Archive for the 'Profiles' Category

By JoAnn Dyes

By William Harter

By Andrew Spooner

The best way to describe Sue Lavoie is energetic and joyful. She is always quick to offer her wonderful smile that brightens and welcomes those who meet her at Oasis, on North Main Street. Once you meet Sue you will be encouraged by her positive energy and style. She is always upbeat for whatever celebration that is going on at Oasis. She is a team player as she goes about her cleaning duties and completes the task she is assigned, without complaining.

Whenever possible she enjoys helping others, as she has done over the years at the local parishes like St. Johns kitchen, and other soup kitchens.  Sue says she loves Christmas because of the children: she watches them and shares their joy.

At her home she takes care of two parakeet lovebirds, she says that they are good companions. Sue also enjoys eating out at Gregg’s restaurant in Providence with her friends. She also enjoys watching the ice skaters and all the other downtown festivities.  Sue revealed to me that she was an avid dancer in her younger days and never turned down a shuffle with a handsome gentleman. With this article we give honorable mention and admiration to Sue Lavoie.

Interview by William Harter

John E. is a 31 year old man living in the McKinney Shelter, the homeless shelter in Newport.

What got you into a shelter? I used and sold crack cocaine and got busted.  I got 4 years.  My family did not take me back, so I ended up in the shelter the last 4 years.

Are you from Newport? No, I was born and raised in Philadelphia.  I lived up and down the east coast all my life.

What are your likes and dislikes about shelter life? It is a place for homeless people that they can use.  But it is still a shelter, not a home.

What would you like to see happen? I would like to see kids and women out of the shelters and have another place to live.

What are your dreams and goals? Get back to my past life when things were better before drugs and finish the better life I had started.  Go back with my pastor.

By Stan Kapelewski

Sister Eileen Murphy, a Catholic Nun along with the Sisters of Mercy, and members of a Social Action Conference of Mercy, saw the social needs in Providence and started two soup kitchen’s Amos House and McAuley House in the mid ‘70’s that began to serve free meals to the homeless community.

Amos House was created from her small soup kitchen at 56 Somerset Street, gathering free food from the city’s farmer’s market and a restaurant on Federal Hill.

Named after the Old Testament prophet who stood for social justice, Amos House provides free lunches to many hungry people a day. After a while, Amos House added breakfast to its menu. Continue reading ‘Who Was Sister Eileen Murphy?’

By William K. Harter

Mykal Gylmeta is a 32-year-old man who claims he has drifted in and out of homelessness most of his adult life in the MA and RI areas since graduating from school.

He got into some trouble sometime after graduating by stealing a bike at 18 in l998, but by 25 he had a change of attitude and settled down, taking on responsibilities.  He got married, but separated one year later.  Everything was in her name, so his credit vanished.

Mykal spent two winters outside in a tent with a small propane heater he used to keep warm in the woods.  He spent 1½ years total that way.

He had many jobs in his years, but he found that after only weeks he was let go—no explanations.  Then someone in the system suggested he have the court records checked.

His charges were never removed.  In MA, he did not have to list his court history on applications. When the employer checked the records, he was let go. He had to have that matter cleared up first.  He probably was let go because they figured he lied to them.

He had a string of bad luck.  The divorce and loss of funds by it, a car accident just before tech school graduation and exams.  His tent destroyed and things stolen. His own parents did not welcome him home.

Child support payments; he has a four year old daughter he has not seen since birth. His wife took off to places unknown just after the girl was born.

His current job applications do not look that great at this point—he can list many jobs, but many for under a month’s work record as mentioned above.  Not a plus in an application for a job!

GOALS:  Mykal’s goal was to finish tech school.  He recently was accepted back into New England Tractor Trailer Training School and graduated.  He wants to be a long distance truck driver.  First, he must clear up his past.  He would like to make his home in Connecticut.

Brien Gallagher is Street Sights featured artist for November. He started drawing between 13- 14. He’s been living on the streets of Providence and Boston for 4 years. Brien is self taught, he found that he had a talent. His talent is self portrait, which he sells to get some money in his pocket. He hopes that his talents for drawing and music will be recognized and will be his way of getting off the streets.

To contact Brien or to purchase any of his artwork, call him at 401-722-5654.

Interview with John Mellencamp by Ken Leslie
1Matters Street Paper

“I got dreams
And they’re bigger than this”
- The West End-

To most people the “homeless” are nothing more than vague faces of poverty reflected in the mirror of a society afraid to even look, much less help.

Over a career spanning 25 albums John Mellencamp has written about who he is. Then, more importantly, John Mellencamp has always walked his talk. This is called integrity.

Thrust into superstar status by the music machine in the 80’s, he got a taste of the soulless part of the music business. So he said “Whoa, screw that! That’s not who I am, ‘Cougar’ out!”

Rejecting this money-making machine, his walk tells us he cares more about people than money.  He has always worked for those without a voice. Everyone matters! That’s why John did this interview.

There were no conditions for this interview, nor the pubic service announcements for 1Matters and World Homeless Day, October 10th. None. He literally said, “I will do what ever you need.” Complete unconditional trust.

Why here instead of the mainstream press which would have garnered much more publicity? His single and absolute intent here is to talk to those in the middle of the struggle directly. His hope is vendors of street papers worldwide, having an exclusive interview no one else has, will achieve financial and domestic autonomy.

His hope is each one of the 640,000 people on the streets of the United States and in its shelters on any given night never give up. He hopes they do whatever hard work necessary to overcome any and all obstacles between themselves and domestic autonomy.

His hope is all reading this interview will support your local street paper with your time and dollars.  If there are none in your city, you can direct your support to the North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA). Your support today allows us, those currently and formerly on the streets, to encourage each other and share the hope of our successes in one collective voice. Continue reading ‘“I got dreams, and they’re bigger than this”’

By Arline Bolvin and William K. Harter

Tucked away in the basement of St. Joseph’s Church on Walcott Street, the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen has new management with two full-time staff members replacing Ernie Marot, the long-time director of the kitchen who recently retired after 18 years. With an infusion of cash from a donation by Cumberland businessman John Pinkos, the owner of Texcel, Inc., the board of directors of the six-days-a-week soup kitchen are able to fund two positions to fill Marot’s one at the kitchen he founded in 1992. Continue reading ‘Six days a week Pawtucket soup kitchen spreads the love’

By Frank Goodness

Name: Juan Madera

Duration of homelessness: One year

Background: Housekeeping

Interests: Getting out of the shelter system and having my own place.

What have you learned?: How to cope with life better.

Plans: To get a full-time job and buy a house to help the homeless.

Dreams: I would like to find a good woman and get married.