Interview With Homeless Man Who is Now a Prisoner

Paul is 28 years old and is serving a 6-8 year prison sentence for bank robbery. He grew up in a Jamaica Plain household with his parents and 2 older sisters, attended parochial schools and had greater dreams than ending up addicted to heroin and cocaine as a teenager. But experimenting with substances in neighborhood street corners during adolescent years, Paul actually developed a major drug problem. While denying this addiction existed, he entered several substance abuse treatment programs and also served a jail sentence at Suffolk County Correction Center (South Bay), for shoplifting. After months of snorting heroin and cocaine during the day, while frequenting shelters at night, he entered a bank and handed the teller a note stating, "Show me the money."

As a teenager, did you ever think that one day you would be homeless?

Absolutely not.

Did you ever see homeless folks in your neighborhood in Jamaica Plain?

Are you kidding me, yeah, but I looked at them as bums, alcoholics or being crazy.

What is homelessness?

Just being without any place to go.

How did you end up homeless?

Well family members and my friends no longer wanted me around. They were fed up with all the lying, stealing and seeing me in such bad condition.

What changed your view of a homeless person?

Being in the trenches myself probably impacted me most. I realized they were folks dealing with adversity and I was with them, was actually one of them. They were just human beings.

Describe a typical day for you dealing with shelter and soup kitchens.

I had to get up early in the morning after a few hours of sleep, maybe eat breakfast and then forced to leave the shelter. I would ride the subway for a few hours until the stores opened. Then I would shoplift during the morning or until I got enough merchandise for drugs and food.

Which shelters?

I went thru them all. I was barred from the Shattuck and Pine Street for getting high. I got caught with a needle in my arm at the Shattuck and had to leave there quickly.

So your day consisted of…?

Hustling for more drugs and stealing to support my habit. It didn't matter much whether it was morning, afternoon, or evening, weekdays, weekends, or holidays. I stole and got high every day and late at night I made it back to the shelter. If I was too late for a bed I grabbed a blanket and a corner.

Was there a social service offered that was really helpful during this period of your life?

Yea, there was a wonderful service that referred you to detoxes. It's located across from Boston City on Mass. Ave., known as Room 5. However, I had a bad experience there because the intake counselor didn't believe me.

What happened?

I told him I was using 30 bags of heroin and he thought I was playing him for withdrawal medication. I ended back on the street with no where to go for another night.

Was there any good service provided for you?

One night in 96 I went to Pine Street and had a bad infection in my leg from shooting drugs. The nurses took care of me with great medical attention and medication. I got better.

Only for a few moments though. Why?

Because I chose not to follow the rules of life. I should have learned trades, practiced self restraint and discipline. I didn't have to end up this way.

What do you think happens to an addict?

Without recovery, he will end up in prison, if he is lucky, or dead or in a nut house.

So you think you're lucky?

No, not really. I believe I could have avoided this journey by not relapsing over and over again and being more responsible for my behavior.

Are there a lot of young folks within the homeless community?

When I was out there 95-96, I was 22 and one of the youngest in the shelters. There wasn't a lot of teenagers around, but I was simply there to sleep and didn't socialize much. But there were a lot of kids hanging out, runaways and wannabees. I never asked where they were staying.

Help me complete this sentence, ok? A homeless person needs….

Counseling. Some people got serous problems and need help to figure it out. Opportunity. I needed opportunity to detox and get some recovery programming. Vocation skills. You need job to be able to get a place.

You should be leaving prison soon. What are some of your plans?

I plan to go to a halfway house, get a job, obtain an apartment and become involved in a relationship.

What about your substance abuse issue?

There are programs at the halfway house and certainly I intend to join a community group. Also, continue to pursue higher education which I started in prison. I would like to obtain a degree, maybe a Masters, in social work.

Any shout outs or words of encouragement to folks?

To my family and friends who have endured the misery I've caused and, God willing, these turbulent years have ended. Thanks to folks working in shelters because I might not have survived without their services and to folks struggling with addiction issues, please get help.

You just did and thanks for sharing your experience, strength and hope.

Published in Spare Change News in Apr. '01