6:00 a.m. I got off of work, get all my stuff ready. It’s about a 25-minute drive and I’m in the office for 7:00 a.m. The snowstorm that they talked about on the news never came to fruition. After putting that much effort into setting up an A-frame for my tent I was both dejected and elated that no snow came. I’d rather do the work for nothing and be prepared, then do no work and have tragedy strike.
I really love the shelter I work for now. There’s always a good vibe in a communal living situation where people are comfortable or happy. I get this vibe at this shelter that is my home base.
9:00 a.m. My partner and I drive out into the city. We connect with various people that are homeless. Some people live in tents, some people just set up sleeping bags and blankets in various places and sleep. The city definitely needs more shelter space.
3:00 p.m. After working on building out the homeless outreach program, and doing outreach during the day I leave work and go to my girlfriend’s apartment. My homeless friend Nick from Salem has been texting me. I explained to him the importance of networking while we were spending time together in Salem and he was able to put up a GoFundMe and raise enough money to buy a car. He only needed a little bit more money to register it. I sent him $81 that was in one of my venmo accounts, which was enough for him to go to the registry and get the registration and plates.
As I’m driving to my girlfriend’s house I can feel the brakes on my truck are almost completely shot out. This is a big problem. I plan on using my truck to help my girlfriend move along with a moving truck. Now we would only have the moving truck on the last day. There’s no way I want to continue driving my truck. I will have to drive it back to Danvers and swop the truck for the little car tomorrow.
5:30 p.m. My girlfriend had packed some more bags and a few boxes. I load up her Honda Pilot and I drive over to her new apartment in Lowell. Coincidentally enough her apartment is right across from a hotspot of drug addiction and homelessness. It’s frightening every time I pull up to deliver her stuff, to see all the people across the street walking around intoxicated on fentanyl and other dangerous street drugs.
7:00 p.m. I drove back to my girlfriend’s house. Moving day will be Friday. It’s coming soon. I’ve been asking her to throw things out and downsize, which has not happened. I am very concerned about what the move will look like. It’s going to be pandemonium if I have to move all her stuff from this big apartment into this tiny little apartment. We’re talking a difference of about 960 ft² to 360 ft². I’ve been asking her but not bothering her too much. My girlfriend and I settle in for the night and go to bed around 9:00 p.m.