In winter, some homeless choose between independence, warmth

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- The heat isn't working in the house, so Brook does what he can to keep warm for his night's sleep. He wears a thick coat and about five layers underneath, with a hat covering the hood that he draws close to his face.

He covers up with a donated blanket and rests his head on a bag where he keeps his belongings. The heat isn't working because he's not paying the bills. In fact, it's not his house -- it's abandoned, and he's not supposed to be there.

Brook, a 42-year-old homeless Atlanta man, is describing one of what he calls his many "catholes" -- places he's found to sleep and that provide some refuge from the elements. Standing on a central Atlanta sidewalk on an unusually bone-chilling Southern night on Tuesday, he says homeless shelters generally aren't for him. He doesn't trust the men who stay there, and he thinks he's better off alone.

"It's an environment where you can't keep your eyes closed," says Brook, who declined to give his full name and says he's seen too many men stealing from others in shelters.

Brook is among the thousands of Atlanta-area homeless choosing where to keep warm this week as a cold snap blisters much of the nation, including Southern states not used to an extended period of freezing temperatures.


Sherman Vickers, 63, prefers sleeping in parks on a foam mat but takes advantage of shelter when it gets too cold.
The Shepherd's Inn in Atlanta made room for more homeless men this week as temperatures and wind chills dropped.Sherman Vickers, 63, also prefers to sleep on his own, usually using shelters and other homeless services only for meals and showers. On fair-weather days, he sleeps in parks, resting on a mat of inch-thick foam that he rolls up after using it.

But on Tuesday, a night when temperatures were in the 20s and wind chills were worse, Vickers was gratefully resting at The Shepherd's Inn, an emergency men's shelter run by Atlanta Union Mission, a Christian ministry.

"This time of year, you need to be somewhere out of the cold," Vickers, a homeless Atlanta resident, said Tuesday at the shelter.

This week, with morning temperatures in the teens, more people have flocked to The Shepherd's Inn than usual. The shelter, which normally takes in about 250 men nightly, took in more than 400 on Monday night, with cots and mats put in the kitchen and cafeteria to help with the increase, Atlanta Union Mission CEO Jim Reese said. An AUM shelter for women and children also saw an increase.

Though the cold weather strains resources at the emergency shelters, Reese said he sees the influx as an opportunity for the staff to invite more people into its life-skills and other programs, which provides reserved beds at other buildings.

How to help the homeless this winter

"I think what we would see is that might break a habit of being comfortable [sleeping] under a bridge," Reese said. "And maybe this environment ... gives them a chance to see it really is different."

More than 21,000 people in Atlanta and Fulton and DeKalb counties were projected to be homeless sometime last year, according to the Metro Atlanta Tri-Jurisdictional Collaborative, a group that addresses homelessness in the area.

Even this far south, the weather can be cold enough to kill. In February 2008, four apparently homeless people were found dead on one day in Atlanta, and authorities suspected below-freezing temperatures were a factor, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported then. In Fulton County, which includes part of Atlanta, two homeless people in 2006 and one in 2007 died of hypothermia, according to the county medical examiner's office.

Though shelters expand their capacity and other groups such as churches may offer makeshift refuge in extremely cold weather, not every homeless person who'd want to stay at a shelter can. In 2007, the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported that 12 of 23 U.S. cities surveyed said they had shelters that at least sometimes had to turn people away because of a lack of capacity.

Brook, who says he's been without a regular job for two years and on the streets or in jail for much of the time since he moved from New York in 2001, prefers to go it alone.

He hints he breaks the law to make money for food: "I don't sell drugs, but ... I'm in what you could call creative independent marketing and distribution -- I acquire things for low and I sell high." He says he's also a barber, having acquired clippers he uses to cut people's hair at a price he says is lower than area barber shops.

He says his catholes are many, from regular haunts such as certain abandoned houses and parking-garage stairwells, to those he'll improvise on the fly, such as Dumpsters that he'll line with cardboard.

Where he sleeps depends on where he is, what he can find unoccupied and the weather. On a cold week like this, an abandoned house is the choice spot, though he doesn't want to always use the same one for fear he'll get caught. Each morning he departs a sleeping place, he takes his bag with him and stashes it somewhere else, trying to leave no trace where he's slept.

The worst, he says, is when it's cold and raining. Two weeks ago, he said, he reluctantly went to a shelter because of rain. Fearing a theft, he didn't sleep.

"You sit in a chair with a light on, so you can't really rest, but you get off your feet," Brook said.

Brook says he'd prefer a place of his own and hopes to one day make and save enough to have one. But while he's homeless, he'll take his catholes over a shelter.

