Homeless Advocate Goes High Tech
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Homeless advocate Eric Sheptock uses technology to get his message out. Though he's homeless himself, he keeps a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter account. Sheptock, who lives in Washington, D.C., says he wants to educate the public about what he and many others like him are up against.
He spends a lot of time in the city's public libraries, where he gets free access to a computer. There he can check his e-mail account and write his blog — called On the Clock with Eric Sheptock — which has so far attracted hundreds of readers. He recently wrote about his concern that the homeless shelter he now lives in is in danger of closing.
"My next blog [post] is going to be about the challenges that homeless people have when it comes to employment because oftentimes they can't get money to ride the bus to the job and they can't get lunch money," Sheptock says. "So for your first week or two, you have a lot of difficulty maintaining that job."
He's also written about how hard it is for the homeless to get work in the first place. For example, they might have to carry all their belongings to a job interview, turning off a potential employer. Or they might have to choose between work and food because the soup kitchen closes before the workday ends.
Sheptock also has a cell phone. He relies on it to keep in touch with other activists. He recently got a part-time job as a janitor, which helps pay for the phone.
Getting The Word Out
(Katie Holmes/NPR)
Sheptock is 40 years old. You wouldn't guess it by looking at him, but he's been homeless on and off for the past 15 years. He's clean-cut and trim — from so much walking, he says. His advocacy efforts take him all over the city — from blogging at the library to meeting with city officials and other advocates.
Sheptock became a homeless activist a couple of years ago during a big fight with the city over the closure of one of D.C.'s largest shelters. He started writing for Street Sense, a D.C. newspaper devoted to the homeless.
And he's working with a production group called Streats TV, which does advocacy for the homeless.
(Katie Hayes/NPR)
Sheptock also spends a lot of time networking. He's trying to mobilize other homeless people to make sure they don't get left high and dry. He has been working with other homeless advocates to try to make sure the city doesn't close shelters before there is someplace else for people to go.
But some advocates in the city think he's on the wrong track. They say the city's plan to move the chronically homeless out of shelters and into permanent housing is working and that Sheptock is hurting the cause by fighting to keep the shelters open.
Sheptock is undeterred.
(Pam Fessler/NPR)
And besides, he has other issues he wants to talk about — like stereotypes. He says most people can't tell who is or isn't homeless when they walk down the street. He says many homeless people have mental and substance abuse problems and look the part. But many don't. Some have jobs. And there are more and more families joining the ranks.
A Tough Road
Most days, Sheptock eats breakfast at Thrive DC, a local nonprofit helping to end homelessness. A woman sitting at his table looks elegant with her flowered dress and heart-shaped earrings. Her name is Angel-Lee Evans, and she became homeless for the first time in February after losing her job. She hopes to get back on her feet soon and return to help the homeless as a volunteer.
(Katie Hayes/NPR)
She says Sheptock is an inspiration.
"He is just incredible. He works so hard, and we all just like and respect him so much because he really does care," she says.
But it's been a long, tough road for Sheptock.
"When I was 8 months old, my parents actually tried to kill me. They beat my head open and left me to die in a motel room. I've got a big scar on the back of my head to prove it," he says, lifting off his baseball cap to reveal a long thin scar on his scalp. Sheptock was in foster care for about five years before he was adopted by a large family in New Jersey.
He says he worked for six years after high school but quit in a huff — a "youthful indiscretion," he calls it. That was the start of a downward spiral — years wandering up and down the East Coast, taking odd jobs. He also began to use crack cocaine and spent some time in jail.
Sheptock says he's clean now, but his record makes it hard to get work, although he's not even sure he'd take a full-time job if he got one. He says he has too much advocacy work to do.
Every Sunday, Sheptock and several other homeless people sing in the choir at the Church of the Epiphany, an Episcopal church in downtown D.C. that ministers to the poor. The rector, Randolph Charles, says Sheptock is an active parishioner.
"Talk about authenticity. Talk about speaking with authority," Charles says. "For someone homeless to advocate for the needs of the homeless, that is so important. And actually, seldom does that happen."
He says Sheptock has clearly found his mission in life.
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And I'm Melissa Block.
The nation's homeless population appears to be on the rise, although those numbers are hard to count. One homeless man is trying to educate people about homeless issues with a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter account.
As NPR's Pam Fessler reports, he wants people to know what the homeless are up against.
PAM FESSLER: Eric Sheptock is 40 years old. He's been homeless on and off for the last 15 years. He's clean-cut and trim - from so much walking, he says. And with the possible exception of some bad teeth, you wouldn't know that he's homeless. Today, Sheptock is in D.C.'s main public library, logging on to a computer.
