A Tale of Two Homeless Men

About six weeks ago, I just happened to step out on my front porch as a man was passing by. When he spied me, he approached the house and asked if we had any work he could do. He said that he was homeless and needed to earn $20 each day in order to stay where he was currently staying. He was sharing a room with a friend and splitting the cost. He said that he would do anything inside or out to earn $20.

We had already started the mowing that day, but I figured he could finish the job and do the neighbor's yard also. I was not about to tell him that the neighbors were out of town, but the yards are adjacent, and we did at one time actually own that property too, so I didn't feel the need to explain anything to him.

My husband spent a bit of time talking with him and thought perhaps he could work some for my father-in-law (the 92 year-old mentioned in a prior entry). So before the man left, my husband arranged to put him in contact with his father.

Early the next week...I think it was the first day that he worked for my father-in-law...I read in the paper that someone by the same name and of the approximate age, had been arrested for stealing from his own mother. Oh, crumb. You think you are doing something to help out someone who is in need, and now you find yourself worrying whether this is a safe person to have around.

Well, that week he worked for my father-in-law two days, although he had promised to work four days. During that time he begged for money for medication for his daughter. My father-in-law wouldn't give him the extra money but did meet him at the drugstore and pay for the medication. Before the week was out, my father-in-law's digital camera and an old laptop had disappeared. The guy also tried to convince my father-in-law that he had actually worked the four days promised and only been paid for two.

So today when I saw another person begging for work, I had second thoughts.

I was out doing some shopping for grandkids. At the entrance road into the Walmart, a man was standing on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign. It read, "Will work for food."

When I left the parking lot, he was still standing there. I pulled over to the curb and told him that I didn't have any work, but asked him if there was some place he stayed to which I could deliver some groceries.

"No, I am homeless. I live out of my car."

"Have you had breakfast today?"

"Yes."

"OK, I'm going to go buy you some lunch. I'll be back."

"Oh, that would be really nice."

I went into a nearby grocery store with a deli. I picked up a large sandwich, a bag of small pre-cleaned carrots, a large package of trail mix and a bottled water.

I wondered if he would still be there....he was.

When I handed him the bag, I asked if he knew about The Workplace which helps people find jobs. He didn't, so I told him where it was located.

He seemed appreciative.

After running to a couple more stores (one of which had a "Now Hiring" sign), I passed the spot where he had been standing again. He was gone. Did he go to The Workplace, or had I given him enough food to get through the day, so he could forget about working and hope for someone to come along with food again tomorrow?

Who knows?