Homeless, Helpless, and Hopeless
By HTC Guest Paul Mandell on his experiences being homeless
The first thing you have to learn if you live on the street is how to take care of your feet. This means that soft shoes will not do. Ideally you would have two pairs of well-made leather boots that you alternate every day… and fresh clean socks are a must also when you live outside. Mobility is the key to your survival- your feet do the walking. Keep them warm and dry and you will never get sick.
I am 73 and have never been “homeless” before, until May two years ago. I was parked at a rest stop in Boulder City Nevada when three local cops rolled up on me. They impounded my truck, all my forms of ID, including my passport (I am a Canadian citizen), all my clothes and all my worldly possessions. In addition, they found some obscure warrant for driving without a license in Calaueras County, California.
They put me in Clark County jail in Las Vegas for two weeks while we waited for a transfer back to Calaueras. I was arraigned two days after arriving in Calaueras and after two more weeks in jail I was brought back to court to read to the charges. My plea was “no contest.” I signed a piece of paper to show up for sentencing and they let me go. I hung around for three days, gathered some money and headed to Boulder City to get my truck.
When I got back, my truck and all my stuff had been sold at auction. In addition I had been tried in absentia at a court in Boulder City and now owed them $2,400. They arrested me and put me in the Henderson Jail. When I saw a judge on Monday he threw out the case. In addition another private lawsuit netted me $14,000 because they sold my truck without “due process,” but that’s another story…
I was now “homeless and helpless” in Boulder City Nevada. I went into “survival” mode. I had to find a campsite where I could live and sleep in relative safety, which I did. Then I had to learn how to scavenge for food. The dumpster at Albertson’s grocery in Boulder provided more than enough to eat. It fed lots of others too. I was now just getting to understand just what being “unhoused” was all about.
My next biggest problem was staying clean. There are no showers on the street and there is also the issue of keeping your clothes clean. Being “unhoused” has been a learning situation for me, and I have learned a lot in my time on the street.
Update: Sadly, Paul passed away in late spring of 2019, after being housed for four months. We will continue to honor his legacy through our work in ensuring that all individuals are treated with dignity and respect.
