'Invisible to you': Aurora works to count Evansville's homeless on wet, foggy night

EVANSVILLE — A little after 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aurora's homeless outreach team loaded a van with snacks, hot coffee and drawstring bags filled with inclement weather gear.

They also handed out meals throughout the night as they ran the annual point-in-time count around the city. The event helps provide a look at the number and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness in Evansville, as mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Carrie Burress, outreach team lead, had already been to United Caring Services with the team, where they filled out PIT surveys with those who came in for the shelter's white flag service. The Evansville Rescue mission hosted a white flag night, as well.

White flag nights are set based on cold-weather conditions, but holding one the day of the count makes it easier to complete the survey forms and have people in one location.

Men and women slowly trickled into UCS, where they received items from Aurora, filled out the survey with a volunteer or team member and got the chance to grab a hot coffee and a place in the room to sleep.

The weather Wednesday wasn't cold enough to constitute white flag, which Burress said might have meant some people didn't think to come by UCS if they hadn't heard about it.

But reaching people on the street Wednesday night was already a part of the Aurora team's plan.

They planned a route to take them past locations where those experiencing homelessness are known to find shelter for an evening. Most of the people are known by the Aurora members, since they interact with them on a weekly basis.

But there were also some new faces who they told to come by Aurora the next day to talk more about services.

A sleeping bag on wet concrete

The first stop was around St. Anthony's Church on First Avenue. And it's someone the team didn't know.

The man told them all he needed was some socks, and he isn't coffee drinker, but they get him to take a bag and some snacks, too.

Two stops later the van pulled up to Sixth Avenue Park. It's one of Evansville's mini-parks, with some playground equipment and shelter with a couple tables. The park abuts a few homes in a business-heavy area.

Under the shelter a man had his sleeping bag set up on the wet concrete. He was prompted awake by the Aurora team, who got him to come over for some snacks and coffee. Burress said she wished she had a tarp to give him for the ground, but they let him know there's a sleeping bag in the kit they gave him.

Burress said he's someone they've worked with for quite a while, and pretty soon he'll be in an apartment at Garvin Lofts.

He joked around with Burress and the others while getting a snack bag and hot coffee. It's from Starbucks, and as he filled up his cup he let the team know, "McDonald's is better."

'They're just invisible to you'

Through downtown the team continued to hand out cold-weather items, even driving one woman from a bench on the riverfront to UCS after she'd missed the curfew time to stay at Ruth's House, another shelter, for the evening.

Some people were tucked against buildings. Others biked down the road until a shout from Aurora's van stopped them.

Nana Wing, Aurora's re-entry team lead, said a lot of times people don't notice the homeless until there is an issue.

An issue like the death of 67-year-old Marvin Ray Beck, who died from “hypothermia due to environmental exposure” earlier this month after living on the streets off and on for decades.

Wing said now that he was in the news there was an uproar, but people walked past him everyday downtown. Anyone could have offered a helping hand.

"Why were you not in an uproar in the beginning? Because constantly when you’re driving down the street, they're there," she said. "They’re just invisible to you. Homeless people have always been there, they’re always going to be there, because we don’t have enough housing for them."

Items Aurora needs in donations:

• Sleeping bags

• Tarps

• 2-3 person tents

• Cell phone charging chords

• Back packs

• Bikes, bike locks

• Cleaning supplies (dish soap, toilet and tub cleaner, and all-purpose cleaner)

• Laundry detergent

• Shampoo and deodorant

• Nonperishable food items

• Toilet paper, Kleenex, and paper towels

• 13 gallon trash bags

• Personal hygiene items

• Housewares: plates, silverware, utensils, bakeware, small appliances

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Aurora works to count Evansville's homeless on wet, foggy night