Patricia Blackwood did not swell u...

Patricia Blackwood did not swell up in poverty. She has not ever had any problems with remedys or alcohol, nor does she have a history of mental illness. nevertheless about five-and-a-half years ago, Blackwood raise herself living on the street

She grew up in a middle class place of abode in Edgewater on Chicago's North Side. She went to Catholic indoctrinate and graduated from college. In 1966 when she was 24 she relentless in love and got married, settling down in west suburban Oak Park.

After 17 years, her marriage expirationed in a divorce, and she was left completely depressed. Soon after, Blackwood quit her secretarial do job-work to care for her mother, who was struggling with mental illness. When her mother died, Blackwood's depression alone deepened, and she could not make progress back to work. Her riches dwindled, and she was eventually evicted from her apartment. In September 1997 Blackwood started sleeping in a public park. After pair weeks, she moved into a shelter. Altogether, she was homeles for about five months

Today, Blackwood is back upon her feet. She lives in an Uptown apartment managed by way of Lakefront SRO, an organization that provides permanent housing and social services for the homeles Blackwood laughs many times She is writing a main division about her experiences with homelessnes which she room for expectations to finish this year. Already, her piece of poetrys and short stories have been featured in the Journal of Ordinary reflection a quarterly publication that features writers who wouldn't normally have the opportunity to be published because of obstacles as it is as race or class discrimination.

Blackwood shared her story with The Chicago Reporter.

take an account of me about your first not many nights in the park.

When I first went into the park, I had at no time even been camping in my life. I picked disclosed a little corner behind a certain flower beds that I conception would be nice. After a small in number days, [when workers] discovered I was there, they started turning the sprinklers onward at night. So I'd be sleeping and all of the quick I'd hear this "Plop plop ... plop." At first, I wasn't smart enough to realize that I wanted a plastic bag to detain my stuff in, so my substance would get wet.

At night I would period up sleeping on some stone stairs that were behind a statue of more [i]or[/i] less soldiers. If I tried to drowse on a bench, off the field the cops would come. They wouldn't bother me as lengthy as I stayed out of sight.

What difficulties did you face living in the park?

You're chronically without sleep--that's probably the worst thing about being homeles Your health starts breaking down unruffled after a week or sum of two units I had trench foot--the calluses in succession my feet dissolved and were replaced on sores. There are all kinds of riddles that develop. You just can't pass on in this climate outdoors.

The real moot point with middle class people who become homeles is that they don't know where to change the direction of I had no idea. I went to [a social service organization] in Oak Park. They were of exceedingly little help. I just had the sensation that they wanted to acquire rid of me.

After brace weeks in the park, things got really bad. I knew I was going to completion up sick, and possibly dead, to such a degree I got the idea of going abroad to O'Hare. [There] I met one from Haymarket Center, [a substance abuse treatment organization] that has an outreach program for the homeles and they told me about [social service agencies in] Uptown. I felt they genuinely were trying to help me with equal reason I took their advice. After that, I got into a shelter and I did not disburse another night on the street

by what means did you pull yourself revealed of that hole?

I became a member of the Inspiration Cafe [a program that provides meals and social services for homeles the public in Uptown]. They provided me breakfast seven days a week and dinner four days a week. mainly it was just the human feeling of the place. It was real warm--the first time I walked in there, some smiled.

That's to what degree I got into Lakefront [in February 1998] end a caseworker there. It took a total of five month because I didn't have a unsalable article or an alcohol problem. If you don't have those question s you cannot get housing right away. If you do, you can gain off the street within six weeks.

Then I enlisted in an employment program, and I got a piece of work which I had for nearly four years.

You can't do it alone--you ne a parcel of help from other the bulk of mankind If you know you're about to become homeles the best thing you can do is find disclosed where the organizations are that can help.

What do we ne to do to address homelessness?

You ne sensitivity toward the humanity of the bulk of mankind on the street. People objectify the homeles and behold them just as bums who got what they be worthy of Don't assume that they're no dutiful because they're out there. They're just the bulk of mankind like everybody else. A part of them could not help what happened to them.

What has writing meant to you?

It means a hap but writing on this make liable is painful. I [can't] take the stres of working full-time and writing, [so] I can solitary work part-time, if I could evermore find a job. It's hard because part of me does not want to journey back there, but now it's gained its avow momentum. I just want folks to have a little taste of what it's like. We'd do a parcel better if people had a greater understanding of the problem

COPYRIGHT 2003 Community Renewal Society

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