"I Had Burned Another Bridge"
George Martin spent about two years moving between shelters, temporary places to stay, and his mother's house in Bartonsville, with some nights under a bridge in East Stroudsburg. He now lives in Altoona. He wrote his story for Monroe Unfiltered. In his own words:
"Before I was able to secure a bed, there were nights when I slept beneath the bridge near Walmart in East Stroudsburg. Anyone familiar with that area understands how cold Pennsylvania winters can become. Now imagine being underneath a bridge, with winter wind moving through it all night."
"During that period of my life, much of my day revolved around survival. Where could I get warm? Where could I eat? Was there room at the shelter? Where could I sleep tonight?"
...
"Then, after showing up intoxicated too many times, I was permanently removed from the cold-weather shelter. I had burned another bridge. This time, almost literally."
...
"My life today is not perfect. It does not need to be. It is manageable."
...
"Before judging someone experiencing homelessness, remember: You may only be seeing one page of a story you have never read."
Go deeper: About seven trips to rehab, 15 to 20 withdrawal seizures, and the one question that finally changed everything. Read George's full essay, "Change the Man, Change the World," in the Special Report on Substack: monroeunfiltered.substack.com/p/monroe-unfiltered-special-report
