Panel sheds light on issue
BUTLER TWP — Five men and women from the Butler area who used to be homeless, but have since gotten help, shared their stories Wednesday night.
The Faces of Homelessness Project photography exhibit, panel discussion and movie screening were held at Butler County Community College as part of Butler County's Homeless Awareness Month. It was hosted by the Butler County Local Housing Options Team and the BC3 social work club.
Allyson Rose of Butler County Human Services said part of having a community response to the problem of homelessness is to make people aware of the issue.
She said the goal of having a panel and a photography display was to “help get a good idea of what homelessness looks like in our community.”
Harvey Richardson, a Marine veteran who saw action in Beirut, Lebanon, in the 1980s, said his life took a turn for the worse in the early 1990s when he got divorced and saw his substance abuse issues grow.
“I burnt a hole in my stomach. I drank so much,” he said. “So I said 'I can't drink no more, may as well try dope.'”
For more than five years he was homeless, sleeping in cars, eating food out of garbage cans, shoplifting and bathing in creeks. Eventually, his brother convinced him to seek help at VA Butler Healthcare.
He was able to detox at his mother's house and then entered the VA's domiciliary program, which got him on the right path.
“It is possible to stay clean, but it takes work and it's serious work,” he said.
Richardson said he owes his life to his mother and today he tries to help others when he can.
“To help another human being is the greatest gift of all in this life on this planet,” he said.
Jamie Heath said she was homeless multiple times over eight years during which she was using drugs.
In July of this year, she got sober and was able to find housing and employment thanks to help from the Lighthouse Foundation.
She also was able to get custody of her son, who had been taken from her.
“It's amazing. It saved my life,” she said about the programs offered by the Lighthouse Foundation.
Valerie Morris said she was working two jobs and going to college when she had a family tragedy followed by having two cars break down in a short time.
She moved around a lot and was homeless several times over two years. She eventually got help from Catholic Charities.
“It was frustrating not knowing when I was going to be stable and secure again,” she said.
Ron Christopher said he struggled with homelessness and alcoholism from the time he was 16 years old. He thought joining the Army would help him get sober, but that was not the case.
“I thought if I joined the service, they would teach me not to drink, but what I learned was they taught you how to drink more,” he said.
He was discharged from the Army and was married and lived in a house with a family for a time, but later got divorced and became homeless again. Since 2011, he has been sober, thanks to help from the VA.Before he got help, Christopher said he thought he was stupid.“When you get into programs, they help you understand that, you know what, you're not stupid,” he said.He is now a certified peer specialist with the VA's Healthcare for Homeless Veterans program.He does outreach in the homeless community, trying to help people who are either too proud to seek help or think they wouldn't qualify for help.John Wroblewski said he has struggled with drug addiction and homelessness throughout his life.In 2006, he had a job, a car and a home, but found himself getting back into drugs.“I just gave up on life. It was pretty much my decision to be homeless. Basically, I was trying to kill myself,” he said.During that time, he would sleep in basement storage areas of apartment buildings, in Dumpsters and in wooded areas throughout the city where the homeless often gather.Wroblewski said many people aren't aware of the homeless population in Butler because many of them don't walk the streets during the day.“I felt like the lowest life form on the planet. People treat you differently,” he said.In 2009, he got clean and got an apartment and a job after seeking help at the Center for Community Resources.His daughter, who at the time was 6 months old, was his motivation.“She basically saved my life. I was trying to stay clean because I knew I had a little girl,” he said.The photographs exhibited at the event were taken by several people from the Butler area who have experienced homelessness.Heath, who was also one of the photographers, took photographs of some of the many homes or buildings where she stayed and left without having paid rent. She also photographed one of several wooded spots in the city, where she would sometimes sleep.Another photographer was Ray Wheless, who stayed in a tent and carried all her belongings in a backpack for a while both in North Carolina and near Butler.Wheless said she now has a job and housing thanks to help from friends as well as Catholic Charities and the Lighthouse Foundation.“The more we can make people aware of homelessness, the easier we can make it for people to be helped,” she said.The photographs displayed at the college will be on display at the Butler Art Center, 344 S. Main St., for two weeks starting Dec. 2.
