Desert Messenger

12 www.DesertMessenger.com February 17, 2016 Traveling with Gypsy Jane by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) Homeless for 20 minutes Key West, Florida (Published in Solares Hill, Key West, Florida 4/9/04 ) And homeless near a thousand homes I stood, And near a thousand tables pined and wanted food.....William Wordsworth (1770-1850) I got the idea for this story in Febru- ary 2004. More than a month later, it was still difficult to write, not only because the subject of homelessness is depressing and discouraging, but because there are so many facets to this story. It is hard to know where to begin. I was visiting Key West in my small camper, and all this began with needing a shower. For a long time, I thought I had only one choice: the cold showers at the community center. That led to a longgggg time between showers. Then through the grapevine at Higgs Beach, I learned about free showers with clean towels offered in partnership by the Salva- tion Army, FKOC (Florida Keys Out- reach Coalition), and the City of Key West. I decided to try it. I parked my car and approached the trailer which held 12 separate showers -- six for women and six for men. It was a busy day there. Various people, mostly men, were sitting on the curb. It was a heavy experience for me, and I felt very un- easy. I wanted to explain that I wasn't REALLY homeless -- just traveling in an RV. That's when the story title came to me: "Homeless for 20 Minutes." For the first time in my life, I actually felt homeless. I was pleasantly surprised by the friendly, nonjudgmental greeting; the clean towels and washcloths; and the supply of soap, shampoo, razors, Q- tips, etc. The showers were well lit and clean -- pleasant actually. I happened to arrive at the showers on the day there was a homeless survey. I filled out the form. Some of the questions were: What is your first name and last initial? (Note: Last names are never used in this type of situation.) Do you have a regular place to stay right now? Do you have any source of income? Do you have a disabling condition? Have you ever been arrested because you had nowhere to stay? Do you have any family members liv- ing with you? (If yes, describe.) Where have you slept for the last few nights? (street, mangroves, boat, un- der bridge, beach, park, other) Please put a check in all boxes where the answer is yes: During the past year have you used this service? Have you needed this service? (emergency shelter, housing for homeless persons, education/job training, health care, alcohol/drug treatment, mental health treatment, showers/bathroom facilities, mailing address/telephone, food pantry/soup kitchen) It brought tears to my eyes to think that people in this wealthy country have to live this way. We are a country divided into the HAVES and the HAVE NOTS, and it's getting worse all the time. The U.S. squanders money on pork-barrel politics, war, and outer space while the homeless, affordable health care, and education suffer. For god's sake, where are our priorities? Anna Quindlen, one of my favorite writers, in her book Thinking Out Loud speaks about homelessness: "Once again, we've wasted time and money by dealing with the homeless backward. Too much energy has gone into deciding where we do not want them to be and making sure that they would not be there." AND "....no one has made any connection between the crazed consumerism of our kids and their elders' cold unconcern toward others. Maybe the homeless are not the only ones who need to spend time in these places" [shelters]. And speaking of rampant consumer- ism, are you living on a NEED level SEE GYPSY PAGE 26 2 ACRES WITH POWER ONLY $6,995 • Good Terms • 30 min. NE of Lake Havasu Chaparral Land Co. • 928-753-7125 • www.landarizona.com (like the Peace Pilgrim who traveled the country with only what she car- ried in her pockets) or a WANT level? Please consider what living on a NEED level means and the many ways it would benefit the world. My friend "Bob at the Beach" said to me one day: "Have you ever thought that the only difference between us and the people living in the mangroves is a piece of metal?" (By "metal" he meant a car or other vehicle.) Now that's a shocker. No, I'd never thought about it, but I'll tell you; I feel very in- secure when I pass by the mangroves. Poor people are desperate people. How far would you go if you were starving? Bob's statement got me to thinking about the different levels of homelessness. I decided to write a story "The Many Levels of Homelessness," but I haven't written it yet. The lowest level, I suppose, is the people in the mangroves. Next would be the people with some form of transportation who move around. I'll have to admit that I'm in the next level: the people who don't have homes (but could) and travel by choice. The next level would be the snow birds: people who have homes but follow the weather (Bob's category.) On a lighter note, I met a woman who told me about a friend of hers who had to live in the mangroves for a while. His parting words were always, "Well, I'm off to the shruburbs." There is a real dichotomy in Key West. The Salvation Army and FKOC are doing everything they can to help the homeless (and I am naming them as beneficiaries in my Will). Besides the free showers, St. Mary's Church Soup Kitchen offers free meals, and

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