1. BeinghomelessinHartfordisbrutal.Notjustdue to inadequate amountsof shelterbedsordonations,
but because of the classof people thatlive inthe cityandprovide itscore workforce.Askalmostany
personwhohas beenhomelessonthe streetsof downtownHartfordforaweekormore andI’m sure
theycan tell youtheirexperienceswiththe “welltodo”people whoworkdowntownwholaughat,
ridicule,ignore,andoutrightcomplainaboutthose lessfortunate.
Nowletme addthisdisclaimerbefore I continue.Itisnotmy intenttoimplythatthose whohave
excellentjobsandmake alot of moneyare MANDATED to helpthose lessfortunate.Theyare not.They
workedhardto earn goodeducationsandjobs,andunderno circumstancesare theyobligatedto part
withtheirmoney tohelpothers.However,thatdoesNOTexcuse alarge percentage of these people’s
behaviorstowardspovertystrickenpeople.
I cannot begintocount howmanytimesI have askedpeople whoworkatthe bigfinancial and
insurance companiesinHartfordif theywouldmindbuyingme some foodbecause Iwasonthe streets
and hungry.I alsocannotbeginto countthe amountof timesthatI was cursedat, laughedat,insulted,
and quite literallyone time…spitat.
Do youknowhow many timesIhave walkedpastpeople whoIjustsaw somebodylessfortunate askfor
somethingfrom,andoverheartheircallousanddemeaningremarksaboutthatperson?Countless.And
let’snotforgetthe websitesandFacebooksitesthatthe “downtowndwellers” of Hartfordhave created
to complainaboutthe povertyandhomelessproblem.Itseemsthatthe richhave noproblembeing
meanand complaining,orurgingthe cityandpolice tohassle those onthe streetsthroughcheap
politickingviawebsitesandanonymousphonecalls.If theyhave time todoall that,thenwhynot just
do the opposite andeitherdonate moneytocreate more sheltersandagencies,oruse the websitesto
urge the cityto provide more of them?The issue isnotgoingto disappearorlessenotherwise.
JustthisweekI reada police reportfroma good friendof mine whoishomelessandstaysinBushnell
Park because there are noshelterbedsavailable.He wasarrestedfor trespassingandinterferingwith
police because he wasinthe park sleepingafterdark.The police reportclearlystatedthatthe reasons
behindtheirincreasedpatrolswere due to"citizens" complaints aboutthe qualityof living.Basically,the
rich don’tlike havingtosee homeless peopleinthe park.My issue withthatisthat if its againstthe law
to be in the park afterdark thenwhy aren’tthe rich people doingthe complainingbeingarrestedfor
beingthere?
Now,inthe spiritof fairness,Ihave had manyconversationswithpeople whoworkandlive downtown,
specificallydiscussingwhymostpeople shunthose lessfortunate.The answerisinvariablythattheyare
not againsthelpingit’sthattheyare tiredof beingscammed.

2. WhenI came to the streets,Isawfirsthandhow manypeople are outthere askingformoney.The
numbersare mindbogglingespeciallyconsideringhow small the downtownareaactuallyis.The issue
that manypeople have withhelpingisthattheycantell that the vastmajorityof those askingformoney
are notusingit forfoodor othernecessities.
The three biggestcomplaintsI’ve heardare thatwhensomeone comesuptothemtoask for moneyfor
food,insteadof givingthemmoney,theyoffertotake themto a store to buy themfood.All of a sudden
the individual askingforhelphassomewhere else to go,or saysthey’dratherhave the moneyinstead.
The secondcomplaintisthat people are tiredof the same storiesthose askingformoneyare using.The
“I needbusfare to get to NewHaven”ploy,or“My car broke downby the highway”scam.The third
complaintisthatwhensomeone actuallygivesthemwhatevertheyhave onthem, change ora couple
bucks,theyactuallygetcussedoutbecause the personaskingdoesn’tthinkit’senoughandthatthey
deserve more!!!Imagine that.Anyways,the listisendless, andquite oftenpeople seerightthroughit.
As a resultof my researchandfirsthand experiencesItriedadifferentapproachwhenIwasouton the
streetsandit wasmet withhelpandgoodcheer.Insteadof askingpeople formoneyIwouldstandnear
a deli or store andspecificallystate thatIdidNOTwant cash because Ididn’twantthemto thinkI was
spendingitonnefariouspursuits,andrequestedthattheyactuallywalktothe store and purchase me
food.The resultswere immediate.People where verywillingtodothisbecause theyknew theyweren’t
gettingscammedandcouldsee where theirmoneywasgoing.Asanaddedbenefit,people would
actuallygive me moneyafterIboughtthe foodor before because theyappreciatedmyhonesty.
Also,insteadof justwanderingaroundaskingformoneyandchange all day,whenIDID ask someone,
I’dengage themina meaningful conversationonamultitude of topics,butwhichalwaysturnedtowards
themaskingme aboutmy situationandhow I came to be homeless.Afterlearningaboutme andmylife
they’dgrowto realize thatnoteverypersonwhoislessfortunate oronthe streetsissome monster
whichisthe prevailingstereotype.These people where store andclubowners,insurance andfinancial
brokers,andyes,evenone time,amayorand a state senator.Theytookan interestinme andbecame
investedinmakingsure theyhelpedme togetbackon my feet.Theygave me clothes,shoes,andfood
fromtheirstores.Purchasedme identificationandphones.They’dinvite me topartiesandfunctions
and offerme small jobstoearn money.They’dcall otherfriendsandsee if theycoulddothingstohelp
out.All thisbecause Itook the time to be honestaboutmyself andmysituation,andtoshow themthat
there are plentyof people onthe streetsthatjustneedpeople whocare tohelpthemgetback ontheir
feet.
So to all those outthere struggling,Iimplore youtoformrelationshipswiththe people youaskfor
thingsfromand see regularly.If youwantandneedhelp,be honest.Don’tlie andmake upfalse stories
to getmoney.People know thatit’snottrue,andit putsa negative face onhomelessness.Althoughit
mightput a fewbucksinyour pocketimmediately,itinvariablyhurtsthe cause of gettingmore help
fromcompaniesandpeople willingtodonate moneyandothernecessitiestoagenciesandchurches.

3. Take responsibilityforyourownlife andknow thatitsa favorif someone helpsyou,butitisNOT their
obligation.Staymotivatedandpositive!
God speedinyourquests!