Jay
About three years ago Catherine Smith, our founder, met Jay while he and a friend were cutting her lawn. They did such a good job that when she needed her lawn mowed again she went looking for them. Only Jay was available so she gave him a chance. He did a good job and was very reliable so she continued to use his services. As time went on, Jay shared that his mother was very sick and had to move to Richmond, Virginia where she could get the care that he couldn’t provide. As a result of his mother’s move, Jay was forced to do odd jobs for a man in return for staying in his basement. Things went well until one day when the man came home drunk. He asked Jay to leave and though he didn’t have anywhere to go, he left.
Jay would sometimes couch-surf and crash at his friends’ homes but that soon ended and he was on the streets. He was asked why he didn’t go to live with his mother in Richmond. He said that there was no room for him and he didn’t want to jeopardize her having a place to stay because she didn’t have a place of her own. He would check on her a couple of times per week whenever he could work to make money for a phone call. He never told her that he was homeless because he didn’t want to worry her. With nowhere else to go, he was soon living on one of Catherine’s neighbor’s back porch with all of his belongings.
One Sunday, Jay knocked on Catherine’s door and asked for something to eat. As she sat on the porch with him he told her about his daughter and how he hadn’t been able to see her. He also told of his many hardships and set-backs and how bad he felt about the bad choices he had made in his life. Jay seemed to be a good guy but he was addicted to alcohol and marijuana. This addiction caused him to be alienated from his family and eventually become homeless.
Jay continued to live on the back porch throughout the summer. He was satisfied to live there and made no effort to find permanent housing. Drug addiction clouds the judgment and Jay was satisfied to stay on the back porch as long as he had permission from the neighbor and food from Catherine.
When a bad winter storm was forecast, she became concerned about his living outdoors. She had Jay come to her home and called the Maryland Emergency Hotline. There were either no openings or he was refused because he could not provide proof of residency. She decided to try shelters in DC and took him to a shelter on New York Ave. To her surprise and relief, they accepted him.
One year later, Jay now lives in Delaware. He has found a job with good pay that includes a place to stay. He is now doing fine and has reconnected with his daughter. His mother is doing better and is in the process of getting her own place. The best news is that she wants him to live with her once she moves in!
Catherine shared this story not to illustrate what she did for Jay but to demonstrate that a little kindness can go a long way in changing the course of someone’s life. Collectively, the board and staff of Lillian’s Place have been reaching out to those in need for more than 30 years. Drug and alcohol addiction can cause the best of us to lose our way and no one is immune. The truth is, your son or daughter, sister or brother, or even you or I could be Jay. So, when you see a Jay, be helpful, not judgmental. Anyone can change their life for the better if given a kind word and a hand up!
Lillian’s Place, changing lives, one Jay at a time!