Toledo Streets Issue #14

ALSO:Farming in the cityThrive Detroit launchesVendor contributionsPoetry: #1, Vendor’s DayArtist profile: Robin CharneyThe hobo cookbookHomeless World CupShadows in the City of LightsHoboscopes

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ISSUE #14

A TALE OF TENT CITIESthe best & worst of urban camping in Toledo

Toledo Streets - The Paper with a Mission Issue #14

Two Glass Cities; one communityBoth fragile and strong

Amanda F. Moore,Managing Editor

While Toledo Streets is a non-profit, and paper vendors are considered

contracted self-employers, we still have expectations of how vendors should conduct themselves while selling and representing the paper. The following list is our Vendor Code of Conduct, which every vendor reads through and signs before receiving a badge and papers. This Code is also printed on the back of each badge. We request that if you discover a vendor violating any tenets of the Code, please contact us and provide as many details as possible. Our paper and our vendors should be positively impacting the city. All vendors must agree to the following code of conduct:

•Toledo Streets will be distributed for a voluntary donation of $1. I agree not to ask for more or less than

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Toledo Streets staff and will not sell papers to other vendors (outside of the office volunteers).

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customers, staff, other vendors—respectfully, and I will not “hard sell,” threaten or pressure customers.

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When a drop of hot glass is plunged into a bucket of ice-cold water, the glass

temperature changes quickly. The surface then compresses to the point the main core of the drop becomes incredibly strong; so strong it can’t be shattered with a hammer or crushed by a pair of pliers. Take that same drop and squeeze its fragile and trailing, threadlike tail until it breaks. This interrupts the surface tension and explodes that previously invulnerable core of the drop into thousands of pieces. What is glass anyway but tiny sand particles heated until their basic structure changes, fusing them together and making them a transparent, solid mass? This is the essence of true community: Allowing something “hot” that would disintegrate one person to be shared amongst several, causing all of them to come together and bond in a way that transforms the entire group

into something clear and strong. Wind scatters individuals; water pushes and pulls. Only fire can permanently connect. Toledo has proven to be a Glass City in more than industry—this economy has plunged record numbers of Toledoans into realizing the fragility of their own situation; however, despite being the eighth poorest city in the nation, this surface tension has become a strength. “There but for the grace of God go I” is now the sobering personal motto of so many, where it once was often an offhand quip. This knowledge has pushed people into responding with such compassion; such as when Cherry Street Mission sounded the alarm for hydration needs during July’s suffocating heat wave, and Glass Citizens donated hundreds of cases of bottled water. Just an example of incredible strength in a city frequently told it’s already shattered. The constant challenge is to remember that fragile, trailing thread behind the bulk of our community—

experiencing the same heat, bonded to us, no more transparent... yet somehow more invisible. Those who, for many different reasons, find themselves outside even from the outsiders, living in the hidden cities within the Glass City. When they break, we break, because we are one. If you are moved to connect more profoundly, you’re welcome to the fire—it will be burning especially bright Halloween weekend, the weekend of the annual Tent City, now 22 years old and proving Toledo has a lot of strength, a lot of life, and change happens year by year, 1 by 1, because every 1 matters, and...

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SMALL CHANGE.

We’d like to thank you for purchasing this copy of Toledo Streets. We hope you’re enjoying it and discovering a new facet of your community.

Please continue to support our vendors when you get the chance. For other ways to support them and the paper, contact us or visit our website for more details.

Toledo Streets is a monthly publication called a street paper. We are part of a worldwide movement of street papers that seeks to provide simple economic opportunities to homeless individuals and those experiencing poverty.

Our vendors purchase each paper for 25¢, and ask for a dollar donation. In exchange for their time and effort in selling the paper, they keep the difference. They are asking for a hand-up, not a hand out. By purchasing this paper, you have helped someone struggling to make it. Not just in terms of money, but also in the dignity of doing something for themselves. Many thanks again!

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Cover Photos:Top—Dawn Hall, Amanda Faith MooreBottom—Shawn Kellerbauer

Because the previous issue of Toledo Streets was aimed at featuring the “Arts” in Toledo, and because Toledo Streets is

dedicated to introducing social justice solutions, it is fitting we are offering a profile of the Collingwood Arts Center. The home of the Children’s Theatre Workshop, Today Productions (Teen Theatre), Northwest Ohio Community Shares, Repo: The Genetic Opera, and Toledo Shakespeare Company, among others; The Collingwood Arts Center has existed for more than twenty-five years in the former Ursuline convent that was the original home of the St. Ursula Academy for girls. The one-time home of legendary jazz musicians like Claude Black and the late Eddie Abrams, the spiritual home of community activist Dr. Robert Brundage, one-time residence of photographers such as the late Thomas Vines, and world class painters like Toledo’s own Bill Scott, the CAC has been the home and launchpad for thousands of artists. And once in a while even hard-drinking, drug-addicted and periodically homeless starving artists.In the Center’s sometimes rocky history, many students have attended classes at the nearby University of Toledo’s Center for Visual Arts, the Frank Gehry-designed building that German and French architects consider one of Gehry’s finest. The Collingwood Arts Center, the legacy of the unceasing generosity of

Meeting local needs and building economies from the bottom up is what

microcredit is all about. Kiva is a company which brings the global community into the process by profiling viable potential borrowers on its website and accepting loans for those businesses from anyone with at least $25 to invest. Started five years ago in Uganda to get financing for small businesses like goat herding and a bike shop, the non-profit organization is bringing its technology to Detroit in a joint venture to spur entrepreneurial growth in cities in the United States. The soon-to-be-launched Thrive Detroit street newspaper qualified as one of Kiva Detroit’s first five approved borrowers. Thrive Detroit also received a start-up grant of $1,000 from 1Matters, a Toledo non-profit that helped launch two other street papers, Toledo Streets and Ann Arbor’s Groundcover. Detroit is the first U.S. city to benefit from the Kiva model, driving economic opportunity and poverty alleviation through micro-entrepreneurship. Kiva Detroit partners the online social investing organization Kiva, with the micro-lender ACCION USA and community supporters from Michigan Corps, to provide micro-loans in Detroit. ACCION provides

the Sisters of St. Ursula, is an architectural masterpiece in its own right. It was inspired by a very real haunted 14th century Flemish Gothic castle, some stones of which were moved to the site in 1910 by architect E.O. Fallis, renowned designer of another Toledo treasure, the Valentine Theater. But my recent research in the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library’s Local History Collection has revealed an even more fascinating history. The CAC’s site at 2413 Collingwood Boulevard stretches over subterranean caves and underground rivers and was once rumored to have been built upon a massive Native American shamanistic mound. More fascinating to me however was learning that in the Victorian era (circa 1870), it was the site of a county-wide produce auction and community garden. On any cold, gray day in November, the county produce auction and flea market featured pies, sauces, casseroles, bread and other kitchen-fresh goods that were made from produce that had been canned into jars the past summer and fall. This way there was a continuous stream of goods for sale at the county auction all year round. When winter brought a halt to gardening, the baking season began. Boys and men would set about chopping old firewood to stoke the iron hearthstoves that women and girls would laden with iron pots and skillets

risk assessment analysis and financial literacy programs and underwrites the loans. The Knight Foundation donated $250,000 in matching funds to speed up the cash infusion into the budding businesses. According to Michigan Corps founder Anuja Jaitly, Detroit’s selection as the launch city was largely because: “We already have a culture [here in Detroit] of helping one another.” Michigan Corps is a social network of local and global people committed to positive change in Michigan. They help identify local businesses and start-ups that need capital. Michigan Corps operates statewide and yearly launches several projects focused on education and entrepreneurship. Jaitly asserts Michigan Corps and Kiva will spread throughout Michigan as community organizations in other cities request collaboration. The enthusiasm of Elizabeth Garlow, a recent graduate of Kalamazoo College, was another key component. As an AmeriCorps volunteer, she worked in ACCION’s Boston office. (ACCION is a worldwide micro-lender that has made more than 20,000 loans in the U.S.) When Kiva called and asked about forming a partnership in which their online site would drum up investors for ACCION borrowers in a U.S. city, Elizabeth jumped at

