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News Herald Photo: Robert CooperMiscellaneous items decorate the Regulators’ campsite. Member say they get everything they own from area trash bins.OUTDOOR LIFEFrom page 5AThe United Way defines the homeless as “any person who doesn't have a normal, fixed place to live.”Based on that definition, the average age of the homeless here is under 10. That’s attributed to a high number of single mothers without a place to call home.Stephenson said that most of the homeless who sleep in the woods and refuse help suffer from some type of mental illness, usually bipolarism.Others simply have nowhere else to go.“They’ll do a little day labor and make enough to spend a couple nights in a hotel and take a hot bath and watch television,” Stephenson said. “Then they'll spend a couple of nights in the shelter and then sleep in the woods the other nights of the week.“They can never get ahead,” she said.Martin said he has absolutely no desire to sleep indoors.“I’ve lived in the outdoors my entire life since I was a kid,” he said. “I can’t stand to sleep indoors.”Shingles and plastered walls do seem ideal on rainy days when Martin and the others can do little else but hunker down. Air conditioning is welcome on steamy afternoons when the only way to cool off is to shed clothes and wait for a breeze.When the air is dry and comfortable, group members without ailments take turns cutting local yards with a lawnmower that was pulled from a trash bin.Others search for construction jobs through day-labor providers.Tool belts hanging from tree limb stubs in the camp suggest few are working this day.“Some days you go over there and wait for three hours and see nobody,” Gallop said.What little money the group generates is spent on community beer — preferably the higher alcohol content malt liquor brands.Stephenson said the constant drinking is a form a “self-medication” for those with mental problems.Empty Cobra and Magnum bottles are strewn along the periphery of the camp. Most everyone at the campsite has slurred speech and flammable breath.“What else we got to pay for?” Martin snapped in defense. “Lights, water, rent? Might as well get drunk.”It’s nearly 3 p.m. on this day, and Martin has begun the search for small branches and dry palmetto leaves to start a fire.He said they take turns cooking, although it’s unclear who’s donning the chef’s hat this night.Most meals are prepared in a four-cin-derblock-high fire hole in the middle of camp. It keeps everyone warm on cold nights.A large circular glass patio table serves as the dining area. In lieu of an umbrella, a large green tarp is tied overhead to four surrounding trees.There’s an array of colored plastic lawn chairs and wood benches.The camp is cluttered with pots and pans and cooking utensils. Clotheslines droop because of an abundance of garments, mostly from local charities.w“W’hen we get too many dirty clothes we just burn them,” Martin quipped.They usually wash their dirty clothes and dishes. A 5-gallon topless cooler serves as the washing machine. They get water from the spigot of a nearby business. Martin said they have permission from the owner.The camp is also home to thermometers and rain gauges. Small ceramic sculptures and books ranging from John Grisham’s The Partner to portions of the FloridaStatutes are scattered with no rhyme or•»reason.“We'll readjust about anything,” Martin said. “Start reading, anyway.”The mirrored medicine cabinet is full of Band-Aids and ibuprofen bottles.But the most important part of the camp survival kit is lice medication and insect repellent. Hemric prefers to put heavy concentrations on his face to keep bugs away from his eyes and ears.Bicycles are a necessity. Each member must have one to get around town.However, Martin's currently has a flat front tire.Batteries are a hot commodity. They’re needed to fuel a variety of radios in thercamp. They operate the group’s flashlights at night and an alarm clock that's ticking but is several hours and minutes behind.But the most sacred items in the camp are hidden inside the tents. Martin said someone must be present in the camp at all times to run oft prospective thieves.That wasn’t a rule until recently, when numerous items mysteriously disappeared.Above the entrance of Martin’s tent is a cardboard sign bearing his first name. Inside, there’s a dresser drawer and bedside table, but no bed.He sleeps in a sleeping bag.Martin said he doesn’t keep a lot inside his tent, because he doesn’t want it to be cluttered. He said he tries to keep it spacious for when his lady friends visit.“We’ve got everything you need here,” he said, resting a moment from gathering firewood. “If we don’t, we can find it for you.”
Newspaper Details
Panama City News Herald
Panama City, Florida, US
Sat, Apr 27, 2002
Page 109
Full Page
Clipped by
Chastity W.
AL, USA 21 Mar 2022
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