Reprinted by permission from The News of Orange
By KERI SPRENGER
Staff Writer
Jeffrey Ruffin is a man who likes to give. He gives of his time to those in need, whether they need help changing a tire, jumpstarting a car or handing out meals to the hungry through Neighbor House’s Food For All program. He holds elevator doors for folks, and helps solicit people to fill out surveys for Men for Health, a program aimed at informing men about prostate cancer.
“That’s sometimes how my day will go. I know if I can help somebody, somewhere down the line, it will come back to me,” he said.
What he can’t give of is his money, because he hasn’t much. But he’s never begged for anything from anyone, he says proudly.
When asked point blank what his housing status is, Ruffin sighs and looks away.
“I guess I am homeless.”
The 47-year old grandfather spends the coldest nights at his sister’s house in Hillsborough. But because she receives housing assistance, he can’t stay there often except to shower and catch a few hours of rest.
During the day, he tries to put on enough clothes to stay warm outside.
“My daily activity is just trying to make it through the day,” he said.
He sometimes sleeps at the Inter-Faith Council’s shelter for men in Chapel Hill. The police in Chapel Hill know Ruffin, and he said they always offer to give him a ride to IFC if he needs it. But his arrival at the shelter is largely dependent upon catching the Orange Public Transportation bus heading south from Hillsborough. The bus stops running at 6 p.m, and Ruffin only rides it if he has the $1.50 one-way fare.
If not, he might end up sleeping in the woods that night, kept company by his friends who also have no place to call home.
Injury one cause of homelessness
Ruffin’s homelessness is due in part to a fall that shattered his ankle in 2003. He also suffers from degenerative disc disease, a condition in which the discs that separate the vertebrae of the spine lose moisture to the point where the bones fuse together. If not for those factors, he could still drive trucks, which is how he made his living prior to the injury. He also has experience in glasswork, building boats and furniture, and is somewhat computer- inclined.
He has applied for disability, and has been turned down twice for benefits. He will have a third hearing in March. “That’s my hardship right now — waiting on my disability,” he said.
On cold days, he has difficulty getting from one place to another yet relies on his own two feet to get him where he needs to go. Occasionally, someone might stop and give him a ride.
“A lot of people see me, they think I’m able to work,” he said.
But that isn’t the case. Ruffin can’t hold a steady job because of his injury.
He receives food stamps, so he doesn’t worry about what he will eat from day to day. Medicaid pays for his medication, of which he takes seven different types. One has a copay of $170, and lasts him a month at best. It’s tough finding that money, he said, but sometimes, the county’s Social Services department is able to help him out.
When the past comes back to haunt you
There is also the problem of his past.
Ruffin admits he may not have made the best choices in years gone by. He had a drug abuse problem, which resulted in several felonies that show up on a criminal background check.
“Sometimes, your lifestyle in the past will come back to haunt you,” he said.
Due to his past mistakes, Ruffin is unable to keep a stable lifestyle or a job. Some employers won’t even give him a chance because of his background.
He said that’s wrong.
“If I paid my due to society, I should have the opportunity to move on,” he said. “Everyone sees you, the first instinct is, ‘you’re less than.’
“I think sometimes society throws you away [even] when there’s something you could do.”
Ruffin has applied to Vocational Rehabilitation to try to find a job while he’s been waiting for his disability to come through. They were unable to help him because he has applied for the disability, which assumes that he is unable to work.
“You still have to go out like a regular person and look for a job,” he said.
Existing day to day on faith
On a good day, Ruffin will be moving around without much pain and might even get to visit with the guys at Papa Pizzeria on N.C. 86 in Chapel Hill and stay warm inside the restaurant.
They reach out to people, he says of the restaurant’s staff.
“A lot of times, conversation will get a person through,” he said.
Ruffin’s faith in God has helped him during his past four years of homelessness.
“I’m blessed, even in my position. I’m gonna get a breakthrough,” he said, eyes shining.
He said people in Hillsborough pass him on the street as he is struggling to get from place to place due to his ankle problems. Sometimes he sees the same people pass him by without stopping.
“First picture they see, they write the story,” he said. “I just wish they’d ask.
“I’m a firm believer that before you look down on a person, reach down to help them up. In the Bible, God says how you going to love Him when you don’t love the people here on earth?”
If his disability benefits are approved next month, Ruffin can expect roughly $800 a month to live on, he said. With the average housing price in Orange County’s 2005 Out of Reach report listed at $673, Ruffin knows more challenges lie ahead for him.
“You’re going without something [at that amount],” he said.
Ruffin said he is encouraged by the work being done by different organizations around the county, and hopes to see the day when no one is without basic necessities.
“[The homeless] really need some help to move from one point to the next level,” he said.
He doesn’t expect a handout from anybody. He said he would just like to have a job and a home like other people.
“Shelter — somewhere I can come home and stick a key in the door,” he said. “That’s the main thing — having a place to call your own.”
He missed seeing his children grow up. He doesn’t want the same thing to happen with his grandchildren. When he has his own place, his grandchildren and other relatives can come visit him, he said.
He pulls out a small toy, which he said he bought for his niece. He smiles as he turns it over in his hand.
“I keep a positive attitude. I know even with me being without, I’m going to be alright,” he said. “Sometimes, you just have to bear the cross and move on.”
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