The virtues of "The Big Book" make it to the street

The causation of homeless plight is much deeper and more dynamic than the abridged and cursory inspection that is often used as its measure. From a distance, all homeless stories are created equal and their sometimes iconic pictures of a trampled existence often look the same. In terms of recovery and assistance it can be an industry of fatal flaws and fragmented disconnect that may not understand the nuances of human behaviorism and how best to fix it. And to fix it, you have to understand one person at a time.

Whether the cause and effect of alcoholism and drug abuse or addiction is related or mutually exclusive to homelessness, as a recovery officer, you have to deal with the problem as it is delivered to you, but here is the redeeming argument: would human nature dictate a propensity for abuse by reason of a homeless and troubled environment or did the abuse result in the homeless and troubled environment.

The "Housing First" philosophy emphasizes  the redundant precept that a roof over someone's head is the best cure for homelessness. Moreover, stability in the day-to-day rituals of normalcy and productivity are simply a distraction to what was previously a vast chasm of helpless isolation. When you have a stable environment a lot of your problems will subside and hopefully go away one day since a change in direction is also a change in momentum in that same direction.

After engaging almost two-hundred homeless candidates on the street over the last two years I would submit that the majority don't have a furious inclination with the golden glow of high octane lager. Nor did the vast majority's residential instability result exclusively from their dependency on alcohol or drug abuse. However, after the tipping point of inevitable indigence was reached from the perfect storm of consequential behavior and indecisive judgement their use or abuse clearly became more pronounced.     

Solving or even curtailing the impact of alcoholism or drug abuse and its relational interference with homeless recovery is not an implied slam dunk. I would submit however that its connectivity is more manageable than previously considered by the majority of casual onlookers particularly if we were first to understand where each candidate falls onto to the scale of relational cause and effect.  


Last week I intercepted Ryan, a 24-year-old man, on the streets of Town N' Country following a complaint of a very much lethargic and aimlessly bound loiterer stationed in front of a Wal-Mart entrance. 

Siphoning from an exterior electrical outlet to charge his cell phone -- it's one of the telltale signs of homeless liturgy. 


I soon find out Ryan has a history of acknowledged mental health obstacles laced with his seductive inhibitions with drug abuse. There is no easy answer, a week of fits and starts finally lead to his conscientious stability after a three day check-in at the Crisis Center. Even with all of Ryan's shortcomings he is held in high praise with his determined follow-up. My parting words of advice are always the same: 

"The best thing you can do for  yourself is stay in touch."

 And Ryan does -- after receiving his latest telephone call I meet up with him once again at the Tow N' County library settled-in on one of the computer stations. I startle him out of a stooper, his head and shoulders bent over, he has become limp from a maladjustment with his medication but he shakes it off. 

Working with such a homeless case with so many layers can be a complicated one; but, Ryan seems to be awakened by the law enforcement intervention -- and his sudden composure is the budding green shoots for success even with all his complications.

A gesture of normalcy is my first offering of goodwill which is the best thing that I can do for myself -- it starts with a lunch buffet which spurred a reflective and lopsided conversation where I did most of the listening. Sitting down at a lunch counter has become a therapeutic bonanza in my journey to understand homeless recovery over the months, even without all the intellectual and clinical academic training.  

Often berating himself, Ryan provided a revealing and earnest introspective into his storied past of bad decisions and illicit behavior. "If I was my grandmother I wouldn't trust myself," he said. Referring to the one stable hand of assistance he has repeatedly bit over the years of his delusional malcontent. Ryan spoke fluently about the tenets of recovery and how he often would lie to himself about his addiction just to make him another one of his own blind believers.   

After lunch we walked back to the patrol car where I rummaged through my center console presenting Ryan with a befitting gift. It's called "The Big Book" by its spiritual followers that embrace the twelve-steps and twelve traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. I keep a soft-cover copy around for just such an occasion.  When I give something away I always expect something in return -- in Ryan's exchange I wanted a sincere attempt at recovery.

The Blue Book was a token gesture of goodwill -- he didn't know how to react at first, choking on his first couple of words. He reached out to accept the conditional offer saying, "I will, I will" thumbing through the first few pages.

Even with the highest praise for Ryan and even under the best of conditions it's hard to predict where this parking lot interaction will end up for him. But, for the time being, at least I'm content in knowing it's a start in the right direction. 

Deputy Steven Donaldson

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Homeless Initiative

District III Office: (813) 247-0330

Email: sdonalds@hcso.tamp.fl.us

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