It is inevitable that people with serious mental illnesses will get into each others faces. In late July, two clients got into a tiff and before anyone could stop them, fists flew. It is still not clear who started it, but it doesn't really matter. We probed the men, asking them why they got into this fight. I don't mean to offend anyone with this comparison, but it was similar to talking to children. They lied, and blamed each other. It was an unfortunate incident because the sheriff had to get involved because the assault happened on county property. Safe Haven is a place where homeless individuals can get away from the streets and all that is associated with it. Now please do not misconstrue this statement but when the police or sheriffs come into Safe Haven, there is so much tension you can see it. These people are not saints. Most of them have been in jail, and when the police are around it brings back memories of times they would like to forget. It was sad to see these people, normally bright and chatty, sad and introverted. I have the utmost respect for law enforcement and without them, some of these people would probably be dead, but when they make their intimidating presence known in a "safe place" it changes the mood of everyone there. I wish I could have stopped the fight so the day would not have been so weird for everyone.
After the fists flew, John ended up with a black eye and Tim wound up with a fat lip. Neither man was seriously injured, but it brings up an interesting point. How do you deal with tensions between two mentally unstable people? I don't know either. First I think they need to be in situations that minimize these types of interactions. Safe Haven is the best place these people could be. They get three meals a day, free tv, free internet, and a bed to sleep in. Most of the tensions of the street are not present. I spent a lot of time pondering how to deal with this situation. Cynthia sat me down and explained to me that although they are great people, they are at times not rational. There is nothing I can say or do that could have prevented a fight like this, and there will probably be more in the future. All I can do is make the clients smile and continue my work.
This experience may not sound life changing to most, but it impacted me in a significant way. It opened my eyes to some of the reasons why these people have such a hard time fitting into society. They get mad and instead of rationalizing a situation, yell and hit each other. I was a little shaken, but I my understanding of homeless individuals grew.
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