Life can be hard during the winter. Freezing temperatures require more fuel, rising electricity and gas costs, not to mention food, clothing, health and transportation. Try being homeless with those same challenges.
Homelessness is up in Warren County, in Tennessee and the entire United States. You could call it an epidemic. When is the last time you saw a homeless person in McMinnville? What was your reaction? Did you feel pity, compassion, maybe even avert your eyes? Was that from shame, disgust or simply fear? Maybe you gave them something - money, food, a blanket?
One of McMinnville’s current homeless people, Rick Smith, who turns 49 in April, has been passively panhandling for the last three months. He’s originally from Northern Maine where his aging father currently resides. He talks to him about once a month.
Rick moved to Tennessee for work around 1996 but, for the last 15 years, he has struggled with homelessness. He has a cabin tent in Murfreesboro. It is 15 feet wide and 12 feet long. He says it iss good and sturdy at seven feet tall. He would usually survive through the winter there, but his generator broke. A new one will cost at least $900 to replace. He is trying to come up with the cash for that in McMinnville. Then he will return to Murfreesboro and his home cabin tent.
Why did he come to McMinnville? Murfreesboro is bigger with more people. He says he has had good luck in McMinnville before and that people are more generous even though there are less of them. He says it is also safer. The most he has ever made in one day was $150. Currently he’s been pulling in $25 or $30 on a good day.
Presently setting up in front of Shoe Dept. Encore on North Chancery Street, he says they don’t mind as long as he keeps his area clear. When it begins to get dark at night, he rides his bicycle back to his encampment about a mile or so away closer to McDonald’s.
He says he has a good backpacking tent and a cold weather sleeping bag. Somebody gave him a comforter recently from their vehicle. It has been useful.
“Need Any Help” and “God Bless” are lettered on his cardboard sign. He sets it up against his backpack with a small log so it won’t blow away in the wind. He drinks a cup of warm coffee and smokes a cigarette. One passerby in a pick-up truck hands him three dollar bills.
“I won’t stay in shelters,” says Smith. He recalls his experiences at Nashville’s Rescue Mission in the past. Stealing is an everyday occurrence there. There is also daily violence there.
He had a bicycle stolen that he bought for himself recently. The one he rides now is chained against a tree. He says a friend from Murfreesboro recently donated it to him.
He usually gets something to eat at Walmart’s deli section. They gave him some grief about setting up to panhandle over there so he came across the street to Shoe Dept. Encore. Police told him he’s within his rights as long as he is on public property.
Smith says once he gets his generator and returns to Murfreesboro, he’ll begin the arduous task of looking for work while living in a tent.
He claims he has no disabilities, though he used to have epileptic attacks. He currently suffers severe anxiety and hand tremors.
If anyone wants to reach out to him, you can contact him at (629) 201-0587. He said a local Shell employee told him some residents were complaining about his presence on a local Facebook page recently. The Shell store has no problem with his presence. Smith’s wish for the New Year is to get a new generator and to be on his way.
Deciding whether to give money to homeless individuals at intersections is a personal decision. Some people prefer to offer food, water or other necessities instead of money, as it ensures the help goes directly towards meeting basic needs.
Things You Should Know: Don’t ignore beggars if you can; nod, smile and communicate with compassion, explain that you don’t have any money, or that you’ve only got credit cards on you. If a beggar becomes aggressive, do not hesitate to alert the police, run or solicit help from others nearby. Donating to shelters and charities, or offering beggars food or water, can be much more helpful than giving someone loose change. Follow your instincts and do what you feel called to do in each situation.
