The Daily Times

Homelessness can creep up on you faster than a cold sore.

No one knows this better than Greg Myers and his stepbrother Tim McGhee. These two had a home and decent jobs, but an economy that tanked and is yet to recover left them jobless and homeless in a matter of months.

The two men were working for a temporary service in Jefferson City and drove there from Knoxville five days a week. Then that assignment dried up and there weren’t any more. Myers said that was almost three years ago. The two are now living on the couch of a friend in Maryville, a tentative arrangement at best. Before that, they weren’t so lucky.

“We slept in his car a lot,” Myers said of his stepbrother. “We even slept in the woods a few times.”

They spend their days combing the Internet thanks to the Blount County Public Library and its free service. Myers said a typical day includes hours of reading newspapers and other job sources, filling out applications online and making calls.

Kathy Pagles, director of the Blount County Public Library, said their collection of resources are available to everyone in the community and her staff does a great job helping anyone who comes in asking for assistance.

“We have a vast amount of resources that some people may not be aware of,” she said. “We make it a point to try and help everyone who comes in that door.”

It seems like this community is taking advantage. Pagles said the library is issuing 300 new library cards per month.

They implemented a new policy in the last 18 months that allows people with no permanent address access to the Internet. That way they can work on resumes, apply for jobs online and do whatever research they may need to do in order to find jobs and permanent housing. The library also has a courtesy phone that community members can use, with some restrictions.

Melinda Rust has been an employee at the library for more than 25 years and is a great resource when it comes to helping people new in the community or others who need help on the computer. She said the library staff keeps updated information on county services that prove helpful to lots of people.

“We have a community resource list that includes everybody from the Community Action Agency to utility assistance with phone numbers,” Rust said. “It puts the information in one convenient place.”

That available information includes a list of United Way agencies and contacts, resources for displaced workers, resources for the Hispanic community, and how to get free cell phone service for those who qualify. Computer training and even a career coach are scheduled in the near future.

Library boost

Joan VanSickle Sloan, community outreach coordinator at the library, said she was made aware of just how much a community relies on its library when many residents displaced after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans came in looking for resources. Jobs and housing were foremost on their minds, same as Myers and McGhee.

Sometimes what people need is simple, like a cell phone so they can make contact with potential employers, Pagles explained. She said Internet access and a phone are necessities for those seeking employment in today’s electronic society.

So far, Myers has been luckier than McGhee. He now has a part-time job at a local fast-food establishment. He has even been approved for assisted housing, but needs more hours at work to be able to pay the rent and utilities.

That car they were sleeping in — it had to be junked after the engine developed a crack. These two know it will be tough holding down a job without transportation; they are simply hoping for something here.

For Myers, the restaurant industry is where he’s most comfortable. He said he was a manager for Shoney’s for 10 years and has other experience. McGhee said his training is as a mechanic.

The stepbrothers have also done construction cleanup, warehouse work and loading trucks.

Stigma of homeless

Meeting these two on the street, you would never know they are homeless. Myers said most people have a preconceived notion.

“Everybody has such a stigma about people that are homeless,” he said. “They think they are all addicted to drugs or alcohol. We are not. We don’t do anything. It was our financial situation that put us here.”

Myers and McGhee have sought the assistance of the local Salvation Army, which gives out gas cards to individuals seriously looking for work. Myers and McGhee said they are able to give theirs to a friend who drives them as they apply for jobs. The Tennessee Valley Coalition to End Homelessness has also aided these two, and the staff at the library has provided good information as well.

These two friends said there isn’t much help for single men. There are shelters here in Blount County that take care of families (Family Promise), abused women (Haven House) and also a Christian shelter for women and one for men. That’s it.

Of course, these two would be welcome at Knox Area Rescue Ministries, but right now, McGhee and Myers are staying put.

It’s been a way of life neither would have predicted for themselves. “Ten years ago I never would have dreamed that I would be homeless,” Myers said. “I can’t find work.”

Myers is the optimist in this duo. He said he isn’t giving up. He also knows there are others teetering on the brink.

A lot of people don’t realize they are just a paycheck or two away from being homeless, McGhee and Myers said. “You almost need a roommate these days just to get by,” McGhee said.

For now, these two rely on food stamps, food pantries, the Salvation Army, churches and friends to get by. They have learned where to spend nights safely, which gas stations have outside bathrooms where they can clean up and they watch grocery store ads for the best buys.

Sgt. Jared Martin, of Blount County Salvation Army, said while many from this area do end up at KARM or the other shelters in Knoxville, the environment there is foreign and uncomfortable for some.

“The urban atmosphere is so different compared to here that people don’t want to go there,” he said.

Martin also said a shortage of affordable housing here is a definite roadblock to low-income and homeless people. There are temporary fixes here, like Heaven Sent Home, but more is needed. “I would like to see a shelter built here,” Martin said.

It probably won’t get done without corporate support, he added.

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