The Guy on the Corner - by Richard Croix

I know you have all seen the Guy on the Corner holding a sign, or just asking for change. Well this weekend I was the Guy on the Corner. As car after car passed by very few even acknowledged my existence. Most of you who did could of cared less about "the Guy on the Corner." Instead of thinking of helping or look of compassion most just gave judgmental looks, shakes of the head in disgust, some even pointed, and laughed.

Talking about hurt, the lack of compassion in my fellow men and women actually brought me to tears. We are so quick to send food, help, money, clothes, and other things thousands of miles away yet we do nothing in our own country. Many of you see us everyday walking around, nothing to do, nowhere to go, but instead of helping - you just turn your heads and walk away. "Why?", I ask myself, have we become blinded by self righteousness to see that we exist as human beings.

Our society has gotten to the point that who you are doesn't matter, but what you drive, wear, eat, and how much you make, is what defines you as a human being. If you don't have a car, or lots of money your life doesn't matter. At least not as much as the guy with the Benz and a wallet full of plastic. It said that, "all men are created equal" and that "no man shall judge another lest he be judged." So, if we believe or trust in God like we say we do then why is there so many just like me hurt and with the feelings of inferiority.

Our own government says "One nation under God," but is that believed or practiced? I say not! No it is not, because we sit and lie to ourselves daily by ignoring the problem in front of us. We cover it up by sending stuff to Haiti, Iraq, Kuwait, and anywhere else. Not that theses people don't deserve our help (and I'm glad to be able to help them). But eventually, at some point if we don't fix the walls of our own home our own house will fall.

So many are in our very own streets holdings signs, begging, starving, and homeless. Yes, some may have done this to themselves but that is for God to judge, not anyone else. In this time, with the economy the way it is, anyone could be the next "Guy on the Corner". Seeing all the hurting and grieving people makes my heart bleed. Especially when I hear that billions of dollars have been set aside to put a nuclear sub at Mayport, Jacksonville.

Can you imagine it was either billions or trillions of dollars that they have ready to spend on this project. Wow! I mean obviously this nuke sub has a place already. Then why waste money that could potentially save lots of lives? Instead we will spend money to make Mayport a high priority place to attack during a time of war. I wonder how many people you could get off the streets with just a billion dollars?

The really sad thought is that we all pride ourselves on being a nation that stands on the fact that we trust in God. That to me is a joke! If it where true and so many supposed 'Christians', or just believers of any religion, stood for their supposed beliefs I wouldn't have walked away with tears in my eyes. With the feeling like I was judged to be beneath those I was asking for help.

It says in the Bible, "..the least you do to my children, you also do to me." So in writing this, I ask you the next time you see the "Guy on the Corner", look deep inside yourself and ask yourself, "Am I any different? Am I anymore of a human being in life because of my material status?" I promise you this much, that no matter what your answer is or your status, one day we will all stand in the same line.

He was hit by a car?!

Terrence Joseph Kelly is his name. He also went by T.J. and Officer Kelly. On Thursday night he was hit by a car as he was crossing the road in front of the Winn-Dixie where he lives.

He is an Irish man, and a former Vietnam vet who was drafted at a very young age. Once he got back from the war he attempted a job as a cop for a time. However, he was very sick from what had happened in the war and ended up homeless in his thirties; he's been living in the woods ever since. He told me he felt more comfortable that way.

December 15 was his birthday, he just turned 59 years old, though he looks a lot older. He has a bunch of scars, especially on his bald, heavy bearded head. When i first met him he was being bandaged up at his camp because he had passed out while standing and his smacked his skull. Luckily, he is too hard headed for it to do any real damage and too tough to complain..... lol

About a week or so ago he had fallen in a similar incident and hurt his hip pretty badly. Again, he never complained, and he still limped himself through the woods the long distance it took to get to the little store where he bought cigarettes, food, and beer. The last time i saw him he was settling in to watch his friends play spades.

I don't know why he had gotten out into the street that night, it was in the exact opposite direction from where he lived. From what i've heard he was hit by a van going about 70 down that road. He was rushed to Shands, though i don't know how long he was lying there before they got him, the driver was arrested and driving drunk over three times the legal limit. The driver is being held with no bond, and the sentence will be given once the status of T.J.s' well being is established. T.J. has multiple fractures, a crushed leg, a broken skull, and a pelvis that is currently split upwards, exposing organs susceptible to infections.

