This homeless man was “at home” on Mt Pleasant Rd just north of Moore Ave. on the Monday holiday. He was sleeping on public grass just outside the cemetery fence. His belongings were piled on a wheeled dolly of some type indicating he is normally on the move in the nice weather. The presence of homeless persons in or near a cemetery is not very common in South Bayview but not unknown by any means. The report of the Shelter, Support and Housing Administration released in July indicated the total homeless was 5,219. The information released last week was an interim statement. A full report is expected in September. Many homeless people say they prefer to be outside during the good weather. But 93% told city workers that they would like to have a home. Lifestyle can subvert that desire it seems. One woman said her shelter home was too far away from downtown streets where she prefers to drink wine with her friends. One index to look for in the full report will be that of seniors, defined as those over 61. The current preliminary data indicates that seniors make up 10 percent of the total which means there might be something in excess of 500 such seniors. This is said to be a doubling (from about 250) since 2009.
