Issue 10 $1.

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January ‘09
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Welcome Home - A Transitional Tale Inside This Issue:

BY MICHAEL “PONTIAC” COOKE
Formerly Homeless Writer Who Are We? ..........................................2
thecontributorstaff@gmail.com
Opinion ....................................................3
t is early morning on a cold Decem-

I ber day, and I am lying in a warm

News ........................................................4
bed in my new apartment in Mer- Street Interview ......................................6
cury Court North. But my mind is
somewhere else. I am thinking about Life ............................................................7
my friends in Tent City. Are they staying
warm? Do they have enough to eat? Poetry ......................................................8-9
Breakfast in my camp almost always
consisted of cold sandwiches gathered
Scramble ..................................................14
from the food truck the night before. Food Hoboscope ..............................................14
storage difficulties in camp life certainly
limited the options, and cunningly crafty

Answers and More Questions

critters were always in search of a midnight
snack.
In my new apartment, bacon & eggs
are back on the menu again, as well as the an update on Tent City
dairy products that are in such seemingly
ARTICLE AND PHOTOS magine for a moment

I
short supply on the streets. Pontiac at a recent rally for Tent City. Photo by Steve Samra. BY STEVE SAMRA that you are standing
In my camp, taking a shower always
ing routine consisted of getting out from ers of cold blankets, after which I would Formerly Homeless at the terminus of a
proved to be a very chilly challenge. It
under several layers of blankets, then shak- often read my Bible by the light of a head- Writer very crowded railroad
would involve a walk of nearly a quarter a
ing and shivering while trying to get sev- lamp. Realizing the inherent dangers of findstevefast@gmail.com platform with your
mile, carrying bags of toiletries and clean
eral layers of cold clothing on as quickly as sleeping outside, with nothing but a piece spouse and four children at
clothes, while trying not to incur injury in
possible. I would then proceed directly to of tent fabric for security, I would pray for Utilitarianism: the idea your side. A train full of pas-
the slippery shower sandals that aren’t de-
the fire pit, stacking crumpled paper and the Lord’s providence and protection. that the moral worth of an sengers on their way to hol-
signed for outdoor travel.
broken twigs - with all the meticulousness In my new apartment, a dead-bolted action is determined solely iday celebrations speeds out
In my new apartment, the bathroom
that my obsessive compulsive disorder door now keeps me and my belongings by its contribution to over- of control towards the plat-
is only steps away, and a long, hot bath is
could muster - and then slowly build it safe and secure. As I crawl into a soft bed, all utility: that is, its contri- form, and a violent crash
now an option for the first time in several
from a tiny fire into with crisp sheets and a cozy comforter, I bution to happiness or that will kill hundreds of in-
years.
a fire big enough to give thanks for all the blessings in my life. pleasure as summed among nocent and unsuspecting
When I lived
outside, my daily du-
“In my new apartment, heat coffee water And I think about my friends in Tent City, all persons foreseeably af- people on the train and plat-
and camp as well. my friends all over the streets of Nashville, fected by the action. It is form is certain if no action is
ties routinely required all that is required is to
In my new and I pray that they, someday, might be so thus a form of consequen- taken. Unfortunately, the
the constant cleaning
of camp due to the an- turn the dial to the heat
apartment, all that is blessed. tialism, meaning that the only way to save everyone
required is to turn It is nice to enjoy life’s little luxuries moral worth of an action is on the train and in the sta-
noying ash created by setting, and place a pan
the dial to the heat again. And I am truly grateful. I would like determined by its outcome: tion is to push your family
a crackling campfire.
The search for fire- of water on the stove.”
setting, and place a to thank Will Connelly, Steve Samra, Jean- put simply, the ends justify into the path of the oncom-