He is more than likely going to die, though there is still a small chance he will pull through. His nurse told me to tell the guys at the camp that they can go ahead and distribute his stuff, he maybe has a couple of weeks before the infection eats him alive.


If there was a place for him to go, this would not have happened. He couldn't go the the St Francis House, the Hospital, or the Vets, or the Mental Health place, or anywhere else. He lived in the only place where he received everything he needed to survive and was still treated like a respectable human being. The bunch of us have an opportunity to do something, we Have to take it before more people die

No Room at the Inn: The Truth abouth the St. Francis House by Angel

You’d think after a couple decades of dealing with homelessness in St. Johns County, the St. Francis House, the only shelter in the whole county, would have it down. You’d be wrong.

You hit town, dirty, tired, friendless and hungry and get sent to St. Francis House for help. It’s the only game in town with 20 beds for men and 8 beds for women. OK, what do you have to do to get some food, shelter, clean clothes and sleep?

Seems first (or last) thing you do is lose your dignity. There are times and rules for everything you could possibly need. You have to sign in by 6PM for a bed that night, every night, and you have to show up by 9PM to be allowed in. So, from 6PM to 9PM, you’re pretty much stuck hanging close to the shelter, no matter the weather, to get that bed and shower.

You can do your laundry. If you “live” there, your hours are from 6PM to 9 or 10PM. If you don’t, your hours are 130PM to 5 or 6PM. So if you’re lucky enough to be working or need to be out looking for work, you’re out of luck in the afternoons. There are two washers and one dryer so the scheduling of your day just got more complicated.

If you “live” there, there are two showers for men, who sleep upstairs. Women sleep downstairs with their own facility. If you don’t, you can sign up for a shower outside from 130 to about 5-6PM.

Breakfast is served everyday around 430AM, depending on the cook. With donations from churches and agencies drying up, the cook tries to make a hot meal but it’s often donuts, juice and coffee. Some cooks allow non residents to eat; others restrict food to the sheltered people. You have to be out by 6AM anyway. Same thing with lunch, which, depending on the cook, could be as good as spaghetti and meatballs or as simple as a sandwich, or rice and beans. Dinner is seven nights a week but if it’s known there is a serving somewhere else in town, some cooks will not even bother.

Wednesday is ID day where, if you “live” there, a social worker will drive you to the county offices and help you acquire a state ID, IF you have a birth certificate and proof of residence. These things take time and in the meantime, there are numerous chores you do at St. Francis House, like the dishes, cleaning up after meal times, patrolling the block for trash or taking out the garbage.

Early in 2009, residents noticed donations coming to St. Francis House were being taken home by employees, the stuff often being loaded into employee cars by St. Francis House residents themselves. A van full of practically new clothes showed up one day but never seemed to get distributed. Now that it’s getting cold, it falls on the night manager to call a “cold night”, where a call out goes out for extra mats on the floor of St. Francis House and some churches open their doors to shelter the extra homeless for the night. Again in early 2009, one pastor drove into town to open up on a particularly bitter night only to be “called off” by the night manager at St. Francis House. He along with everyone else who lives here, knew there were people outside that night and that tiny St. Francis House could not possibly shelter everyone but they made that call. So he went home.

There are lots of rules and they are for the safety of everyone. Police get called for fights and evictions. Before the current director, there were lots of drugs. So far this year, at least 25 to 30 people have been kicked out, often for alcohol on their breath, but sometimes this seems hit or miss, depending on the night manager on duty.

But the main thing is the way most of the employees treat the homeless. Being down, tired, scared and dirty is bad enough. To be talked to in an insulting way or treated as less than human adds insult to injury. Most of the homeless have stories to tell of just this kind of treatment. Funny thing is, all the official talk is about money money money and building a bigger and better shelter. What good would that do if a homeless person still gets treated like dirt? Treating people with kindness and respect gets you a lot more than just throwing money at a problem and it really doesn’t cost a dime.

Personal note: (THIS STORY WAS REFUSED BY THE FOLIO WEEKLY, because the author of it is a homeless man living in the St. Augustine area)

STOP...inversehalo?

Inversehalo presents....!

We've created a sub-group, for volunteers, who want the opportunity to help others in Jax,Fl.
The River City Outreach Volunteer unit, or R.C.O.V.
This group is it's own operating entity and is free to anyone who would like to
-help the homeless
-care for the sick and elderly
-clean up the environment

anyone wishing to apply for volunteer work, should check out this site:
www.rivercityoutreach.blogspot.com