Durham aids the homeless

DURHAM -- Donald Rader said the cold is the worst part about living in a tent tucked in woods off U.S. 15-501.

For his girlfriend, Francine York, it is the bugs in the summer and the rain in the winter.

York, 34, and Rader, 43, with their plump black Labrador retriever Little Girl, were among dozens of people waiting outside the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Thursday morning for help to find a home, a job and medical services.

The annual Project Homeless Connect -- Thursday's was the third -- is part of the city and county's plan to end chronic homelessness in Durham by 2017. The one-stop event offers health screenings, housing assistance and even free haircuts and showers to people who are homeless or at risk of losing their residence.

About 295 people came through the gates for services, while the event served meals to a total of 568, including volunteers, said Lanea Foster, resource specialist for the 10-year plan. The Council to End Homelessness in Durham estimates there are 1,800 to 2,200 people who experience homelessness each year in the county, Foster said.

When York and Rader moved to Durham from Georgia in the summer of 2008, they had a car and a small storage trailer, which they sold to buy a tent, they said. The couple, who have physical and mental disabilities, get food stamps and earn about $12 a day begging at intersections, said Rader, who is epileptic.

Looking for a home

They are seeking a home where they can live with Little Girl, who is trained to assist Rader during seizures. York is awaiting approval for disability payments because of her health issues, which include severe sleep apnea, she said.

That process can take years, said chaplain Carolyn Schuldt, ministry coordinator for Open Table Ministries, which meets with homeless people every Wednesday in front of the New Hope Commons shopping center.

Schuldt stood in line with York and Rader and seven other homeless men. The men needed to see a dentist and learn how to get valid identification, and they wanted permanent housing, she said.

At 11:15 a.m. York and Rader followed escort Seth Hansen, 26, a Duke University nursing student. Beyond meeting with the nonprofit agency Housing for New Hope, the couple hoped to have a veterinarian check out Little Girl. They were open to visiting the dentist and getting haircuts and said it would be nice to shower.

But dentists and veterinarians weren't available Thursday. Many local dentists were attending a convention in Hawaii, Foster said. Veterinarian services weren't offered after a lack of response last year, Foster said.

York, Rader, Little Girl and Hansen headed to the Housing for New Hope table first. York filled out forms and consulted with a representative who said funding won't be available until November.

Still, York was told to start gathering recommendation letters from individuals, such as her Lincoln Community Health Center doctor.

Medical attention

Next, the group walked toward a red-and-white medical services tent. Volunteers checked York and Rader's blood pressure and sugar.

"I just found out I have high blood pressure, but at least I know it now," Rader said.

As they went through the lunch line, York slipped two apples in her bag. They loaded their plates with potatoes and green beans.

Richard McConney, 56, a veteran seeking permanent housing and help with his benefits, had just finished a "slamming" piece of chocolate cake and said he was leaving with something he didn't come with.

"A lot of hope," he said.

Help with hair

While York and Rader didn't get haircuts, Laverne Dixon did.

Barber Jesse Smith, 35, trimmed and shaped the back of Dixon's thick, short hair. Dixon, a mother of three, also found assistance to help her cover a deposit to move into public housing.

"That is perfect," Dixon, 36, said, feeling the back of her head. "I can do my hair now."

By 1:30 p.m. York, freshly showered, was filling out the couple's final survey. Schuldt described the rest of the group's visit as successful as they learned about medical issues and received prescriptions they didn't realize they should be taking.

"They made some connections they really needed to make," she said.

Rader said he planned to go back to the tent, sit for a bit, and then return to his work of standing on intersections holding a cardboard sign.

"Trying to make a buck," he said.

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