pan of water on the nie Alexander, Courtney Bottoms, Lauren the means. Utility, the good ing train. Do you sacrifice
wood was unending
stove. Russell and Lindsey Krinks for all of their to be maximized, has been your family for the greater
and exhaustive, and always aggravated old
Every night, bedtime’s beckoning in- hard work and diligent efforts on behalf of defined by various thinkers good?
injuries.
cluded waiting for the fire-pit to no longer the Park Center Homeless Outreach Pro- as happiness or pleasure Thankfully, most peo-
Also frustrating were the daily deci-
pose a hazard to camp or community, gram. I would also like to thank Urban (versus sadness or pain), al- ple will never have to make
sions of when and where to seek suste-
making sure there had been no tasty temp- Housing Solutions as well as all the others though preference utilitari- such a horrible decision.
nance. Some “feedings” would require a
tations left out for the local rodent popula- who made this possible. I am truly blessed. ans define it as the However, public administra-
walk of several miles, after which we would
tion, and the securing of camp gear and The transition from Tent City life to satisfaction of preferences. It tors and direct service work-
usually be hungry again - having traveled a
personal belongings. I would then carefully living in an apartment has been pretty may be described as a life ers operating in the arena of
taxing trek back to our campsite. At my
zip the tent up from the inside, hoping for smooth for me thus far. The case manage- stance, with happiness or public health must deal with
new apartment, a short span of a block or
one more night of dependable division ment as well as the wrap-around services pleasure being of ultimate situations where the poten-
two will find fast food fare, many mini-
from the damp night time air. A broken offered here at Urban Housing Solutions importance. tial scenario in question is as
markets, and the Second Harvest Food
tent zipper was always a very possible promises to make future transition even (Wikipedia) deadly for just as many indi-
Bank truck, which stops by twice a week
predicament. more productive. viduals–
with donated delicacies.
Finally I would take off several layers
When I lived in Tent City, my morn- [Continued on Page 12]
of warm clothing and get under several lay- [Continued on Page 4]
.NEWS.
Project Homeless Connect:
A Hit in Music City
BY CHUCK CLINARD
Formerly Homeless Writer
chuckclinard@ymail.com
n Tuesday, December
O
2nd, the Metropolitan
Homelessness Com-
mission hosted
Nashville’s first ever
Project Homeless Connect, held at the
Municipal Auditorium on 5th Avenue
North. As early as 7:30 a.m., partici-
pants began lining up outside the
arena waiting for the 9:00 a.m. open-
ing time while hundreds of volunteers
clad in yellow shirts were busy making
last minute preparations inside.
Project Homeless Connect is an
event that began in San Francisco in
2004. Since then, the event has been
held in nearly 200 cities across the U.S.
The event brings private and public
service sectors together to make it
easier for individuals who are home-
less to get the services they need. Its
ultimate goal is to end homelessness
one community at a time. Among the
services available were haircuts, foot
care, shoes, medical care, toiletries,
clothing, and help with legal aid, IDs,
birth certificates, food stamps, mental
Homeless Memorial 2008
BY CHUCK CLINARD
Formerly Homeless Writer
chuckclinard@ymail.com
On Saturday, December 13, 2008
the annual Nashville Homeless Me-
morial was held at downtown River-
front Park.
Presenting the official homeless
memorial proclamation was council-
woman Erica Cole of District 19. Sev-
eral songs were performed prior to the
reading of the names of those who
were known to have died on the
streets during the past year in
Nashville. Some of the participants of-
fered a few words about their late
friends.
Following the reading of the
names, flowers were scattered in the
Cumberland River in memory of all
who had lost their lives on the streets
this year.
The Salvation Army and Food
Not Bombs were on hand to feed
those who turned out for the event. At
the conclusion of the ceremony, the
e Contributor • January 2009 • Page 4
health issues, housing applications,
and employment.
Representatives from MDHA
and Urban Housing Solutions were in
attendance with information on hous-
ing. Some of the corporate sponsors
represented were HCA, Kroger, and
Williams Medical Supply. Judging
