Salvation Army helps city’s homeless
During Christmas week the media was flooded with stories of ham and turkey dinners for the less fortunate residents of Belize City. While many down and out citizens may have taken advantage of a number of such meals, by the time New Years rolled around their bellies were typically empty and the repeated northers made life on the streets a frigid experience. But while the city’s homeless may have been off your TV screens, they were not forgotten. Jose Sanchez reports.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
In the shadows of the Supreme Court, Battle Field Park and the Belize Bank are the forgotten, poor and homeless of Belize City. Not only do they have to contend with trying to find food on a daily basis, but the recent cold fronts has made their nights even more uncomfortable.
James Garth, Regional Commander, Salvation Army
“As we walk by on the streets we can see them laying on the street there and it’s a time where the climate has been changing. We saw that they were very chilly and cold out there. Now these people, we try at times got get them into our shelter, but its very hard to have them staying in there. So we think another way of helping them is like taking a cover for them out to avoid so much coldness that they would suffer at night.”
Voice of Homeless Person
“The couple of months I am out here. I see enough things happen out here, like chance (take advantage). They chance some of these guys out here. Some men would come and have sex with some of them. You know what I mean, man with man.”
Jose Sanchez
“So they take advantage of them. How do you survive out here on the streets?”
Voice of Homeless Person
“Well I make it out here cause I wash vehicle, you dig. Some time I make up to seventy five dollars it just depends?”
Michael Funk
“Well it’s normal, everything cool and alright, kinda chilly and everything you know, kinda rough.”
Jose Sanchez
“What did you use to keep warm?”
Michael Funk
“Yeah, I cover up with my shirts.”
Jose Sanchez
“How do you survive being on the streets?”
Michael Funk
“I do wood carving, rap and a little dance and so. The same way you are out here hustling, thank God, the same way you come up.”
Facundo, Homeless
“When it rains here all of us stands up and we get wet up. This is the raincoat.”
Jose Sanchez
“How long have you been living out here?”
Facundo
“Hmmm. Over three years.”
Jose Sanchez
“What happened to lead you out on the streets?
Facundo
“I’ve been working years but I get old already, I am seventy-four. But I’m too tired to work, so nowhere to stay.”
Jose Sanchez
“No family?”
Facundo
“No sir.”
Homeless Man
“Some of the people done do their time already. They done serve the country and all this and they’re still out there on the street side by the bank sleeping and smelling all foully. And when you walk on the street side the place smell foully and check it out. As it smells the people say “Hey man you smell stink” and all that sort of thing, that’s wrong.”
In contrast to the often cruel streets is the Raymond Parks Night Shelter, run by the Salvation Army.
James Garth
“It’s right beside Extra House on Orange Street.”
Homeless Man
“You have to pull down your name or show your ID card?”
James Garth
“Just your name and you can sleep there for tonight, get up in the morning, take a shower, have breakfast.”
Homeless Man
“How can I have breakfast?”
James Garth
“You can have it because you will be there.”
Homeless Man
“Who will sponsor that?”
James Garth
“The Salvation Army will administrate that.”
Geraldine Audinett, Raymond Parks Night Shelter
“Thirty-two persons in all, right now. We have twenty people in the shelter right now. We have eight beds in a dorm and we have four dorms.”
Jose Sanchez
“Some of the homeless people that we meet do not make it to the shelter, what prevents them from getting into to the shelter?”
Geraldine Audinett
“Some of them come, but they just don’t abide by the rules, so the next day they would just leave and never come back, but we still have spaces here.”
The Salvation Army not only works for the poor and elderly. They also have a youth group that shows teenagers how to be leaders by performing the simple act of charity. And the general public can also help not only at Christmas, but any time.
Amanda Audinett, Salvation Army Youth Group
“If you have any thing to donate to the Salvation Army, shirts, anything you have that you don’t really need. If you give, give it to us, so we can donate it to other people out here.”
Reporting for News 5, Jose Sanchez.
