Homeless People

The Occupy movement arrived in Philadelphia in October, taking over Dilworth Plaza for nearly eight weeks and airing grievances about unemployment, homelessness, and more. But as with other Occupiers around the country, their message was muddied: It never became clear what the protesters wanted or how they would get it. The movement could learn much from SISTER MARY SCULLION, the tireless and effective advocate for the homeless whom the Editorial Board has named The Inquirer's 2011 Citizen of the Year.

For more than a decade, James W. Ray was trapped in a fog of drugs and mental illness. In and out of hospitals and emergency rooms, he sometimes landed in halfway houses or jail, one step from the streets. He told anyone who would listen that he was a rich man. That his family once had a 110-room mansion with masterpieces by Rembrandt and Renoir, and ancestral portraits by John Singer Sargent. That his great-granddad owned a racetrack in Miami. Nurses and caseworkers nodded politely while jotting down observations like "delusions of grandeur" and "inflated self-worth" in his records.

PHILADELPHIA Homeless Day Homeless Memorial Day, an annual event commemorated in more than 150 U.S. cities and counties, will be held at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow outside the Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad St. The event's theme is "Remember, Hope, and Heal. " It will feature a ceremonial reading of the names of homeless and formerly homeless people who died in the past year. This year's speakers will include homeless advocate Sister Mary Scullion, and other community and religious leaders and several formerly homeless people.

WHAT HAPPENED to the homeless people who were evicted from under Interstate 95 in Port Richmond last week? The Daily News touched base with four of them yesterday. Three were staying in shelters last night, and a fourth has been living temporarily in Kensington. After going to Washington last Tuesday with Occupy Philly and Fight for Philly folks to rally for the extension of unemployment insurance, these four and others returned to Philadelphia on Friday. Paul Klemmer, 53, an educated man who said he had dropped out of college, said he's still working toward creating a commune with like-minded people.

What happened to the homeless people who were evicted from under Interstate 95 in Port Richmond last week? The Daily News touched base with four of them Monday. Three were staying in shelters Monday night, and a fourth has been living temporarily in Kensington. After going to Washington last Tuesday with Occupy Philly and Fight for Philly folks to rally for the extension of unemployment insurance, these four and others returned to Philadelphia Friday. Paul Klemmer, 53, an educated man who said he had dropped out of college, said he's still working toward creating a commune with like-minded people.

May's street survey of homeless people in Philadelphia - the most extensive ever - was triage to determine who needed help first. The findings were Dickensian: 528 people were living on the edge in parks, stairwells, doorways, alleys, and SEPTA concourses. They were encamped under the Market-Frankford El and I-95 overpasses. Of those, 88 percent - or 466 people - had mental-health illness, addictions, or both. In addition, 64 elderly men and women who were holed up in shelters were physically vulnerable and at increased risk of death.

THE SMALL community of homeless people who were camped under the Interstate 95 overpass in Port Richmond packed up and left yesterday morning, as ordered to by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Over the past week, their names and faces had become known as they shared their stories. They included Maryanne Omelchuk, 47, who said she expected to go back to sleeping "underground" near 15th Street in Center City. This morning, she planned to board a bus with Occupy Philly and the Fight for Philly coalition to head to Washington to partake in three days of rallying at an Occupy protest, expected to draw thousands from around the country.

The homeless people encamped under the I-95 overpass in Port Richmond had all left the area by about 11 a.m. Monday, as ordered by PennDOT. They are still looking for a permanent solution, perhaps a house they could rehab or land on which they can build simple homes. Paul Klemmer, one of the homeless men, has written two letters about their plight over the past week. The first letter, dated Nov. 30, was sent to Mayor Nutter, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady and other officials. The second letter, dated Dec. 4, was sent to Nutter, other city leaders and PennDOT.

This article has been updated. The homeless people encamped under the I-95 overpass in Port Richmond had all left the area by about 11 a.m. Monday, as ordered by PennDOT, as they continue to look for a permanent solution.  Theirs is a strange and winding journey. They had been sleeping where they could - staying in the subway concourses, on Center City benches or in shelters - before Occupy Philly drew them to the City Hall campsite. They got tents from the idealistic protesters.