started to use social media to tell their stories.

Obviously I fit into this but it reaffirms that behind EVERY homeless person there is a story.

http://bit.ly/hJyfro

Years ago I used to date the manager of the long forgotten Mug & Muffin in Harvard Square.

It was around 1980 and she befriended a homeless man named Charlie. He was well known in Harvard Square as a hopeless but harmless drunk. Well in getting to know him she discovered that he worked for many years as a photographer around Lowell and he had served in Korea. He was candid and said he just gave up when his wife one day left for another man.

She helped him get in touch with the VA and it turned out he was eligible for benefits because of a wartime injury and he would get a retroactive check.

He promised he would sober up when he got the money but sadly he didn't make it.

The Red Line extension was being built and the old Out of Town News was actually placed on rollers so it could be moved when a new hole was dug. Charlie got confused one night and we think he was just using Out of Town as a landmark when he fell into a shaft and was killed.

But I never forgot that he did have a life before booze took control.

Please keep that in mind when you see a homeless person.

Thanks for reading....
Sent on from my BlackBerry® so typos are because of tiny keys