Toledo Streets - The Paper with a MissionIssue #14

Farming in the city:The “green” history of the ivy-covered Collingwood Arts Center

Kiva microloans, 1Matters help start Detroit street paper

William James O’FaheySusan Beckett, Groundcover

Delphia Simmons, founder of Thrive Detroit, acknowledging her loan and explaining her business. Courtesy of Groundcover

The classic Victorian Gerber house fronts Collingwood Boulevard, shadowed by the hulking Gothic castle; together they make up the Collingwood Arts Center. Photo: Amanda Faith Moore

“Thrive” continued on page 10

“Arts Center” continued on page 10


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My Life StoryVendor Contribution

Jon Tyler Foster

My life story consists of very little success. I grew up on the west side of Toledo. I went

to Longfellow Elementary School and St. Catherine’s School through my elementary years. I went to Horizon Science Academy for part of my seventh grade year, then moved to Clyde, OH, where I finished my education, even after dropping out half of my senior

year. I graduated from Clyde High School in the summer of 2010. After graduating, my life really started rolling downhill. I started smoking weed and hanging out with the wrong crowd. After getting into a fight with my stepfather, I fled back to Toledo, and started living at Cherry Street Mission. After living at the mission for a month or so, I got baptized.

Local man publishes book Vendor Contribution

Brian Jackson

John Rataczak, currently homeless and living at the men’s facility of Cherry Street Mission

Ministries in Toledo, has written a Christian book titled The Ramifications of Our Salvation. At 162 pages long, in 35 short chapters, Rataczak, who holds a Doctorate in New Testament Text (Greek), explains what happens

Biblically when a believer is saved by God’s grace. Quizzes, an exam, and an answer allow for the use of the book as a teaching text as well as an enlightening personal read for those wanting a thoroughly researched volume. A website explains this and other proposed books, as well as allowing direct purchasing online: www.eleutherosbooks.com.


Poetry

#1 Vendor’s DayTears are streaming down my face. All I want to do is pace. Why is life so hard to live? Why do I suffer this hard life? Why is love so difficult? How can I love her so much, But I don’t know how to tell her such? How do I live everyday and go without Seeing her in this time of pain? Why do I feel pain? Why can’t I just go insane? She says she loves me, But I don’t think she is telling the truth, Because I see her pain when she looks or talks to me. Being able to hold onto her felt so good And when I let go, it hurt so much more. Life is good, but the pain is grand. Why do I get so mad when I get so sad? When I saw her face, My heart started to race, I wanted to fall to my knees And ball my eyes out. But I decided to be strong and yet inside me,I wasn’t so strong, I was a wreck. Why do I set myself up for pain? Why has pain become my best friend? Why do I act so much unlike myself? Why do I put myself through this pain and this suffering?

It’s high noon -- sun blaring and I stand on hot, boiling concreteYou could grill a pork chop on itI am selling Toledo Street NewspapersThe advocate’s voice for the unhousedThe first few potential customers do not buyThey are in a rush to get their plates and titlesBut after doing their business -- some stop, talk and buy a paperOthers show initial interest but they are as broke as I amYet to a few -- I give a paperJust to put the word outAnd there are those who show a keen interest and donate a dollarA few may only have fifty cents --I make the transaction any wayPutting out the word is the issue, not profitSoon two panhandlers show up working the parking lotBut quickly decide to move to greener pastures -- this choice cornerI know both of them -- give them a few bucksAnd they agree to move onA wiser part of my day -- buying them off was better than confrontationThen ole Jerry stops by -- we talk -- he says he doesn’t feel well --but Jerry never feels well -- I suggest he see his doctor,and wish him a good day -- he totters on with cane in handAfter a time a eccentric looking man hears my pitch,and hands me a twenty dollar bill -- jackpotLooking across the street three party boys pass a big fattyAsk me if I want some -- I decline -- One laughs and flips me offWith humor -- I tell him I love him, tooThey continue their trip to never, never landA few moments later came the pony patrolBicycle cops -- A street person’s terror --I am sure they will be interested in the party boysSoon a lady bought ten papers to give to family, friends, and coworkersTheir concern for the issues and little cash have gratified my beingThen a man upon hearing my pitch sneers, growls, and swears --looks down his nose at me, and walks briskly onI shake my head in befuddled amazement, and remind myself not to take it personalThere will always be assholes in this worldNot moved -- I continue to faithfully pitch the paperA lady stops by -- buys a paperWe talk and she flirts with me, and hands me her phone numberQuite flattered I crack a great big grinAnd here comes the can lady -- Princess of the street --pushing a shopping cart full of cans -- she smiles, and waves --I holler stay safe darling -- she giggles, and goes about her doingsFive hours later the license bureau is closingI am drenched in sweat -- drinking water by the litterBut business has been goodA word of advocacy for the unhoused, and a much needed dollarI am now working for myself -- my own small businessImagine that -- I am now a capitalist -- LOLWho would have ever thoughtBut out of need not greedWell -- It’s been quite an adventurous day!

Jon Tyler Foster

Gregory Peters

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRDFriday, September 9th | 7:30pm - 10:30pm

Valentine Theater, Toledo, OhioAdams & Superior, Downtown

Join the Friends of the Lathrop House to enjoy a classic movie.$10.00 Admission

Proceeds benefit the Lathrop House Restoration & the Valentine Theater

Contact Valentine Box Office for tickets (419) 242-2787

The Lathrop House was one of many locations scattered throughout the State where men, women and children fleeing slavery found shelter and safety. Harboring runaway slaves was illegal in America after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. Despite the consequences, abolitionists around the state continued to assist fleeing slaves in their journey to freedom. “Conductors” directed the escapees to the next safe house, barn or business as they ventured ever northward.

The renovated Lathrop House will provide the region with a premier museum dedicated to the area’s involvement as a major stop on the Underground Railroad. Please join us to help reaise funds for the Phase III restoration. The restoration effort is in cooperation with the Toledo Area Metroparks. For more information on the Lathrop House, call 419-407-9700.

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Robin CharneyArtist profile

William James O’Fahey

Toledo Help Portrait volunteers. Robin holds the “O” in Ohio, front row. She was the lead organizer for the event held in early December, which focuses on giving

those in poverty the gift of a high-quality portrait of themselves and/or family.Photo: Spencer Cunningham

Campfire cooking with better amenities than most urban camps.Photo: Dorothy Dark

“Ordinary people, in ordinary acts; these are the pictures

I take...” -So commented Toledo Streets photographer, Robin Sulier-Charney, when asked about the free portraiture events (Help Portrait) that she has organized on behalf of struggling families and individuals. And Robin regularly takes pictures of folks at the weekly Food For Thought gatherings at the downtown library on Saturday mornings. She makes these photos available to everyone for free. As a matter of integrity, Robin never publishes photos without the consent of the person being photographed. After all, the purpose of Robin’s photography is to affirm the dignity of folks, not to exploit them, or create some kind of media sensation around the pictures. By consistently respecting her subjects, in this, that Robin does not publish photos without the consent of the folks she is photographing, Robin has honored a covenant between photographer and subject. This covenant was sincerely demonstrated during the response to the Millbury tornado devastation last year. Robin refrained from taking sensational pictures of the destruction, though such opportunities were everywhere. Instead, Robin was searching for what she called “dignity and sacredness in the most of

almost unbelievable destruction”. And again, last summer, when photographing the children of the migrant farm workers and their families, Robin did not publish the photos, but simply printed them to return to the families, without compensation. Robin Sulier-Charney is an artist who is committed to using her craft as a vehicle for restoring the sense of dignity and sacredness of every person. Therefore, even her photos of nature scenes, such as fields and backyard trees, contain an implied human subject. And this pursuit of the human subject has revealed what Robin calls “a trinity of sorts; that of God and creation, family and friends, social injustice and a defenseless humanity.” As professional photographer, Omar Bornaby has pointed out: “What makes Robin’s art great is not some kooky use of filters or technology, nor is it an artificial rigor created in a darkroom, as in some kind of abstract photograph... No, Robin instead captures a moment, a moment in which her subjects are truly seen as the Beloved of God.”

