The Oak Leaf Hotel

I was really not aware of the phenomenon of homelessness until the late 80s. If there were homeless people in Odenton, Maryland in the 50s and 60s, I never encountered them. Vero Beach, Florida, same deal. It wasn't until 1988, when I began working for Image International doing huge corporate theme parties, that I came in contact with this class of humans. Al, the owner/CEO/Big Cheese employed a production manager, a truck driver, lighting guys, A/V guys, shop guys and a warehouse boss. All of the additional labor came from a temp agency.

We never knew what we were going to get temp-wise. Some were pretty sharp, ready and willing to "get some work did." Some were sullen and difficult. Some were barely upright and likely to be discovered sleeping somewhere - and at the Marriott World Center, that was frowned upon. Most were there to put in their time, do the work and get paid. Some we would request if they were available, and some we would send back with the delivery driver if they showed up. The one consistent trait was that none of them were around very long - maybe six months at the most. They would just disappear, and nobody knew anything about it unless maybe if they were arrested. And if Image hired one on, he would never last longer than a few days before he would disappear, never to be seen again.

I get why some folks say that homeless people are homeless because they want to be. From the viewpoint of the privileged it can appear that way. Speaking as one who has worked shoulder to shoulder with these guys, shared food and conversation with these guys, I can say that it's simply not that simple. For the most part, they are homeless because they have to be, because, for whatever reason - drugs, alcohol, brain damage, mental illness, PTSD (I worked with a LOT of Vietnam veterans) - they just do not have the wherewithal to be an upstanding citizen. The rigors of managing money, paying rent, showing up for work on time, keeping themselves clean and presentable are simply beyond their capacity. Most are really nice people who will never be accepted into society, so the homeless community is what they have.

One really touching moment during my six and a half years with Image happened when I took the bus from International Drive to downtown Orlando to meet up with Carmen after work. I was grungy and unkempt after a hard day's carpenting, and wearing my Image International T-shirt. When I got off the bus at the downtown terminal, there were several grungy and unkempt guys nearby. We didn't know each other at all, but they assumed I was one of them. "Hey, Brother, you all right? Need anything?" I assured them that I was fine, thanked them and went on my way, but I was humbled by the fact that these guys who had almost nothing to call their own, were happy to offer help to a fellow.

The title of this post is a quote from one of our temporary workers one lunch break. A frequent topic of conversation was "Where did you stay last night?" Beneath overpasses of I-4 were popular sleeping spots. Doorways and alleys were also high on the list. This one dude, who had slept in a cluster of trees, said "I had a room at the Oak Leaf Hotel." It doesn't get any better than that.