Gordy

His friends tell me that Gordy has been living in the streets for five years. He allowed me to photograph him because his friends were with me, but he was too shy to talk to me himself. According to his friends, he is a gentle, soft-spoken, retiring man who cannot advocate for himself. He is perplexed by having to take a number and wait till the number is called. He doesn’t like crowds. He doesn’t like to ask for anything. He doesn’t want favors or charity. But his friends are worried for him. They hope to get him into some kind of housing before winter comes because he’s sixty-two and in fragile health, and because they love him.

They say to their knowledge he has never caused any trouble for anyone but himself. He is kind and friendly, but don’t ask him a question. He’s embarrassed by attention. He never speaks much above a whisper, never uses foul language, never fights back. His friends are also my friends, some of the formerly unhoused people I know and respect. I spent the day with them today, taking pictures of them and their neighborhood in preparation for a blog they plan to start when their grant comes in.

For twelve years they’ve been planning a “second-chance” organization for unhoused people. Twelve years of planning, dreaming, talking, writing plans on napkins, sketching a logo, talking about getting tattoos with the name of the organization. For twelve years they have fought their way through the system and have listened to heart-breaking stories of people who were rejected for housing or medical care or educational programs or job training.

They wrote a grant application and have been awarded a grant to pursue their dream; the money should be coming in by the 1st October, and so they want to create a blog and some kind of web presence. Their new organization is People Helping All Together (PHAT), and they want especially to serve young people, LGBTQ people, women, and veterans. Many of them have ink on their bodies. And so they call themselves PHAT KIDZ INK. The organization is composed of four formerly-unhoused people who have been through various social services in Portland and can help people who may have struck out. They will be a funnel for resources, helping to connect people with services they need. They will provide bus tickets for job interviews, clothing for people who get jobs, bike locks and soap or deodorant. More importantly, they will explain the very complicated social services system to people who are frustrated, confused, or have been rejected for services. In most cases they will not provide direct service. In most cases they will just provide information, so that people can advocate for themselves.

But they’re willing to accompany a person like Gordy who cannot fight his way through the system. They’re willing to go with him to those offices, to walk him through the procedures, to fight for him. Because he can’t fight for himself.

You’ve heard of these people before, if you’ve been following my journal. Today’s pictures for their website and blog are here.