William James O’Fahey can be found online at amishcountrydoctors.com or on Facebook as “Amish Country Doctors”. He frequently plays as part of a group (yes, called Amish Country Doctors) at The Happy Badger in Bowling Green.

The golden age of the American hobo dawned during the last decade of the 19th century. As the Industrial Revolution

began its techno-cultural transformation of work and life in the United States-and the world-a number of wandering workers abandoned the security of home, family and steady employment for a self-reliant, vagabond existence, living by the hobo code to “decide your own life.” Today, the image of a train-hopping hobo carrying a bindle stick—a cloth containing one’s belongings, tied to a stick—is a part of the country’s collective consciousness. Indeed, some itinerant workers still live the lifestyle today: the National Hobo Convention is celebrating its 111-year anniversary in Britt, Iowa this August. The convention kicks off with a parade and serves as a diverse celebration of the traveling worker under the motto: “Some in rags, some in tags, some in velvet gowns.” Today, the word hobo may be seen in a derogatory light, but this understanding is incorrect. Although the origins of the word “hobo” are hard to trace, writers and etymologists have revealed possible meanings that also shed more light on the hobo’s day-to-day life. In his book Made in America, Bill Bryson suggests that the term evolved from a railroad greeting, “Ho, beau!” or that it was an abbreviation that stood for homeward bound. Both of these interpretations imply the life of a wandering worker, not simply a beggar or an itinerant ne’er do well. In The American Language, H.L. Mencken points out that “[a] hobo or bo is simply a migratory laborer; he may

take some longish holidays, but soon or late he returns to work.” Again we see that while the hobos valued their freedom, it was a freedom that was won through self-reliance and shared values within the greater hobo community. Along with a code of ethics and a system of written symbols that allowed wandering hobos to leave messages for one another on their travels, American hobos developed a unique spoken vocabulary that took on a particular flourish when it came to addressing one of a hobo’s persistent concerns: his next meal. A hobo seeking “bullets” for his “banjo” was looking to put beans in his cooking pan. A wandering worker new to a town might “call in” on a fellow hobo, hoping to cook up his “gump.” In other words, he wanted to share a campfire in order to prepare a scrap of meat. Hobo cookery tells a lot about the hobo life and the men who lived-and continue to live it. It is also an outdoor, camping, culinary tradition with a long history that still finds echoes among outdoor enthusiasts, contemporary hobos and homeless people in America today. Many Americans start the day with a hot cup of coffee, and after a long night of camping out, the hobos of yesteryear and the homeless men and women on our streets today love the brew too. In these days of paying more than a few dollars for a daily dose of the gourmet good stuff, affording one’s morning coffee can present more than a challenge for someone living on the street. In addition, trying to pull together your own brew

The hobo cookbook The American homeless community’s contribution to modern American cooking

Joe Nolan, The Contributor

“Cooking” continued on page 12

The press conference with Mel Young, president of the Homeless World Cup, Emmanuel Petit, ambassador of the event, and Patrick Mbue and Mahmod Touré. Photo: Francois Fillon

Scotland players Fay Logan and Jade Morrison. Photo: Danielle Batist

A mongst the 48 nations represented at the Homeless World Cup in Paris this August were

several UK teams. Scotland had a men’s and a women’s team present, England also had a men’s team, and the team from Wales was present to support their colleagues. Fay Logan from Edinburgh says the experience has been ‘huge’ for her. “I never thought it would be this good. It is really amazing to be here. When I get back to Scotland I want to keep playing football. I used to play football all the time when I was younger, but then I went through a difficult period and I quit. I am going to try and get into a local squad so I can play every week again. It is good for me to have a routine and I really want to keep playing.” Her team mate and friend Jade Morrison from Glasgow is busy signing program booklets of players from across the world and fans of the Scotland team. She and the other players love the celebrity status they have during the tournament. “We’re getting to know so many people and everyone is friendly. It is pure brilliant. The tournament has given me new inspiration. I’m definitely getting back into football again and sort out my life.” Barry Gannon, 37, from Glasgow said the Homeless World Cup was one of the best things that had happened to him even before his team lifted the trophy on Sunday. “I

For Emmanuel Petit, patron of the Homeless World Cup, it is well beyond time for opening people’s eyes.

“Everyone needs to get their hands dirty to change things, to change ways of thinking,” says the 1998 World Cup Winner When asked about the Homeless World Cup, Mel Young, the event’s founder, summarizes his commitment in three words: obscurity, invisibility and light. Obscurity because, as we are reminded by this 56 year old Scottish entrepreneur, there are more than a thousand million homeless people across the world. If this situation seems gloomy for Mel Young, more than anything else it is untenable. He is keen to clarify that “there were already many homeless people before the financial crisis. The crisis has accentuated the phenomenon, but most people just joke about the situation.” So what is the cause of this general indifference? If you believe Mel Young, it lies in the invisibility that affects homeless people. “One study carried out using photographs has shown that most people can recognize the logos of businesses they see everyday, but not the homeless people they come across daily...”For Emmanuel Petit, patron of the Homeless World Cup, it is well beyond time for opening people’s eyes. “Everyone needs to get their hands dirty to change things, to

really don’t want to go home. We’re having a great time with the team. There’s banter going on constantly. When someone makes a silly mistake on the pitch, they’ll hear it all night: ‘what was that all about, mate?’ We’ve all become good pals and everyone can forget about their problems here.” The tournament has been a boost for the players’ self-esteem. Barry says: “Football makes me feel brilliant. I did not have a lot of confidence in myself but it has really grown since I joined the team.” “Obviously, at 37 I might be too late to become a professional footballer”, he jokes. “I have decided to go back to university to do a psychology degree, starting in September. I wasted a lot of opportunities before but I am determined to make the most of my life, before it is too late. I feel I can do anything now.” Andy Holding, 20, from Liverpool came a long way before he got selected for the England team. “I went along to trials at Manchester United and got picked from about 1000 players”, he says. Andy trained for six months in preparation for the tournament, but almost did not make it. “My girlfriend got pregnant and we expected the baby to be born right at the start of the Homeless World Cup. Part of me did not want to go anymore, but thankfully Harry got born on the 13th of August, a few days before we headed to Paris.” “When I had him in my arms

change ways of thinking,” says the 1998 World Cup Winner, who admits to working in the prison environment since he was 18. “Everyone, as far as he is able, must do what they can. Too many homeless people are moved on just because they bother the residents. People have to realize that they could find themselves on the streets overnight. Life can turn upside down very quickly.” He does acknowledge the “bling bling side” to the event, however the former footballer claims he will “follow the Homeless World Cup through, including everything there is behind it. The situation will only change if everyone comes together, local communities, businesses and governments, but also and above all those who hold the keys to finance... “ To all those who doubt the social vocation of the football business, Emmanuel Petit responds immediately: “Football fulfills its mission of social integration in itself. Except professional football is a micro-economy within a country.” According to him, the waning notion of integration through sport within professional football can be explained by the way it is controlled by the league. “Professional football lives in its own bubble. Moral fair play must be introduced and deep reforms brought in. The professional world is aware of the decline, but it has all gone too far to turn back now.”


