Atheist visits Homeless Shelter
by Don Lacey on Jul. 13, 2012
Jim Wilson reports on his visit to a homeless shelter:
Years ago, a college assignment had me researching homelessness and the operations of homeless shelters. For my report, I interviewed the proprietor of the area where I resided. The place looked like a prison. It was far from the main road fenced in and was made of large concrete without many windows. There was a main entry room where I had to wait and there were two halls going opposite directions where the residents slept.
I informed the guard at the entrance that I was there to visit the manager. He had me sit in the lobby while I waited. A young man probably in his early twenties sat on one of the benches across from me. His hair was matted his clothes did not fit right and his hands seemed to be stained with oil and grease in a way that reminded me of someone who spends time working in a machine shop. He asked permission to use my cellular phone and I obliged but warned that I would need it back soon.
He used my phone to call some relative. He asked if they would be willing to pay him to help with some gardening or any other type of household work. It sounded like he was very desperate to work for even the smallest amount of money but was having difficulty as he had seemed to have alienated himself from the rest of his family. He hung up in frustration when I signaled I needed my phone back.
http://tucsoncitizen.com/freethought-arizona/2012/07/13/atheist-visits-homeless-shelter/
