I’ve been following the budget crisis stories as we report them, but recently I saw first hand how hard it is for someone in need to get help.
Last week a man and woman in their late 40s came to my door asking if they could do some yard work for me (my yard is a complete wreck) so they could earn $20 to afford some propane so they wouldn’t be cold overnight in their trailer. His name was Dan and was a really kind and genuine guy, although I could tell he had lived a very hard life. It was getting dark, so I told him to just take $20, get his propane problem solved and if he could come back another day, that would be fine. They were overwhelmed with appreciation and he went on to tell me their entire story.
Both are recovering heroin addicts trying to get their lives back together. They have been accepted into a treatment program, have sponsors, and a job offer waiting after that is completed. Dan can’t read or write. I felt really bad because I could tell he really wanted to turn over a new leaf and save their own lives. I told him it was great to hear that they were taking those steps and that if he could come pull a few weeds in exchange for the money, he could do so whenever. Dan is about 100 pounds and frail with back problems, so I didn’t even want to force him to do the work at that point.
The next day, Dan was back on my doorstep, I thought to do some yard work. But really, he was just looking for more help. He showed me a letter his wife had written explaining that she had terrible cellulitis in her legs and a 104 degree fever. He was so upset and with no where to turn was asking me, a stranger if I knew any way to help.
Whitebird wouldn’t help them. Buckley House wouldn’t help them. They ER wouldn’t help them. They had a person able to give her a ride, but no place to go. They have both been accepted to the Oregon Health Plan in a lottery, which was a miracle that they both got picked, but it hadn’t started yet. I could tell he was worried that she might not even make it. I had no idea what to do other than wondering if Portland had any resources for them.
You can’t place blame on these local services. They are staffed with good hearted people who are just trying to stretch their resources as thin as possible for as many people as possible.
It is hard to say sometimes when someone is giving you a tragic story just to get something out of you. I didn’t want them to, but those thoughts about whether he was just looking for more cash to get drugs crept into my mind. I knew that there wasn’t much I could do about helping his wife. Throwing money at a problem that serious wasn’t going to help. Dan went desperate on his way and I don’t know what happened. I hope that she got some medical attention and I hope that leads them on to their plans to get healthy and on track.
It was hard to see someone with absolutely no recourse in a possible life or death situation. Are they at fault for getting to that stage in life? Yes. Should the community and society be there to help them out of that hole? Yes.
I expect I will see Dan again. Probably no closer to the treatment program in Portland they are seeking, without any money to afford the basic necessities in life. I would happily pay more taxes to know that these types of stories didn’t exist in our community, but unfortunately not everyone feels the same.
