Hearts for homeless
Vigil pays tribute to those without roof over head
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About a dozen hearty people braved a snowstorm to attend a vigil for the homeless Friday evening in Rutland’s Depot Park. Albert J. Marro / Rutland Herald |
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By Gordon Dritschilo Herald Staff - Published: December 20, 2008
It wasn't a fit night out for man or beast, and that drove home the point.
Depot Park was already thickly covered with snow early Friday evening and plenty more was falling as about a dozen people gathered for a candlelight vigil calling attention to the plight of the homeless.
Cold air and snowy roads may have depressed turnout, but family services manager Stacy Hier said the coalition never cancels the annual vigil.
"There's people outside in this, standing in this," she said. "We've had people sleeping in this."
Coalition director Deborah Hall said she had been at a fundraiser earlier that day, and the DJ told her he had never realized there were homeless people in Vermont.
"It's something that's difficult to put a face on, but when we do events like this, you can see and realize homelessness really does have a face," she said.
Organizers kept the event brief, handing out note cards for participants to read, each containing the story of how someone who has worked with the coalition became homeless.
A couple and their children lost their home in a fire. A woman and her children were turned out when the town closed their apartment building. Another man's building was sold. A man who worked all his life saw his building closed because his landlord had not paid a water bill.
One man admitted to making poor monetary choices leading to his homelessness, and said he was learning to budget. A woman with three children was a victim of the flood during the summer. A single mother could not afford to pay her rent when it went up $150 a month to cover rising heating costs.
A person with mental health issues was overwhelmed searching for an apartment. A woman with a 1-year-old daughter fled an abusive situation.
"Anyone can become homeless," Hier said as the vigil concluded, about 10 minutes after it started. "There are people out there living paycheck to paycheck. One little thing goes wrong … it could be any one of us."
Contact Gordon Dritschilo at gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com.
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