Finding James A Home

I recently worked with a man in his 40’s who has been on the street for 12 years and wanted to find housing.  I’ll call him James.  He has a mental illness and has not been able to resume the work he had done in the past.  I took him to three places.  We sent him to the first place in a cab after getting all the paper work done with phone contact.  It seems that when the apt. manager saw James, he didn’t want him.  He said he’d have to do more paper work.  I took him the next day myself with the paperwork finished.  The manager, whom we’d just spoken with by phone, would not answer the door, nor answer his phone.  I told James “He probably just doesn’t want you.”  James replied, “I guess I’m contagious.”  Beginning to cry, he said that he was so much looking forward to waking up in a bed instead of the street. 

Then, we had a sure fit.  I took James myself to a hotel that rented rooms for the month.  We figured that he could stay there until he could get a place of his own.  We got to the hotel, and were given the key.  James and I went to the room which was very clean, had a small fridge and a microwave and TV.  He didn’t expect any of that.  He sat on the bed and began to feel at home when the manager knocked at the door and said that his boss told him he had to be a senior citizen or have a job.  We walked out discouraged, and James said, “I need a cigarette—my nerves are bad.” 

The man at the hotel did give us a lead to a woman who houses people in homes similar to Adult Foster Care homes.  I called, and she had an opening on the west side.  We still had time to go there.  On arrival, James was welcomed with no questions asked.  He didn’t have to show any papers, he wasn’t even asked for money.  He was to get his check the following day, and that was fine.  It wasn’t quite as nice as the hotel room, but a resident asked me to pray with her.  I did, and she began to cry.  James asked why she was crying, and they began to talk.  He asked if they cook meals there, and she said, “Oh yes, we have greens, corn bread and everything.”  He smiled.  She went on to say: “We’re good people here.  You’ll like it.” 

I left James that evening feeling that he was in good hands.  Finally. - Br. Bob