30 Nights with the Martinez / Pacheco Homeless Outreach - A Home Run of Compassion

Day 13

6:50 p.m.: Before my day even started I get a call from the police about a lady living in her car by the softball fields in the Marina Park. The lady was parked out behind center field and a guy hit a home run through this lady's window, so she calls the police and they call me. I felt so bad for this lady -- it was the housing she had and a ball goes through her window with her in the car. So I asked her about services. She said she was interested so I called and they are able to put her in shelter in the morning, which is good news. I guess they have someone leaving . But the really cool part of this story is the two teams playing softball took up a collection for her and while I was there they brought her the money. That was an amazing display of compassion for another human being struggling.

Then I cruised the Marina park -- while I was there I stopped a couple of people to see if they wanted anything; they took the basics. Then it was off to downtown where a homeless couple was fighting. They asked me to call the police so I did and they both took off . Then it was off to the Amtrak Station, where right away an inmate came up and asked about the buses. I told him there were no more but I told him I could get him to BART. Then three more people needed rides to BART -- two were inmates with one stranded off the train. I had all of them wait until I was done with Amtrak. I saw 11 people at Amtrak tonight, most drinking of course. Alcoholism runs rampant throughout our homeless population -- what a horrible disease. So now it's off to BART. All four were grateful for the ride. I gave out a couple blankets to my passengers .

Instead of going back to Amtrak I went down on Pine Street where I stopped by Tower Market. There is a man that camps close there so I go and see him; he is drunk as can be and covered with dirt and pee -- he smelled so bad I could hardly breathe. So I took him to the hospital were they can clean him up. I don't have the means to do it in the field. I sometimes wonder if we could get these guys to stop drinking how many would remain homeless.

I get a call to head back downtown and the same couple from before are still fighting -- of course they are both chronic alcoholics. The police come again and they both take off again. The police deal with this couple on a regular basis; it's homeless people like this that give them a bad name. Sure, most drink but that doesn't mean they're bad, it's means they're very sick (my opinion).

I go down the street to a house where there's a huge mess and two totally drunk guys sleeping. I'm going to call the county to clean up the mess since it's county property, but there was nothing I could do for these guys tonight.

What I found interesting is how the homeless plan their days -- tonight almost everyone I contacted told me they can't wait for the Fridays on the Main car shows to start so they can dance. Here's the interesting part. I make appointments for these guys all the time and they go get general assistance or housing. But they plan all week for a car show. Sometimes I discouraged by people but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. I am dedicated to assisting the homeless population.