There’s a guy who’s been coming to Olive Way for a few a years. He’s semi-regular and a friendly chap who has a cadre of friends that he catches up with each time he’s in. I’ll call him Adrian. I’ve noticed that lately he’s been a bit on the outer with his usual friends, sitting apart from them and ignoring them when he’s in (and vice versa). Both him and his friends have different ideas of what they are annoyed about and neither party are prepared to talk. 

Adrian is also homeless, he’s been living in his car for a very long time, and now his car has broken down. His solution? Buy another car. A few times I have gently suggested to Adrian to consider going on the public housing list. ‘And what,’ he says, ‘wait ten years before you get anything? Nah, not for me. But thank you.’ That’s how the conversation usually goes. 

One day after one of these conversations I seemed to get somewhere. Adrian was complaining that other people will get placed ahead of him; mothers with children, refugees, single women. I pointed out that if you’re not on the list then of course that will happen. ‘You’ve got to be in it to win it’, I said, cringing slightly at the turn of phrase. After a long conversation he seemed to have this dawning realisation that he did indeed need to get onto the list. ‘We’ve just got to fill in a form,’ I said. I had anticipated that this might be one of the stumbling blocks. So, of course, when it actually came to filling in the form he seemed to get paranoid, talking to the air as if talking to another person, arguing with an ‘unseen’ presence. 

Although I was disappointed I wasn’t surprised. I knew there was a likelihood that it was more than just filling a form that was keeping him from applying. It would have to be something more than that to keep him living in his car on freezing cold nights or blazing hot days. Some other reason why a simple (if bureaucratic and annoying) process was not followed through. 

Despite the setbacks and roadblocks in his way Adrian still holds a quite strong faith. His faith is not dependent on his circumstance. He still recites Biblical quotations, perhaps to reassure himself, perhaps to convince others. His faith is genuine, I don’t know how much the rest of his life marries up with his faith, but I can’t judge. 

It can be really hard to see people like Adrian in difficult circumstances, especially when you know there is at least the possibility of something better. I am hopeful that things may change for him; with his friends, with his car, with his housing. In the meantime we are here for him. 

Peter Blair, Olive Way Pastor