Veterans’ Affairs

On the eve of a very big snow storm I went down to Nashua. At first I didn’t really have any goal or plan. I just wanted to see where people would sleep tonight. It will drop below freezing tonight and there will be people who will not have a warm place to go.

I first stopped at Buckingham Place. I talked with the person who was working the front desk. I wanted to see what people would do to seek shelter tonight. Where would they go, who provides this service locally and what was the reality if they didn’t. The feedback I got was just as I suspected. There are limited beds that are offered, many will get turned away and will sleep in the elements tonight.

The shelters are limited here and that is really a matter of unfortunate circumstance. Whether it is a limited amount of funding from the local government or something else, the situation is not the greatest in this growing city.

I left there and headed towards a foot bridge that is notorious for groups of people who pitch tents and create a temporary community for themselves. Along the way I passed a make-shift shelter. It was your stereotypical location. Underneath an old tractor trailer was the remains of a bed that looked to be freshly used.

Remnants of food and other material were present. I took a picture and was standing back up and ready to continue down my path when a man walked up to me. At first I wondered if this was his place but I didn’t want to offend him if it wasn’t. He was very much disheveled and it was very apparent that he had been on the street for quite sometime. He saw that I had a camera and jokingly asked if I wanted to take a picture of him. I told him that I didn’t want to pass judgment and asked if he knew the person who might have stayed there. His response was both a reality slap and sad at the same time. He asked me if I thought he was a bum. I apologized again and told him no and that I was trying to help people who might want it here in southern New Hampshire. He hesitated and looked as if he was going to say something but he nodded and just walked on. As he walked away he said out loud that, “I wouldn’t be in this situation if I would have gotten paid the money I deserved.” I didn’t know what that meant but I could only assume.

I just watched him walk away. It angered me and made me realize that this problem is more than the public wants to deal with. As neat and tidy that Nashua has become, there is still the ugly side to it that no one wants to fit into their aesthetically pleasing and bustling city. I don’t know where the problem stems from but there is no excuse when there aren’t enough safe places to sleep at night.

I didn’t end up going to the foot bridge because I didn’t want to over stay my welcome. This gentleman’s safe haven was in affect trespassed on and I have enough street smarts to know that it was time to leave that area.

I headed over to the Soup Kitchen because I wanted to see their times for lines. I didn’t stick around for very long after I got my information. Partly because there were two Nashua Policemen making some random stops on that street and I figured there were good reasons for that. After that I headed over to my old stomping grounds. I remember as a child seeing many people who lived behind a certain store plaza location. Although it has changed over the years, I figured I’d see if anyone was there. Now mind you, I wasn’t going to just put a camera in these people’s faces but I was hoping that if I did find people then maybe someone would care enough to want to reach out to them. I know I can’t save everyone and that certainly wasn’t my objective but people need to be aware of what’s going on.

There is a Shaw’s Supermarket in this plaza and I noticed a man sitting there. Now I don’t mean to stereotype, but there are times that the visual is very clear that someone is not well off. I was writing down some notes in my car when I noticed two employees walking towards this gentleman. It appeared that they told him to leave. He had nodded and got up, rather than walking away he went into the store. I guess my curiosity kicked in because I wanted to know what they said to him. I didn’t see him at the entrance so I went in to just grab a drink. I bumped into a man that I had spoken to at Buckingham Place the day of my shoot there. Although we didn’t speak on camera in the past he was more than willing to just talk in general now. I did ask him where people would go tonight. His response was what I expected. He said that when the space runs out, they will just sleep wherever. We spoke for a few more minutes and parted ways. As I was walking out I saw the man who I initially saw at the front of the store. I exited the door and I asked him if they told him to leave or shop before he went in the store. He said that they were just doing their job and it wasn’t a big deal. He also asked what I was up to. I told him that I was doing a documentary about issues affecting our state. He seemed interested and I told him a little more about it. We then sat down and talked for about 45 minutes. His name was Jeff and he is what you’d call a chronically homeless veteran. At times you could see the emotion overwhelm him and I would quickly shift the conversation, maybe another time and place we could discuss the real hard stuff. I told him that I was trying to help people and that was my only intent. He really opened up about the VA and things that he has seen on the streets. I felt that he would be a great person to follow up with and I asked him about his current living situation. It was only 2 months ago that he was living on the street but was fortunate enough to have a place for the moment. I didn’t ask how he was paying for it or anything like that. I did ask if I could contact him again. He agreed and provided me with a way to do so.

I drove home with the radio off and the sun was setting. I thought that it would be a pretty picture but then my thoughts quickly shifted to the people who will endure the weather tonight. I thought about the reality and how I could never fully understand certain plights. In many ways I have been blessed and not a day goes by that I don’t forget that. I know what I am trying to do. I hope it will eventually help people and possibly make the next winter a different situation for all.