Inn of the Wandering Dragon

I had an interesting morning on the bus to work. When travelling a lot by bus / train you get to know the regulars by sight if not by name. I was chatting with one such regular who had given an interview to the news people asking for opinions about a proposed affordable housing complex. She also works downtown and comes across a fair number of homeless on a day to day basis. She is in favour of the complex, and told the news crew as such. With skyrocketing rents and mortgages it is no surprise that there are so many people without a home, and she herself could easily be one of them had she lived under a different landlord. She does not bother the homeless people because she see's them as people and this way they get along fine. "There but for the grace of God go I", she says, that could easily be me.

We parted at the usual corner and I made my way to the train. When I got on the train I recognized another regular, one that I had not seen in quite a while. I sat next to her and we chatted, I figured she had moved or found a different job. No, she still has the same job but she doesn't live in my neighborhood anymore. She's homeless.

For a variety of reasons she and her husband could not scrape together the increased rent and they were evicted. So for the past month, she picks up her kids after work and they register with a local charity. This group then organizes busses to take these people to a church to spend the night. It is a different church each night, and they are given dinner and a chance to shower, get cleaned up. She talks of the security people that stand watch in the night, saying it's a little creepy but at the same time she feels a bit better to have them there. In the morning there is breakfast and they are bussed back downtown where she see's her kids off to school before heading off to work. There are lots of people using this service from many walks of life. She knows it could be worse for her and her kids, at least there's no drugs or alcohal involved. She echos the earlier comment, "there but for the grace of God go I". The kids still see it as a bit of an adventure, it hasn't got to them yet. In the meantime they search for something they can afford but she doesn't know if she can last 6 months living like this. I can see she's tired. All I can do is wish her the best and hope they find something.