Homeless World CupFootballers have experience of a lifetime in Paris

Football champ urges change through getting “hands dirty”

Danielle Batist, Street News ServiceMelanie Rembert & Francois Fillon, Macadam - France

“Petit” continued on page 10 “World Cup” continued on page 14

100 yards down the river, we spotted a beautiful white crane sitting in the water. Being completely serious, as the crane and a plausible theory had encouraged us, we felt as if we were ‘trackers’, and were confident we’d find the camp. We both felt the bird might be feeding off scraps left at the camp. Yet, had I known we were still two hours from finding the camp I might have been more than a little discouraged. Grasshoppers and butterflies signaled our arrival, moving the dragonflies to erupt brilliantly. I had never seen them before in these numbers. We road slowly, looking for trails and some sign of human habitation. The ground remained rock hard as we first skirted the perimeter, finding nothing till we reached the High Level Bridge, when we began to see intelligent signs of life in the universe—graffiti. From the perspective of the bridge, it became much easier to navigate the terrain, and follow leads to the camp. Still, an hour later when we finally found the camp, it sprang up like a jack-in-the-box. Literally, terrain one stride, camp the next. It was potentially the largest camp I’ve seen. A couple of years ago, Steve North and I found a camp along the river—the north end—with perhaps 12 to 15 people. This camp, much smaller in size, had the potential for more people. It was built here by an architect, perfectly positioned along the river, concealed by trees and carved rock. It had everything; sun, shade, ample fishing, a community space, a view, a beach, and some sense of security. I was more than a little impressed. We had lunch at Helping Hands of St. Louis. They served us a wonderful meal of a burger and fries, even though we were a little bit late. It was great we showed up here, as in the weeks to come St. Louis


This is a tale of two tent cities. The first kind of tent city is the 1Matters Tent City, an annual awareness-

raising event to focus the community’s compassion on those living in the second kind of tent city—the one down at the river which serves as a final outpost for society’s outcasts. Final outpost because if you are living under a tarp down on the river, it’s because you certainly have issues affecting you. Final because this is the bottom, rock bottom, the last stand. From here you return to the reservation, or die. Period. End of story. This is why the focus of the 1Matters Tent City is to help those in the other tent city; to let them know they really do matter. We want to help keep them alive long enough to decide once and for all living like that sucks enough to want to make a change. For the river camps, depending on the reason one is there, the population in your camp usually runs from one to eight individuals. If you are there because of paranoia, schizophrenia, or other mental condition, you usually want to roll alone. If you are an alcoholic, you are thinking it is more like a drunken camping trip; you are thinking the more the merrier. If you are a hard core addict, you only are with one running buddy. More people around might steal your dope. You know you cannot even trust your running buddy because in a pinch, he will be the first one to steal your dope, or your money. There are those who say too bad, so sad, they deserve nothing because they “want to be down there.” When I hear this my thoughts usually are: First, those who say this haven’t

Life is full of hills and valleys and, of course, bumps in the road. I have survived many such rollercoaster rides, but

the hill I’m climbing today is a fitness hill. I have been working out at the YMCA most of the summer, and was looking to extend my workout with some bike riding. After my work with the Toledo Bike Co-op, I already had the right equipment in the form of a good bike. It was Shawn Kellerbauer who came up with the idea to “bike” through the city. We were both interested in who might be living outside for the summer, and since the days were so hot when we began these trips we thought we could be of some service—we had bottled water, (courtesy of Food For Thought), and some mats, (courtesy of Mike and Diana Schiewer), that are great for sleeping. When we started at 9:45am on Wednesday, July 13, all we had was a photograph of a camp, somewhere between the Kuhlman grain and concrete operation, and the High Level Bridge. So we dusted off our bikes, and set off on the adventure of the summer.Aside from the high 90 degree temperatures, the ride through town was pretty uneventful. With so little to go on, the location of the camp was a real mystery. We were both unfamiliar with the terrain, and the “bush” was right out of a novel: thick and as tall as we were, and the ground was rock hard, so navigation was difficult. Most of the time we rode in silence to concentrate, and were alone with our thoughts. We had not prepared very well —only a single bottle of water each, and no template of the area. When we got to the Kuhlman property, we had to carry the bikes over several railroad tracks, and at least initially, terrain too terrible for riding. We did, however, find our first clue: about

lost a family member to alcoholism, addiction or mental illness. One of the camp residents probably is not one of his or her relatives, friends or acquaintances who has made the slow downward spiral to land at this camp. Then I agree with them, because there are those who, when asked, say they want to be down there. They have it all under control, they are “all together, man,” and they are exactly where they want to be, masters of their own destiny, free because they do not have to report to anybody! But having been there, I have a different perspective. I told people all was good, but then at night when I was all alone, completely wasted, lying there in my own urine because I was too high and/or drunk to be able to get up, but not high and/or drunk enough to just pass out in order to escape thinking about where I was and how I got there. Escape the uncontrollable crying, begging to be saved from this insanity, this pain, and thinking the only way is to kill myself. I remember all that. And I remember somehow, through the grace of God, I decided there was another way, that I really did matter, and death was not the only available option. The idea of 1Matters Tent City is not to help those in the other tent cities live more comfortably off the grid, it is simply to keep them alive long enough for them to cry themselves to sleep that one last time before they too say, “Screw this, I am better than this, I really do matter!” This is why we will all be at the Civic Center Mall October 28 - 30. Because every 1Matters. Right?

Having founded Tent City over 20 years ago, Ken Leslie is continuing and expanding the vision for sustainable solutions to end homelessness. Email him at [email protected].

Ken Leslie Bonfiles

Because 1Matters: Setting up camp at rock bottom

Toledo Bike Tours: Riding through the hidden cities

Volunteers planning to spend the weekend set up their tent the first day of Tent City 2010.Photo: Dawn Hall

Bonfiles, right, heads down an overgrown trail to find more hidden encampments. To his left is Ben, one of the urban campers Bonfiles and Shawn have met on their tours. Photo: Shawn Kellerbauer

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The other side of the City of Lights

There has been a tent city next to the Seine, and benches and doorways in some areas of Paris

are crowded with “rough sleepers” every night. While most politicians and tour operators try to hide the city’s dark side, one football tournament draws attention to the problems and challenges perceptions. When Nicolas Sarkozy promised in 2006 that by 2008 no one would be forced to sleep outside any more, social workers and lobby groups shook their heads in disbelief. A presidential candidate at the time, Sarkozy was playing on the emotions expressed by voters across France. But empty promises turned out not to be enough. Lobby groups for the homeless started a campaign for housing as a basic right for everyone. Their efforts led to new legislation

million people live in difficult living conditions, the majority in overcrowded flats. Although the situation on the streets of Paris has improved slightly over the past years, support groups say that a lot more still needs to be done to change the situation for the city’s most vulnerable. In a city traditionally associated with fashion, glamour and romance, social justice issues do not necessarily seem a natural fit. Yet it is important that people think about poverty and change their perceptions about homelessness, says Homeless World Cup President Mel Young. With the annual international football tournament for homeless people taking place right next to the Eiffel Tower this week, both French and tourists alike have an opportunity to engage with people less well-off than them. “Around the world, people are more

that placed access to housing on the same level as education and healthcare. Even though the right to a house is now legally enforceable in France, the bureaucratic system proves too complicated for many and homelessness remains a problem. Statistics on housing and homelessness in France differ hugely, depending on what definition is used. According to the European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA) the proportion of ‘poor households’ is 11 per cent - about the same as the EU average. The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) states in its 2011 report on housing in France that 685,000 people are homeless, with another 85,000 living permanently on camp sites or in mobile homes. They estimate that almost 2.8

and more prepared to listen to poverty issues. But when you meet homeless people and you see for yourself what an amazing skills they have, it changes you”, says Young. The Homeless World Cup provides marginalized men and women from 64 countries with an opportunity to shine. After organizing the tournament for nine consecutive years, Young says the players still manage to impress him: “They are brilliant, they show skills and determination and they should be proud. These players are a credit to the human race.” “I want people to watch and think: ‘these are homeless people’, and never to look at them in the same way again.”

www.streetnewservice.org

See pages 7 and 14 for more on the Homeless World Cup.

Please write your tax-deductible check donation to “1Matters.org” with “Toledo Streets” in the memo line and mail to: Toledo Streets, 3722 Anderson Parkway, Toledo OH 43613.Donations can also be made securely online via PayPal at www.toledostreets.org, and put “Toledo Streets” in the special instructions line when processing. THANK YOU!

