Judging a book by its cover

You’ve all seen homeless people, either in person or in photos: pushing carts laden with stuff, cycling around with enormous bags of empties strapped to their bikes, sitting on a cold sidewalk waiting for hand out, battered and dirty.  But, you’ve probably also walked right by people who are homeless and you never realized it.  The latter are so-called “invisible homeless” – they look and act just like the rest of us and don’t stand out in a crowd.   We have both types at the Inn and we welcome them all.

I related the story of Sonny in an earlier post and he's an example of the former.  He looks homeless: he pushes a cart or walks along beside his bike, his wears layers of clothing to shield him from the weather and his hands are perpetually grimy from his trade.  But inside, he's blessed with a sharp mind, he's a great story teller and has a heart of gold.

 “Maurice" is an example of the invisible homeless – he's clean and neatly dressed.  Instead of a cart or loaded bike, he carries his belongings in a shopping bag, from a high-end shopping centre.  If you spent time talking with him, you’d learn he’s articulate, polite and well read and still never guess he was homeless.

Maurice first walked through our doors the third night we were open and has stayed with us for 22 consecutive nights.   The only person who’s stayed more nights is Dave, who arrived opening night and has joined us every night since, except one – he spent cheque day in November at the “GRC hotel”, as he calls it, at the corner of Minoru and Granville.

Maurice spends hours reading the daily papers and doing the crosswords. One morning I asked if he's a Province man or a Sun man.  His answer: "Globe & Mail".   His other love is hockey and he generally catches the games at a nearby McDonald’s, before coming to the shelter, often arriving well after dinner service has ended,  but he’s grateful for the leftovers we heat up for him.

A couple times, I've asked him about his plan for the day.  Both times, his answer surprised me.   The first time, he said he was planning to get a haircut.  It had been over a year since his last cut, his hair was shoulder length, so it was a big deal for him.  He'd been setting aside some of his "bottle money" (from collecting empties) for this occasion, had walked past the barbershop about a dozen times the day before, but never went in.   When he arrived back that night, he looked the same, so I figured this process might take a while. But the next night, his locks were gone -- and I didn't recognize him at first.

The next time I asked him about his plan was the last morning we were open.  His answer: "I'm going to sort out my pension."  What kind of pension?   "I filed late for my CPP and Old Age Pension and I'm trying to get the money retroactive to last July."   I had no idea Maurice was 65 – he doesn’t look it -- and there’s no good age to be homeless, but 65 is definitely too old.  Unfortunately, senior homelessness is not uncommon, especially in Richmond.  In the last regional homeless count (2008), Richmond had the highest percentage of homeless persons who were seniors (defined to be 55 and older): 17%.  

And, Richmond has the second highest rates of household and child poverty in the province (reference city of Richmond website,  click here).

On the exterior, we appear to be an affluent community: mega homes and expensive cars.   But like individuals, you can’t judge a municipality by appearances.  You have to look beyond external appearances to discover what's really going on.

I wonder how many other seniors, families and children in Richmond are homeless or teetering on the edge?