Story of Don Pollard

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Don has been homeless for ten years. Luckily, it was summer when he began moving between churches and shelters in London. During his first winter, he stayed in churches in West London. Over a period of 20 weeks, Don moved between night shelters, carrying all his belongings with him.

Moving. From one church. To one shelter. To another. Moving. From church to shelter. To another shelter. One after another.

 

Each night.

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“That was really tiring. I did that for one year,” said Don, “but I have never done it since.” Don would always be punctual to ensure he had a place at the shelter, arriving just before closing time at 8 PM. Once he found a shelter, it would be more likely for him to keep it. Just like every social structure functions in its own way, the system of homelessness has its own internal structure. Getting into the system of homelessness is not as difficult as getting out.

Don is not afraid of facing death; he is more concerned about the process of dying being terrible. He believes that a person's life continues based on their actions. What Don does is pump water out of his boat. “I try to keep this boat afloat,” Don says to himself, “between the tides” that run along the River Thames.

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The water never disappears.

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Don has set up a routine where he pumps the water out about three to four times a week. However, no matter how much he pumps, the boat never gets dry. Sometimes, he uses automatic pumps. In fact, he has four to five hand pumps in his boat, which has become his home. Currently, Don can only make temporary fixes for the water leakages but is looking for a long-term solution.

He doesn't need to work to pay rent but needs to work to keep his boat afloat.

Reintegrating into social structures is not an easy task. The quicker people reintegrate, the more likely they are to stay resettled. This is especially challenging for individuals like Don, who refuse to claim benefits. “It is very hard work to claim benefits...” Don sits quietly for a moment and continues in a distant voice, “It’s very stressful. I cannot cope with the bureaucracy. I would rather do without.” As a consequence of doing without, Don has been homeless longer. As a homeless person, he is deprived of his rights and opportunities within social structures and cannot even open a bank account.

After working about 16 hours a day as a pub manager and refurbishing pubs, Don’s daily labor has become keeping his boat afloat. He spends his time pumping water out of his home.

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Is being homeless difficult? “No.” Is it better? “It’s not difficult; it’s different.”

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For Don, the life of an artist or the art of living is to contribute to the future after you are gone. “Everybody lives on in the sense of memory in other people. That memory might change in different people’s perceptions,” he continues. “It is the art that lives after you are dead.” However, our memories are somewhat unreliable and fluctuate, making them less stable.

Don’s love for the arts, especially drawing, led him to be part of an organisation for homeless individuals that manages services for people dying on the streets. Around 150 homeless people die on the streets each year in London. Don never expressed an interest in drawing as a child, but he later discovered his passion for painting when he saw the picture of a guitarist on the cover of a TNT magazine and decided to draw it. Today, Don is part of a committee for the homeless consisting of five to six members, holding regular services during the Remembrance Week at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. The committee, a charity called The Connection, not only organises church services but also decides on the music, art, and the theme of the year. They develop concepts for what is more than just a church service held in London’s Trafalgar Square, commemorating homeless people who have died in the capital during the past year. In fact, the whole service is truly a celebration.

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“It has a certain poignancy,” says Don, “particularly when you hear the same names announced.” “Donald. Donald. Donald.” Or three Smiths.

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“That part is always very poignant.”

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Of course, there are also joyous and uplifting parts of the ceremony, such as performances by the Streetwise Opera, an opera company for homeless people.