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Action during the Netherlands-Phillippines match on August 23rd. Photo: Danielle Batist

Scotland player cheers on the Scotland women’s team.Photo: Danielle Batist

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the chance to bring that opportunity to Detroit. Meanwhile, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which supports projects in cities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers, had also been talking with Kiva about advancing community engagement in the U.S. Trabian Shorters, an MSU graduate born and raised in Pontiac, represented the Knight Foundation. He commented on those embarking on new enterprises: “The risk of failure is not the real failure. It’s leaving life’s dreams unfulfilled.” Kiva co-founder and CEO, Matthew Flannery, explained that Kiva’s mission goes beyond matching investor micro-philanthropists with micro-borrowers, as financial inclusion leads to digital inclusion. Borrower profiles on the web augment sales and marketing, as well as financing. “The newspaper [Thrive Detroit]can get new readers as well as lenders to drive their business,” said Flannery by way of example. Other recipients of early Kiva Detroit loans include Nick Tobier, an artist who has worked with students at Detroit Community Schools in the Brightmoor neighborhood. They created a prototype of a bicycle trailer that the teenage students will hand-build in different sizes to haul cargo behind bikes. His team already has 10 orders. Tobier teaches at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design and at 826 Michigan, the tutoring and writing center on Liberty Street in Ann Arbor. Rounding out this first working group of approved Kiva Detroit borrowers are Midtown resident Crystal Lecoy’s plans to open Detroit’s first vegan food truck; Emily Thornhill’s Homeslice Clothing, specializing in American-made organics; and Jeanett Griffin’s Life Style Management Concierge Services, offering business administration, personal assistance, and elder care. Within three hours of having their businesses posted on Kiva.org,

five enterprises were fully funded at a total of the $11,450. Loans in U.S. cities average $7,000 and the loan maximum is $50,000. Unlike the five Kiva Detroit loans, some of these loans go to a linked group of borrowers. Borrowers repay their loans with interest ranging from 8.9% to 15.9%, based on how risky their venture is deemed. Other emerging businesses were invited to showcase their enterprises at the Kiva Detroit press release launch event. Tamika Tyson, owner of the baking company I Like Cake, has been working seriously on her business for about two years but did not qualify for a loan this time. She has this advice for those starting businesses: “Be patient. It may not appear it is going to pay off. Get a mentor. I found someone, watched what they did and I mimicked what they did in the financial realm.’ She will try again in six months to get a loan that will enable her to expand her inventory, do more advertising and, most importantly, buy her own edible image printer. Eventually she hopes to get financing to take the business out of her home and into a commercial kitchen, preferably one attached to a place where her family can live. She, her husband, and her sister run the business in their “spare time” while each holds down another full-time job and raises a family. A coffee/tea shop had also unsuccessfully sought a Kiva loan. Though they needed financing, the owners were a little too well-off to qualify for a Kiva loan but did not have enough assets for a conventional loan. They participated in the ACCION-sponsored financial literacy seminars and received some guidance and suggestions from Michigan Corps. Eventually, they found family and friends willing to put up some of the money, and with that in hand, were able to secure a bank loan. Their boutique operation is housed in a hotel lobby and doing well. www.streetnewsservice.org / Groundcover News - USA ts ts

that were filled with walnuts, blueberry preserves, oatmeal, sorghum molasses and so on. An air of Quaker civility had gathered around the county market, seemingly ever since the livestock auction had closed. The former livestock auction had had the air of the bloodlusty Roman coliseum. Animals had been whipped and paraded around the circle of dirt floor before the auctioneer’s table. And unwashed and unsavory men, from mariner’s taverns and bathless cathouses all along the Great Lakes coastline, would bid their sodden paper money on cows and pigs. That is, until the Victorian vegetarian and vegan societies came to Toledo. The Victorian vegetarian and vegan movement was prominent in Battle Creek, Michigan, the setting of the 1994 film The Road to Wellville. Some newly-arrived evangelists of vegetarianism succeeded in persuading Toledo merchant Christian Gerber to forswear eating meat. And because the county livestock auction was on his land where the CAC is now located, Gerber promptly shut down the livestock auction. As local Seventh-Day pastor Rev. Miles Bequie wrote in 1871: “Then what of the smell of cherry wood or apple wood-smoked bacon with your flapjacks and pure maple syrup? What about hunting a wild turkey to stuff with sage and breadcrumb dressing? And where is the milk and cream to whisk with sugar and egg yolks and nutmeg?” He went on to write:“Each Christian family must decide for themselves whether bacon or fried potatoes, whether turkey or wild mushroom, and whether eggnog or almondnog.” The Victorian-era community garden at 2413 Collingwood Blvd. provided the early residents of Toledo’s Old West End the freshest and choicest produce from some of the first of what now amounts to over one hundred community gardens in the Toledo area.

William James O’Fahey can be cornered online at amishcountrydoctors.com or on Facebook as “Amish Country Doctors”. He frequently plays as part of a group (yes, called Amish Country Doctors) at The Happy Badger in Bowling Green.

The idea of a division between professional and amateur football makes absolute sense when you look at the Homeless World Cup, as Patrick Mbeu shows. This former Rwandan international, who is disgusted by professional football, sees the Homeless World Cup as a chance to rediscover the sport as well as being a means of integration. Patrick Mbeu, who himself stayed in social housing during his first tournament (Copenhagen, 2007), and then trained the French team in 2009 (Milan), is today an ambassador for the Homeless World Cup and a member of the players committee. “The Homeless World Cup must bring about a change in how people see the homeless,” he states. “Football is a really great way to do it,” concludes Mel Young. “It is a universal language. With the Homeless World Cup, everyone wins; the volunteers who strive to change the situation, just as much as the homeless themselves. Together they are the people who bring light to the world.”

EMMANUEL PETIT:LIFE CAN TURN UPSIDE DOWN VERY QUICKLY As the kick-off of the Homeless Football World Cup, which will take place in Paris in August, is launched, Emmanuel Petit returns to his role as patron of the event. Far from looking for glory and laurels, the 1998 Football World Cup winner reveals himself to be more of a discreet hero...

Macadam: You are the patron of the Homeless World Cup, which takes place in Paris in August 2011. Why this role?Petit: This is my first media appearance in a charitable role. I think that we can no longer close our eyes to the homeless situation. Everyone needs to get their hands dirty to change things, change ways of thinking. Everyone, as far as they are able, needs to do their part. Too many homeless people are moved on simply because they bother the

“Petit” continued on page 12


Living Faith: The greatest of these is... charity

understand there are different ways of loving, yet even I have often demanded more from a relationship than what was fitting, based on what I deemed to be equal treatment. It just doesn’t work that way. Certainly we can say that G-d loves differently than we do—purely, unconditionally, and constantly, to name a few traits. This is the kind of love we are are called to emulate and have for one another. This is actually agape love. However, it is interesting to note there is no indication that charity is how G-d loves us or how we should love G-d. All verses using charity are in the context of dealing with each other (and ourselves, if we

I once read a Facebook status that highlighted charity in a negative manner, and I was saddened to see the word so misaligned. It is

not surprising, however, considering the modern usage of the word has become synonymous with benevolent giving—the often shallow hand-out that provides instant do-good satisfaction and a brief respite from the requesting individual or organization, or the extravagent donation with names engraved on buildings. Charity as an interpration of the Greek word agape has become passé. Only those with the King James or 21st Century King James (but not the New King James) versions of the bible get a fuller usage of the term; it gets a couple mentions in the New American Standard Bible, and is completely non-existent in the New International Version. Why does this matter at all, considering the other interpretation of agape is love? Love seems to be a perfectly good word. Very expressive. Except that the Greeks distinguished how the word love was used, whereas we don’t. Love is another word in our language which gets misused. We love pretty cavalierly in our culture, (by the way, I love that color on you), and then we wonder why people get confused and unhealthy in their expressions of affection. At some base level, we

recall Jesus reiterating the command of Leviticus 19:18 to “love your neighbor as yourself ”). In fact, if you were to read 1 Corinthians 13 (the “love chapter”) in the King James version, you’ll see a description of agape love translated as charity nine times throughout. A much different connotation than how we think of charity today. It defines how we should love one another, or in other words, how we should engage in charity. Acts of benevolence devoid of love, as Paul warned in 1 Cor. 13:3, are empty. Oh, they may do the trick, but they’re not sustainable. The charity we have come to understand is not the charity that is

“the greatest of these” over both faith and hope. Now it’s easy to see why charitable organizations can so often be ineffectual in creating change and why cries for donations can fall on deaf ears. If the actions called charity aren’t motivated by solid, real agape, what we are pouring into our community is not transformational living water but a dead, flat substitute (which I would call coffee, but many I know would disagree with that analogy). It may help us “get by” but it won’t move us forward, either as individuals or as a community. I’ll stop now, if only so you don’t think “the real deal” is nearly impossible; come downtown on any given Saturday to see a number of different groups give out of love, or come down to Tent City at the Civic Center Mall the last weekend of October and you’ll encounter people passionate and committed to living out the idea that every 1 Matters. They do. We do. Charity—love—is hard work. But seeing lives change because you’ve sweated it out is so worth it. Without fail.

