In 1982 I lived in a hostel for homeless men. I wasn’t homeless, I was there as a volunteer. There were two volunteers and, although we shared a room on the top floor, we were rarely in it together. That was because our main duty was the night shifts. There was quite a lot of cleaning to be done and the potatoes for the following evening’s meal had to be peeled (which was easily done in a machine). The last duty of the night shift was the preparation of about 40 breakfasts, including mine, after which all the men left the hostel for the day and until it re-opened at around 4.00 pm. When not attending to these mundane tasks, the night could be passed talking to sleepless residents.
The Shilhay Hostel in Exeter in the early 1980s. It may not be there now? Does anyone remember VHS videos that could be rented from the shop on the corner?
Drawing by Danny who was a painter, decorator, sign writer and, sadly, an alcoholic. I arranged for Danny to paint a sign on the hostel. He did it nicely. Thank you, Danny, for gifting me the picture.
A reference for me from David Campbell. It’s my second* favourite reference. Thank you, David, for your kind words. *My first is from a rabbi in Stamford Hill, in Yiddish, and I’ll write about that another time.
Tales from a hostel for homeless men:
The knives are out: I got told off for giving the kitchen knives to a resident who offered to sharpen them (that’s how he made money, going from house to house sharpening garden tools and knives). Apparently, giving out the knives to residents was not a good idea. I survived (the knives and the telling off), the resident gave me a hug and kiss in gratitude for recognising what he could contribute to the hostel.
The (leather) coat will suit you fine: when one of the residents tried to sell me an expensive leather coat he had just stolen to fund his addiction to alcohol. I didn’t buy the coat and I did report this to the duty manager. I have no idea what happened to the resident…..or the coat.
Legless: to this day I am struggling to understand how a resident feigned paralysis, he was given all sorts of assistance and kept up the pretence. I can’t believe I am writing this.
From resident to member of staff to thief: a resident was giving a job at the hostel as they appeared very responsible. He then absconded with the money in the safe (which he would have had access to having been given all the keys when on duty). It turned out he had an addiction to gambling and taking off with the hostel’s cash was a certainty. In truth, it was all sad.