On October 16th, the weather forecasters were warning that a drop in temperature was about to take place. Having been rather warm for October in Pittsburgh, we were finally going to see our first chilly evening–some predicting around 37 degrees.
I hate to be cold. I don’t do well in the cold. My fingers and toes seem to go numb pretty quickly, and I tolerate it less and less with the passing years. So I wasn’t that thrilled to know that our first chilly night of the season would be one I would be spending outdoors, sleeping in unity with others to raise awareness about homelessness. Of course, I also had to acknowledge it was rather appropriate.
October 17th was the date for the first-ever Sleep-in for the Homeless, put together by Community Human Services Organization, and with participants from all over the city. I was pleased to represent our library as an interested party to serving these constituents, while recognizing the complexity of the issue.
A few months ago several librarians put together fabulous resource lists and a new page for our website. Now we were getting to the heart of the event–200 people gathering on the portico of the City-County Building for an evening of talk, music, awards, homeless “jeopardy,” documentary viewing, and perhaps a little sleep (ok, not so much on the sleep).
Things kicked off with a Raging Grannies performance; this was followed by introductory remarks, an amazing song (written by one of our own music librarians, David King*), and then awards and more. CLP staffers Kaarin, Jude and Corey took our book bags and book lists out to the crowd, meeting and greeting folks. I followed with free books donated by the Allegheny County Library Association and our own donations.
Here are some more wonderful moments:
- The college students who did not yet have library cards, but wanted to know where and how to get them.
- The young African American man who hesitated to accept a copy of Tim Madigan’s I’m Proud of You: Life Lessons From my Friend Fred Rogers, but finally brought himself to take one because Fred Rogers was one of his heroes as a kid.
- The young lady, originally from Virginia, who proudly recounted getting her first card at the age of 4.
- The man who loved Don Quixote, but didn’t want to take the free copy because he wanted someone else to read it.
- The man from the Thomas Merton Center who asked for copies of the resource lists for their visitors.
What was, perhaps, my favorite moment concerned a woman who was sitting on a bench by the library table, waiting for a friend. As she watched us set up, I playfully asked her if she had a library card.
“Oh yes,” she replied, “It’s black.”
I said she must be an avid user if she knew what color it was!
And as I finished putting items on the table and turned back around, I saw that she had taken out her wallet, fished out her card, and proudly presented it to me. I could truly see, at that moment, what that card could mean to one person.
It was a wonderful experience to engage these attendees: young and old, black and white, students and veterans. It was great to think about what the library could and hopefully does already do for them. I was truly amazed at how excited people were to get a free book–it didn’t seem like a big deal to me, but as we walked around and handed them out I was surprised at how strongly people reacted: a reminder of what a gift a book can be.
Around 9 p.m. the documentary viewing began, courtesy of our Film & Audio Department. How powerful to see these folks, bundled up by now in blankets and sleeping bags, wholly engaged in watching When I Came Home and Life in a Basket**!
The adrenaline began to wear off, finally, at 12:30 AM. After a long week at work and a long day preparing for the event, it was time to see if I could truly sleep. I put on more layers, visited the bathroom, and curled up inside the sleeping bag with lots to think about. Inside the sleeping bag were the DVDs and my personal stuff–wallet, phone, keys. How else would you keep those things safe, I thought? You’d have to keep them close. I had a moment of indecision about what to do with my glasses (having already purposely NOT worn my contact lenses, to avoid the added complication of taking them in and out). Even my glasses were cause for worry about storing them without breaking them. I think I slept for a few hours, but awoke around 4 AM. It wasn’t the cold so much, though when it snuck in by my nose I realized how cold it really was . . . but more so the concrete: no room for hips! No wonder people used cardboard or pads under themselves at first . . . what a necessity!
Some folks nearby had some troubles because their clothes and sleeping bags had gotten wet earlier. Now the cold made it worse. What would you do if that happened, and you had no other choices? No bag of extra hats and scarves to turn to?
Around 5:30 AM I finally gave in, got up in the cold, and went inside to use the restroom. Again, that thought: how many of us do that first thing each day? What would you do if you had no facilities to go to? If you were turned out of the shelter at 7:00 AM?
I drove home in the dark of my city, not sure if I had ever been down there at those wee hours of the morning. I knew I was driving home for food, a shower, and probably a return to a very comfortable bed to sleep in (this is, in fact, exactly what I did). But what if I had to do this night after night? What if I didn’t have an I.D. to get into a shelter? Or I couldn’t get I.D. because I was underage, and the family I was living with had thrown me out? What if I wasn’t sure which city I was born in, to know where to go to get a copy of my birth certificate? Sometimes daily circumstances overwhelm those of us with time, education, resources, and the help of family and friends. How much harder must it be to overcome those obstacles when you have none of those things to turn to?
One night on the cold, cold ground does not make for full understanding. But 100 people talking, listening, singing, and sleeping on that ground in unity is a great start.
–Beth
*If we can get permission, and a compatible format, we’ll post this for your listening pleasure!
**Temporarily set aside for an upcoming program. Come see the film at Main, or place a reserve through the catalog!
