HELP THE HOMELESS

7 Years After Meeting Star, I Found Her Again — Back in the Shelter and Still Homeless

Homeless but not hopeless — she’s a star in more ways than one

On Christmas Eve 2015, my son Steven and I met a woman called Star outside our local homeless shelter. Chicken Soup for the Soul published the story of our encounter in their 2022 book, The Magic of Christmas.

Over the years, I’d often thought about Star, wondering what had become of her. I decided to search for her, and in November 2022, I found her again. She’d been in and out of homeless facilities in our area and was now back at the same shelter where we’d initially met. I spoke with the manager, who helped me arrange a meeting.

One frosty November morning, I drove to the shelter with some bags of items donated by my choir and book club friends — winter jackets, socks, hats, and toiletries. I packed a special bag with gifts for Star, including gift cards, toiletry items, chocolate and a copy of The Magic of Christmas.

I felt excited and slightly nervous as I walked into the shelter. I had no idea if Star would remember or even want to see me again. I waited at reception for a while, and then she arrived.

Star was grinning as she rolled down the hallway towards me in her wheelchair. She remembered my son and me and was thrilled to receive a copy of the book and see her name and our story in print. “I’m famous!” she said excitedly as I handed her the book.

I’d placed a hand-painted bookmark with a picture of mountains and trees against a starry sky inside the book to mark the page with our story. Star said she was happy about our story being in print, and she kept opening the book, looking at the page and smiling.

She asked why I’d written a story about her and seemed amazed someone would want to do that. I replied that meeting her had made an impact, and my son and I had often thought about her over the years, wondering how she was doing. I also told her she inspired me with her strength, her positive attitude and the way she cared for her street friends and those around her.

I took Star for a walk around the neighbourhood, and we spent a couple of hours chatting. I learned how difficult it is to navigate streets with a wheelchair, especially where there is repair work. A few times, I had to push the wheelchair along the road as the sidewalk was closed or too rough for the wheels.

Star told me she’d lived rough on the streets and in the woods for 35 years. Her stories of abuse, the violence she’d witnessed and suffered and the heartbreak of losing friends to drugs were harrowing. She has lived and is still living a tough life.

Star said she got confused sometimes because of brain damage she’d suffered from when she’d been hit by cars while crossing roads. A few weeks before our meeting, a car had knocked her off her bike while cycling in the rain. She had been in hospital for a few weeks with a broken femur.

Despite everything she’s been through, Star is an incredibly positive person and has a lovely sense of humour. We had a good conversation and some laughs. She was just as I remembered — a good-hearted, tough survivor. Before I left, one of the friendly staff members took a photo of us with Star holding her book. Then we hugged each other and said goodbye.

I drove home with a mind and heart full of mixed feelings. I was happy to have seen Star again but sad she still didn’t have a permanent living arrangement. I felt incredibly grateful for my life circumstances and even more committed to helping homeless people in my community.

Soon after this meeting, I joined the Tri-Cities Homelessness & Housing Task Group. Through this group, I’ve had the opportunity to help with projects like the homeless count, Community Connect Day and collecting and dropping off donated items.

During the winter months, homeless shelters always appreciate donations of new or gently used warm socks, gloves and jackets. This year, my lovely choir and book club friends donated a big bag of socks for our local shelter during a collection we did for Socktober.

So many people live on the streets, each with a tragic story. They endure extremes of weather, hunger and violence. They often have health conditions which result in chronic pain. Many are battling addictions.

In my community, the number of homeless people has increased by 86% since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff at homeless shelters are kind, generous souls who help people at their worst moments. They witness and deal with terrible situations and don’t turn away when things get tough. If you want to improve things for unhoused people in your area, contact your local homeless shelter or community action group. Ask what they need and how you can help.

Even if you can’t donate money, food or other items, you can help homeless people retain some dignity by offering them a friendly hello and a smile.

There is a lot that happens around the world we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we know where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help. — Jan Schakowsky

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You may like to read A Christmas Star — the story of how my son and I met Star one snowy Christmas Eve: