How to slip through the cracks

My wife and I took a trip to Northampton for an appointment she had.

As we got off at exit 18,we came upon this man.

`
 Her business was
                                         

                                          4 tenths of a mile                                          

                                                      away 

                so I decided to hoof it back and see if I could get his story.

Meet Jay

 

                                                              Jay wasn't shy about talking to me.
First thing I said to him was that he didn't look homeless, in fact you look as if your in better shape than me. His hair and body showed no signs of being on the street, his clothes were clean and in good repair. I had seen him smoking a cigarette when I drove by, so I said you seem to be able to afford a very expensive habit , along with good clothing and how clean his body was , he seen where I was heading with that , and started opening up. Jay admitted he wasn't completely on the streets yet , but fears being there shortly. He says he has two part time jobs ,which he walks to , and between the two of them he has trouble clearing $100.00 a week. He used to work construction at a high rate of pay. When he and his baby momma broke up ,child support was determined on that amount. When the good job ended he couldn't keep up. He claims he filed for amendments but the mother doesn't show up for the hearings , and the courts will not pursue it without her, in the meantime he just keeps getting further behind. Between that and stupid stuff he did in his younger days that gave him a record , makes staying afloat harder and harder each day. Jay says he floats from friend to friend for a place to stay, but he's not sure how long he can keep that up. Jay was born in the U.S., he did not serve in the military, gets no help from our government, and doesn't have a drug or drink problem.
I'm not here to judge or determine who is for real or not , but Jay looked me straight in the eye, if that means anything, as he told me his story. I told him I would probably be using his pictures and story publicly, he said all was good and I thanked him and moved on. There were other personal details he shared with me , putting them out here will not help him or his situation, they only made me believe him a little more.
 Could this be a scenario that is plausible? Is this the beginning of the spiral into the streets?
The problem is not a new one.

This was Paul 25 years ago along the banks of the Conn. River.

His dog Oscar

He asked me to not use his face

An out of work carpenter built his quarters along the banks of the river

                                            built a pier for fishing, a large part of his diet.

 

                                              even had his own bank deposit box and secure living space
 
                                                 
           

                          

     

 

I don't know what became of Paul, but I do know his problem started a lot like Jay's.

Once he lost what he once had , only his own skills would keep him and Oscar alive.

 

THIS PROBLEM IS NOT GOING AWAY.

Each passing day it continues to get worse , while the ones who represent us worry about overseas and illegal aliens.

Much more to come on this ongoing problem.