Neighbors let Omar sleep between their houses
For more than a month, Omar Robinson has been sleeping below my housemate Andrew’s window in a fenced-off area that our next door neighbor offered him.
The two men sleep just a few feet apart, one outside and one in.
Omar knows he’s 67, but he has a hard time pinning down how long he’s been homeless.
Born and raised in what he calls a wonderful, intact family in Oakland, Omar joined the Navy at 19. He avoided combat in Vietnam and spent four years partying and chasing women around Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
At 23, he began drinking heavily when he returned to Oakland after an honorable discharge. He had children with two women, worked as a merchant seaman for a few years and held a job as a gardener for the city of Oakland.
But his common law marriages didn’t survive his alcoholism, and he said he went 30 years without seeing his kids.
The order of these events changes each time he tells his story, and his memory seems murky when he’s asked how he ended up homeless.
Yet he readily owns up to his alcoholism as the cause of his situation, and claims responsibility over his poor track record with committing to rehab.
He makes $25 some days panhandling in Berkeley, and gets regular income from social security. He pays for his own food, and has furnished his outdoor living space with other people’s castoffs. He has a twin bed, a microwave and a TV with basic cable. Decorations dangle from the trees, catching the light and giving his space the feel of a bedroom.
His alcoholism is still a daily obstacle. When he’s drunk, he calls out for Andrew. He’ll call Andrew’s name all night when looking for some company. One time, Omar even wandered into our house drunk and looking for Andrew.
Some days are better than others, Andrew told me. He likes to help Omar,
passing him smoothies or clean T-shirts through the window. Andrew has even had him over for a movie and beers. He helped Omar register to vote.
The hopelessness of Omar’s situation wears on Andrew. Omar’s fences protect him from thieves and groups of teenagers, who he says roam Telegraph kicking homeless people sleeping in doorways.
But he’s still a 67-year-old man sleeping outside. His drinking habit prevents him from qualifying for subsidized senior housing. He spends his days drunk, panhandling or bedridden due to back pain. He’s been taken to the hospital twice in the last month.
It’s not clear how much longer Omar will be allowed to stay out there. Andrew and the neighbors are uncomfortable with the level of responsibility they’ve assumed over his life.
They’ve begun talking about where else he can go.
Story and photo by Allison Levitsky.
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