The Micah Center is Back Bay’s day facility where homeless people can check mail, fill out job applications, have a shower and do their laundry. Today I met Gary, the so-called “mayor of the Micah Center,” pictured here with Meg.

Formerly a successful sales executive, Gary has lived in a tent behind BBM for the past five years, and is a dedicated advocate for the homeless. One particular concern of his has been getting the public — and local officials — to see beyond their assumptions about what a homeless person looks and acts like. The people we tend to notice are drunk, sleep on park benches, or walk down the street panhandling and/or ranting. Gary’s goal is to help these people understand that their behavior informs the public’s image of all homeless people, perpetuating stereotypes that aren’t helpful to getting public assistance or empathy.

He went on to explain that problems we view as minor speed bumps can be overwhelming: like dealing with Social Security, filling out forms or applying for food stamps. In the aggregate, these challenges create a sense of despair, helplessness and lack of control over their situation, and some simply give up. Gary encourages them to take one step at a time and avoid getting angry or frustrated. He also tries to get them to take responsibility for the addictions to gambling, alcohol or drugs that led to the loss of home, and often, family, in the first place.

Interestingly, he shared that some homeless folks root for  others’ failure: “Oh, he’ll be back, he won’t make it” to describe a person who lands a job. And it’s true, people sometimes get back on their feet and then fall down again. If it happens more than once, they may develop a fear of trying again. In many cases, once a person gets a job they need to hide their homelessness from their employer. How does one get cleaned up to go to work at 8 in the morning when the Micah Center doesn’t open till 9?

What keeps him going are the successes, some small, some temporary, and some large. The latter includes Mr. Jesse, a compulsive gambler and veteran who managed to get into one of BBM’s Homeport apartments, then gambled away his rent money. BBM gave him a second chance — his last — and his experience led them to put him on the BBM board of directors.

Meanwhile, back at the food pantry, Katharyn and Sharon spent the morning helping people shop. The amount of food they can select is based on family size, and instead of the pantry simply handing them a bag of provisions, they use a shopping cart and select what they want under the guidance of a volunteer.

More later…..