Homeless in Enfield

Local resident calls park bench home after mother’s illness leads to sale of family house

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Homeless in Enfield
Local resident calls park bench home after mother’s illness leads to sale of family house
By Hugh McQuaid Journal Inquirer
Published: Friday, October 8, 2010 10:42 AM EDT

ENFIELD — It’s been more than two months since Steve Hendrickson started living on a North Main Street park bench overlooking Freshwater Pond in the Thompsonville section of town.
Hendrickson, 55, is a Fermi High School graduate and lifelong town resident and, until recently, lived in a house on Sharon Lane, he said. But after his mother was stricken with Alzheimer’s disease and placed in a nursing home, the house had to be sold and he was evicted.

Hendrickson said he’s had various jobs over the years. He’s worked for Pratt and Whitney, LEGO, and Hallmark but spent the last few years taking care of his parents, he said. His father is dead and Hendrickson was unemployed when his mother was moved into assisted living, he said. Since then he’s been staying on the bench, his few belongings bundled in tarps and stashed near his walking cane. Hendrickson sleeps during the day and moves around at night, as it’s illegal to sleep on the bench overnight, he said. Hendrickson has twice been cited by police since moving onto the bench, once for sleeping there after hours and once for urinating in public, Police Chief Carl J. Sferrazza said.

And Hendrickson’s plight has been aggravated by the onset of arthritis in his feet and ankles, which makes it difficult for him to walk. Hendrickson said he feels humiliated by his current situation and isn’t very optimistic about his job prospects despite his high school diploma and work experience.

"I feel useless," he said, sitting on the bench. "I can barely walk anymore." But some in town have reached out to help him in little ways that allow him to get by. Hendrickson sleeps wrapped in a green tarp someone brought him to help shield him from the weather. He’s also been given coats, blankets, and sweaters to stay warm, he said.

He eats at the local soup kitchen, Loaves and Fishes on Prospect Street, and knows a few people around town who will take him in for short periods of time. But as winter approaches and nighttime temperatures drop, it’s unclear where he will be staying.

Hendrickson’s situation is an example of what Social Services Director Pamela Brown describes as a growing homelessness problem in Enfield and surrounding communities.
"Housing, in general, is a huge problem in the state of Connecticut. For many reasons individuals and families can find themselves without a place to live," she said.
It’s difficult for towns to keep track of exactly how many homeless people live within their boundaries. Without a permanent residence they are frequently overlooked.

Homeless families also are hesitant to admit to the problem because it could result in the state taking custody of the children, according to Priscilla Brayson, director of the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen.

During the coldest months of 2008 Enfield participated in a survey that identified eight people or families homeless in town, according to Brown. But that number doesn’t reflect people without homes who stay at the homes of friends and family members who take them in, Brown said. Others estimate the homeless population to be much higher.

Hendrickson said he’s encountered somewhere between 40 and 50 others since he’s been living outside, and Brayson figures she serves around 20 homeless people at the soup kitchen on a regular basis. There are also rumors of various "tent cities" set up around town in the woods near the Connecticut River and behind the Kohl’s Plaza on Elm Street.

"Homelessness is an issue in town," Mayor Scott R. Kaupin said recently. Kaupin said the town’s Social Services Department has been working with Hendrickson since he became homeless and has been trying to place him in a shelter. But Kaupin noted that Hendrickson has to be willing to move into a shelter, something he’s been reluctant to do. For Hendrickson it comes down to not wanting to leave his hometown of Enfield. "My life is here. Everybody I know is here," Hendrickson said. "I’ve been here all my life." Though it’s been proposed in the past, there is no homeless shelter in Enfield. "It’s been shot down several times over the years," Brayson said of a proposed shelter. And while there are shelters in Vernon, Hartford, and Springfield, she thinks Enfield should establish its own. "We should have something to take care of our own people here," she said.

Around two years ago a local nonprofit group, Enfield People for People, proposed the construction of a shelter but the plans never materialized due to zoning conflicts, according to Kaupin, who also serves on that organization’s board of directors. But some residents believe that a shelter isn’t the only way to provide local homeless people a place to stay during the winter.

Local business owner Anthony Quinones said he thinks makeshift shelters should be setup in school gymnasiums or other town properties to help get people through the winter. Quinones points out that emergency procedures are in place to use buildings as temporary living areas in the event of a disaster. "Why not use the same procedure for the homeless?" he asked. Quinones interviewed Hendrickson for a video about homelessness that he posted on his website http://www.thompsonville.tv He said he’s hoping to raise awareness of the problem and dispel a common misconception that the homeless in town are Hartford and Springfield residents and people with roots in Enfield.
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Note:
Steve didn't have to pay the ticket ... officer was just doing his job.
In fact, some officers were calling around trying to find him shelter.
That goes to show the compassion and dedication of the Enfield Police. - TonyQ

For those that may be interested, there will be a community meeting regarding the Homeless in Thompsonville / Enfield.

Every Tuesdays 11/1/11 to 12/13/11 - 6pm The Pearl Street Ballroom 127 Pearl Street Enfield, Ct 06082

http://www.pearlballroom.com/

Our main goal or mission is to establish a warming station for the winter months which would allow those without shelter a place to stay on nights when the temperatures is freezing or dangerous weather conditions.

This is an opportunity to help the less fortunate in our community! - Please forward to anyone that may be interested.