Amanda Faith Moore bought her Master of Divinity degree online at a bargain price. Most of what she writes about she has learned through watching some awesome people live it out, people whom she tries to flatter through imitation.

Amanda Faith Moore

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Be a LifeLine for “Buszilla”Since October 2009, “Buszilla” has become the very large, very purple symbol of LifeLine’s urban missions work, serving as a medical missions bus and transportation of people and supplies for tornado relief efforts, poverty immersion experiences, migrant camp visits, and much, much more. Unfortunately, LifeLine’s work amongst the poor has been crippled by Buszilla’s need for a rebuilt engine. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to get Buszilla back on the road as a LifeLine to our community.

Michelle Davis: “My favorite memory of Buszilla is definitely the night we said goodbye to our migrant ‘family.’ The relationships we had developed there were so real, and our ability to have ‘community’ even when we didn’t speak the same language was touching. I can’t wait to go back!”

Douglas Lutman: “When my family lost their house in the tornado, Steve brought in the cavalry and Buszilla to save what was left of our lives. When I saw it coming around the corner the first day of cleanup, I only remember crying because it was the most beautiful thing I’d seen in my life: hope.”

Gregory Peters: “I consider all members of LifeLine my family. Almost all of my family has passed on – there is only me and my sister left, and we aren’t close. I love [my LifeLine family], you are my brothers and sisters. You have given me so much, you have always been there for me. I am homeless and you still loved me.”

Terri Swartzlander: “My best memory of the LifeLine bus is when two people returned to thank me for saving their lives. It really touched me. There have been so many times that we have caught people with either high blood pressure or high and low blood sugars.”

www.lifelinetoledo.comChecks can be made payable to “New Harvest” with memo “LifeLine” and sent to New Harvest Church, 3540 Seaman Road, Oregon, OH 43616.

I could speak as eloquently as all get out—heavenly or earthly speech—but if I don’t have charity, I’m just distracting noise. I could speak of truth, now and future; I could have every dimension of reality and spirituality in my grasp; I could move the world with my beliefs, but if I don’t have charity, I have zilch.I could give everything away to help people; I could be a martyr, but it won’t do a thing if I don’t have charity.Charity is in it for the long haul, with heart; charity doesn’t give a rip about what others possess; charity takes the plainer path,doesn’t act out or seek attention, keeps its cool, meditates on what’s right;has no part in creating anything cruel, but is happily all-in for what’s authentic; shoulders all burdens, trusts without ceasing, anticipates always, runs the full race.Charity doesn’t throw in the towel: but wherever you see visions, they’ll vanish; wherever you hear discourse, it’ll stop; whatever you think you “get,” that’ll change. See, we only know a little bit, and we can only share a little bit.But as soon as we meet with real wisdom, the little bit we know will pale in comparison. It’s like when we were kids—we talked, thought and processed things with immaturity: then, when we got older, all that changed. Right here, right now, the light is dim; but eventually it’ll get up close and personal: right here, right now, we only have so much to go on; but then we’ll understand as fully as we are understood.So there’s faith, hope and charity—the three main things—on which we can always focus; but charity is chief.

1 Corinthians 13, based on the King James Version


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without the benefit of a kitchen can be just as daunting. During the days of the hobo, our vagabond heroes took a page from their Western brothers, brewing up a camp side cup with a technique borrowed from cowhands camping out with their herds. The beauty of the recipe is that it dispenses with hard-to-find coffee filters, boiling the brew down to its most basic components: coffee, water, heat. After adding coarse-ground coffee and water to a pot, a pan or even a coffee can, the resourceful hobo would bring his brew to a boil and then take it off the heat to simply let it sit. Once the agitated grounds had settled to the bottom of the brew, one could pour the dark, delicious stuff off the top and enjoy a great wake-up before greeting the adventure of a new day. Today the recipe is still popular with people who live on Nashville’s streets. “It’s called cowboy coffee,” explains Jim Bo-a homeless man in Nashville who knows all about the challenges of improvising a meal on the streets or in an urban camping environment. According to Bo, simplicity is the key to a camp wake-up: “Build a fire and get a pot of water and some coffee.” But just because the hobos of the past were independent vagabonds doesn’t mean that they didn’t enjoy options. In fact, in the hobo mindset, a life of free-wandering and self-reliance created expectations of more freedom and options than domesticity and wage-slavery could offer. So, hobos who didn’t have a taste for coffee often opted for a fragrant tea whipped up from plentiful pine needles.

PINE NEEDLE TEAPine needle clustersOne quart of boiling waterLemon juiceMaple syrup as desired

1. Chop needles using pocket knife2. Add needles and lemon to boiling

water3. Cover and steep4. Sweeten and sip

While no hobo could live on bread alone, a long day of riding the rails was certainly helped along by a simple mouthful of Bannock Bread. This elemental recipe was brought to the states

by fur traders from Scotland in the early 1800s. A similarly itinerant subculture, traders needed a hearty bread that could travel well-offering both important calories as well as flexible preparations. Consisting of just flour, baking powder, oil, water and a pinch of salt, the simple dough could be scooped into a pan to make small cakes or-in a pinch-it could be squeezed around the end of a whittled stick and held over hot coals to bake. Once the bread had browned it could be pulled from the stick to make room for another round or simply eaten like a starchy lollipop right off the stick. For Nashvillians like Bo, baking bread is a low priority when it comes to procuring a day’s worth of nutrition. “If I’m camping or traveling, I eat a lot of cold chili out of the can-or beans,” he said. “If it’s wintertime, I’ll make a fire and cook some hamburger and make some burritos.” However, whipping up a hot meal is not without its risks. “When people see fire and smoke they come and investigate.” Bo’s camp-cooked burritos offer up a tasty, healthy, affordable meal that also suits a life on the move. “Tortillas are more packable than bread. They’re already smashed flat.” Accessible, convenient ingredients were also important to the original hobos, and plentiful, wild herbs like stinging nettles found their way into most well-traveled camping pots. While picking fresh stinging nettles can be a painful experience for the uninitiated, the prickly plants are the key ingredient for a classic hobo recipe: Nettle Soup. Nettles are easily found in a number of varieties all over the United States. Most of these varieties are perennial herbaceous plants and while it’s wise to use caution when harvesting them, they are a safe, delicious ingredient in a number of recipes around the world. Being careful to wear gloves or other protection when picking the leaves, all one needed was a pan of water and a salt shaker to have a delicious-and highly nutritious-meal.

NETTLE SOUPOne pound of washed chopped/torn nettlesA quart of waterSalt to tasteSimply boil all the ingredients together until the nettles go soft and the stinging hairs are rendered harmless. The soft,

green leaves are left floating in a delicate, earthy broth jammed with iron, serotonin and vitamins just begging to be made into a Mulligan Stew!

Mulligan Stew was a communal, potluck recipe that consisted of anything a hobo or a group of hobos might have been able to pull from their bindles. The concoction was really an improvised Irish Stew, the term “Mulligan” being commonly applied to any Irish-American in the early 1900s. Ideally, the recipe would include some type of meat and a few potatoes along with anything else that could find its way into the pot. The Appalachian Burgoo was a Southeastern variety of the dish that often incorporated a handy squirrel or an opossum when lady luck smiled upon a hobo. Of all the challenges that a wandering worker or any homeless person must face, gathering up one’s daily bread is one of the most difficult and the most crucial. In the heyday of the American hobo, it was a challenge met with ingenuity, originality and tasty, invigorating results. Utilizing improvised techniques and unlikely ingredients, America’s original wandering workers kept their bellies full and their spirits high, and their contribution to the American cookbook still informs the fireside meals of everyone from contemporary campers to Nashville’s homeless population today. The secret ingredient in all of these recipes is the sense of accomplishment that is embedded in every simple bite that has been passed down from the original hobos. A tasty meal by a fire provided actual sustenance, but it also served as a testament to the hobo worldview that an independent man left to his own devices could turn his back on modern society and not only survive, but thrive in a life shot-through with dynamic, moving freedom. Bon appetit!

