Less than three months ago, Israel (whose name has been changed to honor his privacy) occupied the same bench in a well-known Downtown park for 16 consecutive months. He basically owned that bench, and no one messed with his possessions, even when he was away. His belongings were organized to block both the wind and the gazes of Downtown workers, police, and tourists.
Street outreach specialists are paid to strike up conversations and break the ice with people experiencing homelessness. Israel made this part of the job very easy because he loves to chat. After the initial small talk about the weather, squirrels, and Downtown people watching, however, the easygoing conversations often took a bizarre turn.
Israel talked about holding a high position within the government and changing the course of history with his power. He told about working with a group of high-ranking D.C. officials, and mentioned a “device” that was planted in his head as a child—a device that allowed him to hear normal conversations over 300 yards away and manipulate “electrical currents” to communicate telepathically with passersby. After casually mentioning these things, Israel would return seamlessly to the small talk.
His strong convictions about serving in the government made it more difficult to apply for various programs for which he was eligible and entitled to receive assistance. Because of those beliefs, Israel felt that programs serving low-income people were inappropriate for him, even though he struggled to meet his basic needs and saw other people in the park accessing these resources. Truth be told, he was ambivalent about the programs.
The Downtown Homeless Services Team helped Israel think through the pros and cons of applying for social services. Careful not to take sides or to push too hard, the outreach team helped him assess the benefits and drawbacks of the programs and carefully listened to and reflected on what was important for Israel. This approach gave Israel a nonjudgmental partner who helped him think through some tough decisions. After many such conversations, Israel finally decided the pros of applying for disability benefits outweighed the cons. A motivating factor: he struggled with a painful jaw for years and realized medical records proving the condition could help him secure disability benefits.
The outreach team worked with Israel to apply for disability. More than two months later, he began receiving entitlements, including a monthly cash benefit from Social Security and an efficiency apartment well above the current fair market rate. He also received a substantial amount of back pay. Thanks to these resources, he moved off the bench into a hotel before hurricane Sandy and colder temperatures hit. Israel is now working with the Pathways to Housing DC housing office to identify an apartment in the neighborhood of his choosing.