IT'S A LONG WALK FROM THE STREET - A journey with a guy called "Joe" part 16


I felt frustration. After all this work to try and get Joe some assistance, this man was being told that he didn’t qualify for the assistance that our state offers. This man who had been living on the streets, whose mother introduced him to alcohol as a youth, whose life had been nearly destroyed, who had just begun hoping again, who was just now getting back on his feet, was now being told that he wasn’t qualified for this particular kind of assistance.

But, I knew that it wouldn’t be good for Joe to know what I was feeling. He needed hope. He needed to have a better perspective. So, I began to tell him that this was good news. I told him how he didn’t have to wait any longer for someone else to provide for him. He could now go out there and find some work and provide for himself. He could be self-supporting. I started reminding him of how smart he was, and that he didn’t have to get a job slinging 50-pound boxes. Instead, he could find a job where his brilliant mind would be the key asset.

We arrived back at the church and hung out for a while before Joe left. When he walked out of the door, the smile dropped from my face. I was glad that Julie from Second Chances happened to be conducting a class at the church that day and couldn’t wait to talk to her about the day’s developments.

Julie was ready to call in the cavalry. She told me that we couldn’t just let it rest with this doctor’s opinion. She pointed out the inequity in the social services system… how so many people who are much more physically able than Joe have been qualified for disability assistance. She even told me a part of her personal story. She told me that I should call Congressman Bobby Scott… or call Senator Yvonne Miller – another human rights advocate. She made it clear to me that it was time to fight for this man’s assistance.

But I had a complex combination of emotions going through my head.