PHILIP
“Hi, how are you?”
TONY
“I feel like crap — what do you think?
“Hey, I got myself a nice breakfast yesterday. I went down to my regular restaurant [approx a mile away; Tony generally rides his bike to get around]. I ordered the biggest one [breakfast] on their menu. It was a stack of 6 pancakes, bacon, ham, 3 three eggs, hash browns, toast and 2 cups of coffee. It set me back about 15 bucks [not the same $15 that was mentioned in the Nov. 11 post].
“When I was down at breakfast, someone stole my new backpack that someone had left for me. All my change in my hat got stolen too. I think I know who did it. He’s always doing something.”
Homeless Man Speaks 
November 24, 2006 at 10:09 am
Hi Tony,
I see you often on Ronci and I wonder… while sometimes pessemisitc you don’t seem like a depressive. You’re a bright guy. So, I can’t help but wonder why you continue to live on the street. I ask because I really don’t know why. Is this choice? Is there a situation that prevents you from the opportunity of pulling yourself up (addiction, physical or psychological illness, etc..) I hope this is a question that doesn’t offend you, I just don’t understand because I’ve been fortunate and the street has never been part of my life. I’ve travelled to developing nations and appreciate why the people on the street are there, but I always thought Toronto had a much stronger social safety net. Perhaps, you’re not a citizen and that’s part of the problem for you.
Know that I continue to wish you well and will always keep an eye out for you on the street. Take care.
November 29, 2006 at 3:13 am
I can’t speak for Tony — hell he speaks pretty well for himself! — but I’ve been chronically, off & on homeless all my adult life. PTSD — from traumas in my childhood — is the Achilles Heel for me. A redundant self-saboteur streak dogs my ability to care for my most basic needs…
Whatever the reason for it, once homeless, it is maniacally difficult to find a way out. Homeless folks are plain unwelcome in the world inhabited by people with houses.
I’m curious about Toronto’s safety net. Ours here is full of manholes — and Vermont is one of the America’s most forward-thinking places.
What we lack mostly are paths for the homeless to attain a genuine self-reliance.
Hope this helps,
Mike E