Vickers, who says he's been homeless for much of the time since the late 1980s after he suffered a hit-and-run injury and lost his Atlanta-based trucking job, may prefer the outdoors, but he'll take no chances in the cold. He's been at The Shepherd's Inn daily since mid-December, he said.

"Being here at the mission is a good thing. It's well-staffed, it's comfortable, clean, the food service is good, and they're safe," he said. "It's good being out of the cold."


CNN's Lauren Prazmark contributed to this report.



Share this on:
Mixx
Facebook

Twitter

Digg

delicious

reddit

MySpace

StumbleUpon


FOLLOW THIS TOPIC

We recommendHow to help the homeless
Snow, ice tighten grip on Deep South
Mayor steps in to help residents stay warm
More Living
Working in 'Wi-Fi' limbo
Suze Orman's easy money to-do list
In winter, some homeless choose between independence, warmth

Log in or sign up to comment
soundoff (15 Comments)
Show: Newest | Oldest | Most liked
Showing 15 of 15 comments
Sort by Popular now Best Rating Newest first Oldest first Subscribe by email Subscribe by RSS
Freedom2010
Freedom2010 Oh God,we need more peace and mercy for those homeless.We trust you Lord Jesus.
10 minutes ago | Like | Report abuse bgirl38
bgirl38
I know some viewers did not agree with "manax" statement, but the statementhas some truth to it. A lot of people don't want to hear the truth, yes, there are homeless people that didn't have a choice of being homeless. There are a lot of homeless that don't want help, to recover and contribute to so ...more
I know some viewers did not agree with "manax" statement, but the statement
has some truth to it. A lot of people don't want to hear the truth, yes, there are homeless people that didn't have a choice of being homeless. There are a lot of homeless that don't want help, to recover and contribute to society. I am a witness to this, i see it everyday, especially adult single men, that really makes me angry to see these men wasting their time and begging for money. To "enkay" you recommend viewers to watch the movie, Pursuit of Happyness, in that movie the character Will Smith plays, fell on hard times, but he kept trying, choosing not to drown in his sorrows and beg for money and squat in abandon houses! less
13 minutes ago | Like | Report abuse Honos
Honos Homeless who steal from other homeless. With as many wealthy around. A typical human behavior of sharing pain and suffering. Same with happiness. When will we learn to just choose to be happy and giving.
18 minutes ago | Like | Report abuse Guest
Guest It's not just a choice between independence and warmth it's also a choice between relative safety and warmth. A homeless person has to hit the point where cold is more frightening to them than assault, lice, tuberculosis, and humiliation before going to a homeless shelter sounds good.
20 minutes ago | Like (1) | Report abuse Guest
Guest This country is stupid.
20 minutes ago | Like (1) | Report abuse Guest
Guest
The majority of homeless men and women are either mentally ill or are alcoholics/drug addicts. Those who are in the streets simply because they lost jobs and were not able to keep their homes are usually only homeless temporarily. Addiction is not easy to break, but many do it - those who will not t ...more
The majority of homeless men and women are either mentally ill or are alcoholics/drug addicts. Those who are in the streets simply because they lost jobs and were not able to keep their homes are usually only homeless temporarily. Addiction is not easy to break, but many do it - those who will not try, or who will not try to find work, do choose poverty. I have a sister who would be homelss if our mother did not pay her rent. She repeatedly refuses to accept jobs that would help her support herself, or she gets drunk and loses her little jobs, and she blames everyone but herself. She is typical of many homeless.

The mentally ill used to be housed in state or private hospitals, where they could be given medication and kept safe. But the ACLU and other leftist groups lobbied and sued to have them set free, so now they wander the streets and sleep under bridges, and self-medicate with alcohol and illegal drugs. less
28 minutes ago | Like (1) | Report abuse Guest
Guest
God bless the man featured who attempts to earn an honest dollar by barbering. His story echoes that of an LA homeless man who shined shoes until local gov't made him stop because he didn't have the right permits, etc. to do so. Less government regulation would enable people to set up shop at a reas ...more
God bless the man featured who attempts to earn an honest dollar by barbering. His story echoes that of an LA homeless man who shined shoes until local gov't made him stop because he didn't have the right permits, etc. to do so. Less government regulation would enable people to set up shop at a reasonable cost to get started in their own business and earn a small but steady income. It would be interesting to see how many people would do so if they were encouraged rather than overwhelmed by government intervention. less
58 minutes ago | Like (4) | Report abuse empressgem
empressgem Poverty is never a choice for anyone it just happens, especially if you have families that are not supportive.
1 hour ago | Like (2) | Report abuse enkay
enkay
What a shame that this is happening in the USA!! Everyone should fall on hard times at least once in their lives to appreciate the plight of homeless people. Manax, Do you have no compassion ? May you go through this circumstance at least once so you can empathize. Also recommend you watch the movie ...more
What a shame that this is happening in the USA!! Everyone should fall on hard times at least once in their lives to appreciate the plight of homeless people. Manax, Do you have no compassion ? May you go through this circumstance at least once so you can empathize. Also recommend you watch the movie "Pursuit of Happyness". That'll open up your eyes. less
1 hour ago | Like (3) | Report abuse manax
manax
Barring mental or physical disabilities, homelessness and poverty in America is a choice. I read this in the book "Poverty is a Choice: How and Why Millions Turn Their Backs on the American Dream."We can help them out as much as we can, but if they don't want to help themselves what can we do? They ...more
Barring mental or physical disabilities, homelessness and poverty in America is a choice. I read this in the book "Poverty is a Choice: How and Why Millions Turn Their Backs on the American Dream."