from the long lines and size of the
crowd, the turnout was far larger than
expected, totaling over 1,078 people.
Councilman Erik Cole was quoted in
the Project’s media packet as saying he
hopes that Project Homeless Connect
will become “a one-stop-shop for the
homeless which [will] eventually in-
volve the entire community.”
Philip Mangano, the executive
director of the US Interagency Coun-
cil on Homelessness, was in atten-
dance and praised Nashville’s
successful inaugural event. Mayor
Karl Dean showed his support of the
event by kicking off the day with an
early morning rally. Lt. Andrea
Swisher of the Metropolitan Police
Department was also in attendance
and eagerly snapped up her copy of
The Contributor.
All in all, Nashville’s inaugural
Project Homeless Connect was a suc-
mobile clinic of United Neighborhood
Health Services provided assistance
for those in need. The memorial was
organized by the Nashville Homeless
Power Project.
Some of the more recognizable
attendees were Howard Gentry, Don
Biesswenger, Lt. Andrea Swisher and
Fr. Charles Strobel.
The memorial began sharply at
10am after the conclusion of the
“Walk-A-Mile in my Shoes” 1-mile
charity walk from LP Field to River-
front Park on 1st avenue. Clifton Har-
ris of MDHA’s Homeless Commission
reported that more than $6,000 was
raised by the walkers and their spon-
sors. About 125 people actually
walked in the event sponsored by The
Metropolitan Homelessness Commis-
sion. The Campus for Human Devel-
opment came in first in the amount of
money raised by their walkers.
At least on December 13, 2008 it
can be said that Nashville didn’t forget
the lost.
Attendees line up on the morning of Project Homeless Connect.
cess. Here are just a few numbers from
the day:
• 140 people obtained
birth certificates
• 61 people obtained ID’s
• 350 people received haircuts
• 32 people received applications to
obtain social security cards
• 743 people received shoes
• 343 people received clothing
and meal vouchers
• Hundreds more received counsel
Photos Top to Bottom: Erica Cole presents at the Memorial.
Walkers cross the Cumberland River into downtown.
Photo by Chuck Clinard.
on credit, legal services, shelter,
physical health, mental health, and
domestic violence
With the first Project Homeless
Connect meeting the needs of so
many of Nashville’s homeless popula-
tion, there is no doubt that the second
Connect, scheduled for a date-to-be-
determined in the first half of 2009,
will be even more well-organized,
staffed, funded, and beneficial for
those seeking to push past the barri-
ers that keep so many of our citizens
in poverty.
Photos by Chuck Clinard.
“Welcome Home”
Continued from Page 1
Having been a part of the
homeless community for more
than six years, I can personally
attest to the effectiveness of cur-
rent efforts to help the home-
less. In the old system, services
were made available at set loca-
tions in many different parts of
the city. This made it difficult, if
not impossible, for people with
physical and mental disabilities
to obtain those services. The
newer outreach efforts are help-
ing the homeless to overcome
those obstacles.
By getting out of the offices
and onto the streets, outreach
workers are better able to assess
the needs and assist with the ne-
cessities for our society’s most
vulnerable human beings.
And efforts by the South-
ern Alliance for Animal Welfare
and founder Laurie Green are
helping the animals that share in
the difficulties and dangers of
life on the streets. I have per-
sonally witnessed Laurie’s pro-
found passion for helping
homeless people and their pets.
She has found loving homes for
many animals that might have
otherwise been put down when
their owners are simply unable
to keep them. She helps of
homeless people stay with their
owners by obtaining their rabies
licenses and tags, necessary vac-
cines and spay/neuter services
as well as pet food for all of the
animals her organization helps.
With this article being my
first for the Contributor, it is my
rookie run at readable writing.
So please forgive the decidedly
discombobulating disparity in
directional determination. I will
try to do better in the future.
If you would like to volun-
teer with or donate to the or-
ganizations I mentioned in this
column, their contact informa-
tion is:
Park Center
Development Office
615-242-3576, ext. 234
Southern Alliance
for Animal Welfare
615-474-8390 or
laurie@fixyourpet.org
Urban Housing Solutions
615-726-2696, ext. 114
Let’s keep the momentum
going strong!