Round 5:00 a.m. I woke up early, I spend some time in the tent writing. Around 6:20 I get ready for work.
7:00 a.m. I arrived at work. I spent some time in the morning with my partner getting some food ready, and getting all our gear for the outreach work. You grab a lot of hats, gloves, socks, and other clothes and warm gear for the homeless people. We also have to bring different forms so we can help people gain access to some of the services they need, like food stamps, IDs, health insurance, etc…
9:00 a.m. My partner and I went out into the city. You stop by various tents, and encampments and check on the homeless people.
The majority of the cause for homelessness in this area is drugs. One of the biggest barriers to reducing homelessness is a lack of shelter space in this area.
12:30 p.m. My partner and I arrive back at the shelter. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some data entry, and working on collecting more resources for The homeless people in Lawrence.
4:15 p.m. I leave work late and I drive out to my camping spot. I parked my truck up my driveway that I made. I take some of the rope that I’d been using in Salem as a guide for a big hill. I tie the rope to one tree, and then I stretch it over to the other tree where I have a ratchet strap. I tighten the rope between the trees with a trucker’s hitch, and then I tighten it even more with the ratchet strap. I throw the tarp over the rope and then I began using twine to tie the tarp down to small trees and stakes to make an A-frame.
7:00 p.m. I drive to my girlfriend’s apartment and I help her move some boxes that she’s packed. It’s enough to fill her Honda Pilot. We drive her to her new apartment, and we bring all the boxes inside. Across the street from her apartment is a place that serves meals to the homeless. A Christian charity of sorts. All day and all night people hang out outside and do drugs, there’s arguing, and people behave erratically and contort in all manner of uncomfortable positions. It is unpleasant in an example of what these new age synthetic drugs like fentanyl are doing to our streets and our communities.
9:30 a.m. My girlfriend and I drive back to the apartment in Burlington that she’ll be vacating on Friday. We settle in for the night. I have to get up early in the morning for another day in the streets of Lawrence.