Island time Serving those who have served us

Published 4:49 pm Tuesday, December 2, 2008

In early September, he was found dead in the woods. Most would describe him as homeless as he lived in a shed he had built with scraps of lumber. He sometimes had a small tent in which he kept belongings.

But the wooded area high atop the Poulsbo interchange was home for Chris, and he had lived there for years. He kept to himself, never mentioned any family. Some kind souls around town helped him with food from time to time, visited when cirrhosis of the liver hospitalized him and even did his laundry. Each month he treated himself to a weekend at a local motel and was treated with respect by the staff.

Once a regular at Helpline House, Chris Christenson was a polite, solitary person whose paranoia and internal anger kept him from others. He was always neat and clean, no small feat considering his accommodations, and he had a permanent tan from trudging miles with his backpack containing the few food items he obtained from the food bank.

It was said that he had been in the Vietnam War, and his military bearing and fastidiousness seemed to bear this out. But no one really knew. At some point, he began to suffer from schizophrenia, and he lived a lonely life apart from society.

I hadn’t seen Chris in several years when he reappeared at Helpline House a few weeks before his death. His calm, relaxed manner was a real departure from the old Chris, and we had a pleasant conversation. He said medication had helped him and that if he had known what drinking would do to his body he would have quit long ago.

He even smiled; it was a nice smile and good to see.

Recently, on a Jeopardy Championship final, none of the college-age contestants could identify the national holiday (other than Thanksgiving) in November. I think Chris would have known it was Veteran’s Day. He might not have known that it was originally called Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I and “dedicated to the cause of world peace,” or that it was changed in 1954 to Veteran’s Day. But he would have known that it’s a day set aside to honor the bravery and sacrifice of all U.S. veterans.

According to the Kitsap Continuum of Care Coalition, which surveys the homeless population annually, many identify themselves as military veterans. Helpline House serves a number of such individuals, and is the referring service officer for the Kitsap Veteran’s Assistance Fund (VAF). “A levy of not less than 1 and 1/8th cents and no greater than 27 cents” of our current property tax is allocated by state law for indigent veterans of each county. There is “a buffet” of services available, says social worker Murray Prins, including shelter (when beds are available), therapy, work training and more for those persons who have served honorably in the U.S. armed forces and meet the criteria for assistance. Social workers at Helpline can verify the income requirements and help inquiring veterans access this fund and appropriate services.

It isn’t known if Chris knew about the Veteran’s Assistance Fund or received any services, but those who have served our country and now are in need of help, are invited to please call or visit Helpline House (842-7621) for an appointment. We are grateful for your service.

Garnet Logan is a

member of the Helpline House Board of Directors.