Dealing with Disabilities and Homelessness

Today I found out Lion’s Manor on Strabane is a geared to income building, so I called to get more information and it turns out it’s a seniors building.  

I texted my husband to tell him about it and he phoned me with a suggestion to call the city and see if I can apply for housing on behalf of MM.  

“Explain the situation,” he said,  “and see what you can do”.

I’m sure I can get somewhere with this if I called and spoke to enough people but then we still would have to convince MM  to go along.   If we can find him.

Meanwhile…
Yesterday as I was sitting in the car preparing to leave, I saw a guy on a bicycle with one hand on the handlebars and one on a shopping cart he was pulling along-side of his bike.  The cart had something in it but I couldn’t make out what it was, so I thought he was either taking home some shopping or he’s homeless carting along all his worldly possessions.

It was an odd sight!  Wearing a hoodie under a beige-brown coat, heavy work boots, big sunglasses, and hat.  His face was covered with a scarf or facial hair.  I looked as closely as I could as he approached.  He didn’t look in my direction at all, as if I was invisible or he was purposely not looking in my direction to avoid being ‘seen’.

I lingered in the driveway and watched him ride past then turn the corner to the east.  Slowly I backed out of the driveway and turned to travel in his direction.  As I approached the intersection, I could see him at the end of the road at the next intersection and thought it was weird he would turn back up towards the main road.  

Now I was fairly sure it was MM … maybe!

I went on with my trip and stopped to pay a bill.  After I finished and began my trip north towards the main road, I saw the guy again, heading southward again, traveling without the shopping cart, coming towards me.  

This time as I passed him I slowed down to a crawl and looked very closely at his face, which I am convinced is MM (with full facial hair coverage) and he again makes a point not to look in my direction as if I wasn’t there.

At dinner, I shared this experience with hubby and it has bugged me ever since.  

On the one hand if it was MM, it’s creepy that he would troll past my house and pretend he’s not himself, and on the other hand, if he had stopped to say something and he happened to be in a funk or angry mood, he could have become violent with me again and I wouldn’t have E (or anyone) nearby to hold him back.

For now, I’m going to walk away and turn my attention to something else while I quietly think of the pros and cons of calling around on his behalf.

Homelessness, mental health, affordable housing

About Nancy Tessier 128 Articles
Move Over Mid-Life Barbie, Nancy T is here. Married. Green-eyed blonde or brunette (depending on my mood). Sweet, sensitive, smart & self-employed. Owner of Windsor Business Networks, Bridal Basics, Mashup Kaffe Designer, Writer, Creative Director, and Master Collaborator