Find out more about the hobos through this great read:The Hobo Handbook: A Guide to Living by Your Own Rules (Adams Media, 2011) by Joshua Mack

Find out more about the National Hobo Convention here: http://www.brittiowa.com/hobo/events.htm

www.streetnewsservice.org

residents. People have to realize that they could find themselves on the streets overnight. Life can turn upside down very quickly.

Macadam: How do you see your role in relation to the Homeless World Cup?Petit: It is true that this competition has a small bling-bling side. But I will follow it through, including everything there is behind it. I am trying to rely on my popularity to do my part, because the situation will only change if everyone comes together, local communities, businesses and governments, but also and above all those who hold the keys to finance...

Macadam: How do you explain the decline in social values in professional football?Petit: Football fulfills its mission of social integration in itself. Except professional football is a micro-economy within a country. The league controls professional football as a whole, which lives in its own bubble. Moral fair play must be introduced, and deep reforms brought in, but it is very difficult to change things. The professional world is aware of the decline, but it has all gone too far to turn back now.

Macadam: You said that this is your first media appearance in a charitable role. Do you take part in other similar activities?Petit: Yes, but I never talk about them. I’m not interested in having people talk about me, I prefer to work in the background. For example, I have been working in the prison environment since I was 18, and I took part in the launch of a lifting parachute armchair for the disabled. In any case, you can’t allow yourself to stand idly by and do nothing.

*The Professional Football League (LFP) includes all professional French clubs.

Translated from French into English by Alison Walker


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would become a regular stop on our tour. It would also become the meeting ground for many of the people we sought to help. Shawn and I spent five hours on the bikes. We identified four camps, strengthened some relationships, and made some others. For the next five Wednesdays we “LifeLined” and “1Mattered” our way into a most excellent adventure, and found it full of purpose, producing all manner of giving and sharing. And every Wednesday, the unthinkable would happen: each tour was better than the one before. The experience of riding into someone else’s life with complete accessibility was without parallel. The second Wednesday that Shawn showed up at my house, he was pulling a small carriage, donated by Breanna Filas, who had responded to Shawn’s request on Facebook. Like so many in these adventures, Bre is more than a friend - a partner in our quest to help somebody else. The carriage allowed us to carry our supplies into the ‘outback’, and during ‘down time’ would serve as a personal carriage for Milana Kellerbauer, our young advocate in training. The weather continued to be a big story. All of July was to be an inferno, with the temperature and high humidity making living outside a difficult proposition. Many of Toledo’s shelters are air conditioned, so excepting for the crowded conditions, the shelters appear to be a more viable option. As we represent both LifeLine & 1Matters, our first order of business is to offer space in one of Toledo’s shelters, this in part due to the violence perpetrated against the unhoused. The camp sites we found were unoccupied when we arrived, so we would leave the supplies in some prominent place, along with our 1Matters calling cards – black and yellow wrist bands embossed with “Every 1Matters! Right?” The wrist bands are a perfect calling card because people wear them; they are badges that say what your causes are. Once, during week three, we were having lunch at Helping Hands of St. Louis and saw someone we didn’t know wearing a wristband. Shawn asked him where he got it, and he said it was left on a rock in his camp. This is how we met Paul, fifty-something, personable and intelligent, who had been living at his camp since February! We had some lunch together, talked for a while, and parted company as friends.

put myself in to that position I understood how rich the experience is. So it was very nice to have the Rooks along because they are so real, so authentic. We turned their backyard into a bike shop. Ohio is so beautiful. Toledo is beautiful. There is much to love and appreciate here. There is also much at which to frown. One of the more troubling recurring themes is the illegal dumping that goes on. We found dump sites too numerous to mention, but they appear often in Shawn’s photographic journals of our tours. This has little to do with poverty,

failing opportunity, or homelessness. It is simply that some don’t care about what we must share: our city. My partner, Shawn, and my community, (you know who you are): you are the gift that keeps on giving. You’ve taught me that it only takes a moment to show somebody you care.

Bonfiles has been exploring hidden territories—literally and literarally—for many years. What he finds is not always pretty, but his stories are fascinating. You can reach him at [email protected]

We met Ben in much the same way. Ben, also fifty-something, has been homeless on and off for 30 years. We broke bread as well, and Ben actually rode with us on two of the tours. Ben was having bike trouble, so we connected him with the Toledo Bike Co-op, where he was able to get some training and eventually repair his bike. I cannot say how good it feels to know you are doing something right and good. And Toledo, our community, responded. Some acknowledgments must be made: Beth Tronolone and the faculty and staff of the Owens Community College School of Dental Hygiene gave supplies we put to immediate use with more partnering, this time with Neighborhood Properties Incorporated (NPI), at their newest facility operated by George Moore. Thanks also to Ken Leslie of 1Matters for cosmetic kits that went to good use. Paul at Helping Hands of St. Louis donated cereal and milk, canned goods and coffee. Their camaraderie really set the table for what we were trying to do. Jason Rook, and then his father Chuck, both took the tour with us. Both shared our passion for helping somebody else. I had been to St. Louis many times with groups of young people during 4.5 Poverty Immersion experiences, where the design was to allow an opportunity for our young people to talk with and connect with those less fortunate than we. When I

This tent is set up in woods along the river, one of several campsites that are tucked away from prying eyes, hidden in the heart of the city.Photo: Shawn Kellerbauer

The end of a paved bike route is not necessarily the end of the bike tour when you’re delivering necessities to homeless camps. Photo: Shawn Kellerbauer


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for the first time, I felt so proud. Leaving him behind was the hardest thing in my life but I know he’ll be proud later when I can tell him I played for England in a world championship.” The tournament has been an eye-opener for Andy. “I feel a lot of responsibility playing for the

national team, and even more so now I have a son. Being away has made me realised how important my family is to me. My plan is to work hard as a painter/decorator to provide for them the best I can.”


Scotland has won the Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup, the world-class international football tournament beating

homelessness. The Scots beat Mexico 4-3 in front of hundreds of spectators to win the Homeless World Cup for the second time. Kenya were crowned the champions of the Paris 2011 Women’s Homeless World Cup after they defeated Mexico 4-3 in an enthralling final. Over 300 street soccer matches have been played, by 64 national teams of homeless players participating on the Champs de Mars, Paris, France this week. Mel Young, President, Homeless World Cup said: “Congratulations to Scotland and Kenya on becoming champions at the Homeless World Cup. We have seen some astounding football here in Paris. “It is the players and managers of the national teams that have made this a fantastic tournament. Thank you. It is your spirit and determination that is changing the world. Your emerging

leadership is destroying the stereotype and stigma of homelessness and creating real and lasting change around the world.” Now the tournament is officially closed the baton is handed to beaten finalists Mexico for the Mexico City 2012 Homeless World Cup. Beating homelessness through football, the Homeless World Cup is a unique, pioneering social enterprise which exists to end homelessness by using football to energise homeless people to change their own lives. The Homeless World Cup inspires national grass roots football projects and engages over 30,000 homeless players a year to change their lives: over 70% change for the better. The Homeless World Cup is supported by Nike, Vodafone Foundation, UEFA, global ambassador Eric Cantona, international footballers Didier Drogba and Rio Ferdinand. For more information visit: www.homelessworldcup.org.


