THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 9, 1995 TAG: 9504070199
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Beth Dewey returned to Virginia Beach late last fall to visit her son's grave, continuing a custom she began 10 years ago.
Her 3-year-old drowned in a neighbor's pool in the early 1980s.
At the time, Dewey, now 38, was married to a Navy man and lived on Indian River Road. Soon after the tragedy, the couple divorced, and she tried desperately to keep her life stable and to raise her daughter.
But the trauma of her son's death and the divorce precipitated a series of nervous breakdowns and, ultimately, Dewey lost custody of her remaining child.
Since then, she has ``bounced around'' the United States without a place to call home, never finding work for more than a brief period.
Since December, Dewey has, by day, wandered Virginia Beach streets and, by night, taken refuge in local churches in the city's Winter Shelter Program.
Now that the program has ended, she said that she will likely sleep on church porches.
``It's safer than the woods,'' she said, though the woods are where police direct her when they find her on church porches.
Dewey and other homeless people who make use of the city shelter project were glad to learn Tuesday that the program had been extended through Friday because of predicted unseasonably cold temperatures. It was slated to end Tuesday.
Dewey, who said that she is mentally ill, doesn't know where else to turn for help. She has been to the city's mental health department and hopes to soon get into a work training program. But, for now, Dewey has no place to sleep.
``You don't hear about any other shelters,'' she said. ``They're all private, have waiting lists, lines and take only certain people.''
Carl Butler, 31, was also glad of the reprieve, though he admitted to being ``somewhat worried'' about where he would sleep after Friday night.
Butler gestured to his bedroll and said he would probably camp out in the woods.
``It will be like a two-week camping trip extended,'' said Butler, who serves on the city's Homeless Advisory Committee. He moved to Virginia Beach from Washington, D.C., in January and found no work. He will continue to look for a job in construction.
Tim Burleson, too, was glad to hear that the city's Social Services Department had agreed to let Volunteers of America feed and shelter homeless in its building for a few more nights.
``I praise God it's extended,'' said the 33-year-old Burleson. ``I like being around people.''
Burleson, who said he planned to camp in the woods after Friday, has used the shelter program all winter. Being alone in the woods makes his mental problems and depression worse, he said.
But Burleson has already constructed a good-sized shelter out of wood and is prepared to cook his food over a sterno stove. He receives a total of $450 from Social Security and Supplemental Security Income due to his disability. He also receives $12 a month in food stamps.
``God takes good care of me,'' Burleson said.
Mike Roberson, 40, also was prepared to live in the woods. He has used the city's shelter program for two years.
Roberson has a problem with alcohol but said he has been unable to get help in the city's detoxification project.
``They always say I need a picture ID,'' he said.
So he continues to grapple with his addiction on his own, meanwhile living on about $250 he earns as a caddy at a local country club and the $115 a month he collects in food stamps.
Roberson's biggest problem just now is the condition of his teeth. He opens his mouth wide to show the gaps where he pulled out troublesome molars. What teeth he has left are worn down to the gums, he explained.
The Homeless Advisory Committee is working on plans for a year-round, 24-hour permanent facility that would house up to 100 people, including several families. The center also would provide services such as job training and counseling to the homeless. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by NANCY LEWIS
Beth Dewey, homeless for the past 10 years, rested Tuesday in the
city's Social Services building after another day of walking
Virginia Beach streets in search of a job. Now that the city's
Winter Shelter Program program has ended, she said she will likely
sleep on church porches. ``It's safer than the woods,'' she said,
though the woods are where police direct her when they find her on
church porches.
by CNB