Mr. ERIC SHEPTOCK: Now, you see - see 100 messages out of almost 2,500 of them.
(Soundbite of laughter)
FESSLER: You have 2,500 unread messages?
Mr. SHEPTOCK: Yeah.
FESSLER: There are just too many to read, he says. Even homeless people get spam.
Mr. SHEPTOCK: Like the satellite TV thing. I don't even have a TV.
(Soundbite of laughter)
(Soundbite of a ring tone)
Mr. SHEPTOCK: My cell phone.
FESSLER: But he does have a cell phone. You have to these days to keep in touch. In fact, Sheptock just got a part-time job as a janitor to help pay for the phone. He also communicates through his blog, hosted by a nonprofit group. He recently wrote about his concern that the homeless shelter he now lives in is in danger of closing.
Mr. SHEPTOCK: My next blog is going to be about the challenges that homeless people have when it comes to employment because oftentimes - that they can't get money to ride the bus to the job, and they can't get lunch money. And so, for your first week or two, you have a lot of difficulty, you know, maintaining that job.
FESSLER: He's also written about how hard it is to get work in the first place. You might have to carry all your belongings to an interview, turning off a potential employer. Or you might have to choose between work and food because the soup kitchen closes before the workday ends.
Mr. SHEPTOCK: Right now, I'm headed up to the Pete's House.
FESSLER: That's where Sheptock has been given some temporary office space. He became a homeless activist when one of the biggest shelters here was shut down last year. He's now involved in a lawsuit against the city.
Mr. SHEPTOCK: We have a federal claim going on right now. And we're trying to gather plaintiffs and to galvanize the homeless around this issue.
FESSLER: But some activists in the city think he's on the wrong track, that the city's plan to move the chronically homeless out of shelters and into permanent housing is actually working.
But Sheptock is undeterred. And besides, he has other things to talk about, like stereotypes. He says most people can't tell who is and isn't homeless, and he points to a young man nearby, talking to a woman.
Mr. SHEPTOCK: You can see the guy ahead of me in the red shirt? He's homeless.
FESSLER: Sheptock knows him from the shelter. He says many homeless people have mental and substance abuse problems and look the part, but many don't. Some have jobs. And there are more and more families.
Mr. SHEPTOCK: I think it's (unintelligible) or something like that.
Unidentified Woman: Farina(ph).
Mr. SHEPTOCK: Farina? I've never heard of Farina.
FESSLER: Most days, Sheptock eats breakfast at Thrive D.C., a local nonprofit. The city's homeless population is reflected at his table. One woman talks in a steady stream to no one in particular, as she scribbles on paper. Another woman, elegant in a flowered dress and heart-shaped earrings, is Angel-Lee Evans(ph). She became homeless for the first time in February after losing her job. She hopes to be back on her feet soon, and says Sheptock's an inspiration.
Ms. ANGEL-LEE EVANS: He is just incredible. He works so hard, and we all just like and respect him so much because he really does care.
FESSLER: But it's been a long, tough road to get to this point.
Mr. SHEPTOCK: I was 8 months old, my parents actually tried to kill me. They beat my head open and left me to die in a motel room. I got a big scar back here on the back of my head to prove it.
FESSLER: Sheptock lifts his baseball cap. And sure enough, there's a long, thin scar. He was eventually adopted by a family in New Jersey. He says he worked for six years after high school but quit in a huff, a youthful indiscretion, he calls it. That was the start of his downward spiral; years wandering up and down the East Coast, taking odd jobs. He also began to use crack, and spent time in jail.
Sheptock says he's clean now, but his record makes it hard to get work - although he's not even sure he'd take a full-time job if he got one. He's so busy.
(Soundbite of song, "We Have Come Into His House")
Mr. SHEPTOCK: (Singing) We have come into this house and gathered in his name to worship him...
FESSLER: Every Sunday, Sheptock and several other homeless people sing in the choir at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, which ministers to D.C.'s downtown poor. Rector Randolph Charles says Sheptock is an active parishioner.
Reverend RANDOLPH CHARLES (Rector, Episcopal Church of the Epiphany): Talk about authenticity. Talk about speaking with authority. For someone homeless to advocate for the needs of the homeless, that is so important. And actually, seldom does that happen.
FESSLER: He says Sheptock has clearly found his mission in life on an issue that never seems to go away.
Mr. SHEPTOCK: Everyone join me, lift up holy hands.
(Soundbite of song, "We Have Come Into His House")
(Singing) Let us lift up holy hands and magnify his name and worship him...
FESSLER: Pam Fessler, NPR News, Washington.
BLOCK: And you can see photos of Eric Sheptock and find links to his blog and Twitter accounts at npr.org. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