We can help them out as much as we can, but if they don't want to help themselves what can we do? They can have all the freedom they want, but what if they don't want freedom's corresponding social responsibilities? less
1 hour ago | Like (10) | Report abuse
ryansgirl
ryansgirl
I bet you read all those books on 2012, and think the world is ending in two years, too. Just because some guy with a theory manages to get published doesn't make his ideas true. Sure, there are plenty of deadbeats out there, too unstable to get steady work. And there are plenty of good people who m ...more
I bet you read all those books on 2012, and think the world is ending in two years, too. Just because some guy with a theory manages to get published doesn't make his ideas true. Sure, there are plenty of deadbeats out there, too unstable to get steady work. And there are plenty of good people who make bad choices. But especially right now, there are ordinary, hardworking people who've lost their jobs, lost their homes, lost everything, and are on the streets. You can't just pigeon-hole people, you or the author of that silly book - it's as prejudiced and narrow-minded as saying all Arabs are terrorists, or all women are manipulative gold-diggers. Show a modicum of compassion and try to give people the benefit of the doubt. less
56 minutes ago | Like (6) | Report abuse Rexa
Rexa
There is a van of volunteers that goes around my area periodically during the cold nights trying to gather homeless people who may need shelter and so many times I see them reject the offer. I see the volunteers trying to talk to them for several minutes to convince them to come with them because it ...more
There is a van of volunteers that goes around my area periodically during the cold nights trying to gather homeless people who may need shelter and so many times I see them reject the offer. I see the volunteers trying to talk to them for several minutes to convince them to come with them because it's terribly cold outside. I don't know if being homeless itself is a choice but it's a choice if you choose to seek help or not and oftentimes I see such people choosing to not accept help unfortunately. less
1 hour ago | Like (2) | Report abuse
jrvinnh
jrvinnh
I used to scoff at homeless people and folks on public assistance, often calling them deadbeats. Then I lost my job and couldn't find another one that paid a decent wage. It took a while but I eventually lost my home and wound up spending some time on the street before a friend took me in. I don't s ...more
I used to scoff at homeless people and folks on public assistance, often calling them deadbeats. Then I lost my job and couldn't find another one that paid a decent wage. It took a while but I eventually lost my home and wound up spending some time on the street before a friend took me in. I don't scoff at anyone anymore. It's the system that does it to people. less
1 hour ago | Like (13) | Report abuse LAB1
LAB1 What a shame that there's no work for people out there and they're rendered homeless as a result. Six people average for every junk job that doesn't pay a living wage and people are clamoring for those jobs. No wonder it doesn't pay to work for a living.
2 hours ago | Like (3) | Report abuse NirvanaMan
NirvanaMan God Bless The Homeless and Hopefully they find a good job to afford a place on their own..
4 hours ago | Like (16) | Report abusePost a comment
Log in or sign up to comment



NewsPulse
Most popular stories right now
Burned body in trash ID'd as Playboy modelCIA attacker's wife 'shocked' but proudReports: Changes on way for 'Jay Leno Show'?E-readers grab attention at CESSnow, ice tighten grip on Southeast
Explore the news with NewsPulse »


Part time jobs
Sales and Marketing Jobs
Customer Service Jobs

Quick Job Search
Job type ----------------- Accounting Admin & Clerical Automotive Banking Biotech Broadcast - Journalism Business Development Construction Consultant Customer Service Design Distribution - Shipping Education Engineering Entry Level - New Grad Executive Facilities Finance General Business General Labor Government Grocery Healthcare Hotel - Hospitality Human Resources Information Technology Installation - Maint - Repair Insurance Inventory Legal Legal Admin Management Manufacturing Marketing Nurse Other Pharmacy Professional Services Purchasing - Procurement QA - Quality Control Research Restaurant - Food Service Retail Sales Science Skilled Labor - Trades Strategy - Planning Supply Chain Telecomm Training Transportation Warehouse State -------