Scotland player Barry Gannon. Photo: Danielle Batist

Scottish player celebrates.Photo: Danielle Batist

England player Andy Holding.Photo: Danielle Batist

Kenyan Women’s team during national anthem.Photo: Danielle Batist

Scotland wins Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup

Eva Vicens


HoboscopesMr. Mysterio

VIRGO | Have your ears been itching lately, Virgo? Why am I asking? No reason. No reason at all. Well, ok, maybe just that people have been talking about you lately, but that’s not a bad thing. I just think it may be time for you to jump into the conversation. I’m afraid you’ve been leaving a lot of room for interpretation in your recent words and actions and what can you expect folks to do but interpret? I’m not saying you should have to make excuses for yourself or defend who you are. I’m just saying you need to say who you are in the first place. If your ears are still itching after that, you may need some calamine lotion and a second opinion.

LIBRA | The degu is a Chilean rodent that looks similar to a fluffy, well-fed rat. What differentiates the degu from some other rodents is that they don’t just live socially, they actually cooperate to get things done. Degus take turns digging the burrows in which they live, dividing the work and sharing the underground space they create. You’ve been working hard, Libra, but lately you work hard on your own and there’s nobody to share the payoff with. Think about the degu and how much more a little rat like you could get done if you’d take the time to share the load.

SCORPIO | Excuse me, Scorpio, but do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall? “Practice, practice, practice,” right? Well, not exactly. They say “practice makes perfect,” but that’s not the whole deal. You can rush through your warm-ups all day and all you’ll learn is how to rush through warm-ups. It’s only perfect practice that makes perfect. Now that seems like a lot to ask, I know, but it isn’t that much harder. You just have to slow down and get it in your head that what you practice just might actually stick, so you’d better be practicing just right. SAGITTARIUS | When Kurt Vonnegut witnessed the firebombing of Dresden in 1945, he knew he wanted to write about the experience. It took him more than 20 years to finally find the way he wanted to tell his story and ultimately publish Slaughterhouse-Five. So it goes, Sagittarius. You worked so long on the same project, it’s like you’ve been unstuck in time. Who knows how many times you repeated the very same days? Who knows what finally got you through? But now you

can finally move on to the big next thing. It’s a little scary, isn’t it? There’s whole new sets of rules and whole new stories to tell. You’ll do fine, Sagittarius, you just have to remember to keep moving forward, even if you need to occasionally look back. So it goes. CAPRICORN | The male green iguana is the only reptile known to use his own body to protect females from predators. When danger presents itself, he will jump in harm’s way, claws up and tail whipping. And now, for the first time, it’s a little disappointing not to be a female green iguana. Lately it seems that non-reptilian chivalry is all but dead. You feel like you should be able to expect more out of those who seem bigger, stronger and better equipped to take the blows and bites of life, but the fact is, you usually can’t. But come to think of it, Capricorn, you won’t need to. You’ve got all the claws, teeth and tail you need to protect yourself from the troubles ahead. But don’t be too hard on those big green oafs who wouldn’t come to your aid, they’re just scared. AQUARIUS | Your topiary garden is beginning to show the signs of your inner-turmoil. It used to be all happy elephants, boats and dinosaurs. But your recent hyper-realistic depiction of the battle of Gallipoli has made the neighbors wonder if they should invite you to the end-of-summer cook-out after all. I’m not saying you shouldn’t let your feelings come out in your art. Just be aware that when you transform a holly bush into an accurate depiction of an exploding Ottoman land-mine, it is likely to change the way people respond to you in other aspects of your life. By all means, Aquarius, express yourself, just be willing to explain yourself, too.

PISCES | It’s so hard to say goodbye to what you had. I think you know what I mean, Pisces. Like how the good times that made you laugh outweighed the bad? Listen, this moving on stuff is a lot of hard work but every era comes to an end and if you don’t get out while the getting is good, you may regret it down when you come to the end of the road. It’s time to move on, friend. Hard as it is, you’ll take with you the memories to, you know, be your sunshine after the rain. Still, it’s hard to say goodbye to . . . well . . . you know.

ARIES | We all know that Necessity

is the mother of Invention, Aries, but most people don’t realize that Invention is the grandmother of Bureaucracy who is the wife of Customer Service (the kinder brother of Administrative Control Systems). “But I only wanted to find a new way to keep my coffee warm in the car on my way to work!” you might say. Sometimes little productive ideas can blow up into something that feels out of control, Aries. The sprawling family tree that grows where Necessity once stood starts to seem completely unnecessary. If your little idea feels unwieldy, just make sure you’re sharing the load.

TAURUS | I can’t believe it, Taurus! Thanks to your hard work we’re already well over half-way to our goal of raising what we need to fund your October Hoboscope! Remember, silver-level donors will be considered astrological-partners in creating your destiny. Gold level donors will receive silver-level benefits plus a copy of “Great Tauruses in History” and this beautiful tote bag. And there are still a few platinum level spots remaining. Platinum level supporters will not only receive a certificate of astrological partnership, the book, the tote bag, a one year membership to the planetarium and naming rights of your next pet, but will also be entered into a drawing for a trip to…Greece: birthplace of the modern Zodiac! Taurus, you may be less than one month away from receiving an actual predictive horoscope. Don’t forget to tell your friends and loved ones how much it would mean to you to have an amateur astrologer tell you in vague terms what you may or may not expect for your life. Don’t delay, Taurus, this opportunity is slipping away!

GEMINI | You know that feeling you get when you see the oblivious grandmother wearing the commemorative “I Survived Wet-Willies Sausage Bar” cap and then you notice she also has “Hot Stuff ” printed across the back of her sweatpants? Or when the morning news anchor reads the story about the “excaped” convict who is “supposably” armed and dangerous? That feeling, Gemini, is called vicarious embarrassment and it’s not just social discomfort, it’s a primal reaction. A recent study indicates that when we’re embarrassed for somebody else, it activates the same region of the brain that registers physical pain. There’s

only one way I know of to get around that kind of punishment. It’s almost embarrassing to say, but it’s empathy. Evolutionarily speaking, if you go around acting like you’re the smartest, coolest monkey in town, than it really hurts to see all the other monkeys messing everything up. But if you can acknowledge, even for a moment, that it could be you on the news reporting on the gunman in the “liberry” than you start to understand that maybe you aren’t such hot stuff after all. Take a break from all the primal vicarious embarrassment and try to experience people as they are and as you can be. It’ll hurt less.

CANCER | Congratulations, Cancer! You’ve been waiting for this moment for months! This is better than when the new phone book showed up with your name in it! Of course, the hard part about getting what you were waiting for is figuring out what to wait for next. I say just take it one small step at a time. Don’t rush ahead to the big landmarks, just enjoy the little things. Every day has a sunrise and a sunset and some stuff in between. You can start by just paying more attention to those three things. This will all be over soon enough whether you’re waiting for it or not. Let the far off things worry about themselves, you just worry about what’s now. LEO | Contrary to common belief, the banana plant is neither a tree nor a palm but a giant clumping tropical herb. The Stars indicate that this information will be valuable to you this month, Leo, whether because you find yourself in the final round of Who Wants to be a Legionnaire with no lifelines or you are captured by a particularly mad scientist who demands you build him a house entirely of banana wood (there’s no such thing!), or just to impress your date on Thursday night. I recommend you say it outloud ten times “Giant Clumping Tropical Herb.” Write it down if you have to. This really is important.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a decorated admiral, or a decent carpenter.

Want more shiny pearls of timeless wisdom? Follow Mr. Mysterio on twitter at: http://twitter.com/mrmysterio

Hoboscopes appear courtesy of The Contributor street newspaper in Nashville, TN.

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You matter! Here are some ways to get involved:

1. Come to a Tent City planning meeting!• SecondThursdayofeachmonth,7pm• AmericanRedCross,3100W.CentralAve.

2. Organize a clothing drive at your workplace, church or school

3. Gather or join a team to walk 1Mile Matters• SetforSunday,October9th

4. Donate your time, talent or treasure. We have a lot of work to do, and we need your help!

5. Spread the word about Tent City, 1Mile Matters, World Homeless Day, and so many more worthy causes and events!

2011 Tent CityOctober 28th-30th

“Building Foundations, Building Hope”

1Mile MattersOctober 9th, 2011

WALK THE TALK

2010 Tent City; Photos: Dawn Hall

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Toledo Streets Issue #14

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