Homeless People

ANNAPOLIS -- He's been threatened and his property has been vandalized. More than once he's had to call the police to stop a group of children from throwing beer bottles, sticks and eggs at his home. James Devine's home happens to be his van, and now the Washington County resident is pushing for a state law that would make crimes against him and other homeless people considered hate crimes. Devine, who has been homeless for 25 years, was in Annapolis Tuesday to testify in favor of a bill sponsored by Sen. Alex X. Mooney, R-Frederick/Washington, that would make the homeless a protected classification, in the same way crimes based on race or religion are considered hate crimes.

HAGERSTOWN - The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday dumped an ordinance from its agenda that, if passed, would have made it illegal for people to live in vehicles parked on public property. During the public comments portion of the meeting, several people spoke against the proposal, saying it discriminated against the homeless. Hagerstown resident James Devine told the council that many people don't choose to be homeless and shouldn't be punished as a result. Devine, who lives in a vehicle, said he has no family or friends to take him in and struggles to survive.

andrews@herald-mail.com Van Jordan made the discovery on Wednesday: giant gashes in his faded red tent - his home. Jordan, 40, thinks a limb fell on it, but the nylon is torn end to end in a few places, as if from a knife. The tent, which he bought 10 years ago for his daughter, is ruined. It was his only shelter; he has no other home. And he has no other plan. But he has at least two more weeks at the Hagerstown Union Rescue Mission to think before he's back outside, on his own. Another setback, another sigh.

HAGERSTOWN - Residents' complaints about loud noise and drinking have spurred railroad and city workers to begin tackling undergrowth at City Park, officials said. The City of Hagerstown and employees of the Norfolk Southern Corp. railroad line have cleared shrubs and weeds from a northern part of the park near Hager House, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Junior Mason said Wednesday. According to police, homeless people often sought shelter in the area. "We have found a lot of trash and bottles and blankets, whether old or new, I don't know," Mason said.

By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI / Staff Writer Photo by RICHARD T. MEAGHER / Staff Photographer United by a sense of compassion for the homeless, more than 25 people of different faiths gathered at St. John's Lutheran Church in Hagerstown on Sunday. cont. from front page The group was part of an interfaith ceremony opening the annual cold weather shelter sponsored by the Religious Effort to Assist and Care for Homeless People and Washington County congregations.

By DAVE McMILLION Staff Writer About 1,500 homeless people took refuge from the cold last winter during the first year of the Washington County Cold Weather Homeless Shelter, and officials are looking for volunteers to run the program again this winter. Some officials were surprised at the number of people who were homeless last year, but Carrol Springer, who helped set up the shelter, wasn't one of them. Springer saw the need seven years ago when she helped set up a similar shelter in Frederick County.

wandaw@herald-mail.com Homeless people, household pets and household plumbing are vulnerable to the hazards of this week's cold wave if they aren't protected from the unusually harsh temperatures. "We're feeling the effects of a cold air dome moving in with gusty winds and low wind chills," said Scott Homan, an AccuWeather meteorologist. Homan said that from today through Saturday, the area can expect high temperatures in the 20s during the day, with temperatures dropping to the mid-teens overnight.

Despite a weather forecast that called for the mercury to dip to as low as 25 degrees Thursday night, Kelli Whitsell was committed to sleeping outside at Hagerstown Community College to bring attention the plight of the homeless. "I'm here, I'm going to do it," said Whitsell, noting that she had a sleeping bag, a few pillows, a blanket, a jacket and extra clothes to help her make it through the night. Whitsell was among about 40 students who were expected to participate in a homelessness awareness effort at the school's student center.

It's not the life they imagined - living in a car, destitute and discouraged. They were once productive individuals, with the stability of a job and a roof over their heads. But then life took the nastiest of turns. The paycheck was gone, along with the house. And the reasons were more complicated than a sagging economy. There was a changing job market, to be sure. But there were health problems - both emotional and physical. There were rising expenses, unforeseen bills and an income that couldn't keep pace.

HAGERSTOWN -- Washington County Free Library staff members usually can tell which of the people sitting in the main branch in downtown Hagerstown are there to get out of the cold or the rain or the heat. But then, it's not difficult to spot those who are homeless, Washington County Free Library Director Mary Baykan said. "They bring in a lot of their worldly goods, it looks like. They also bring little lunch sacks given to them when they leave the shelter in the morning," Baykan said last winter.