What's in a Street Name?

by Dominic Mapstone

category: case management

Published November 08, 2009 @ 06:02AM PT

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Earlier this year, a homeless man in Philadelphia was killed. His identity was unknown, so he was buried as John Doe. Many argue that this is unacceptable, that we must honor these individuals, in the very least, with an accurate burial that marks who they were by name. Others believe that any kind of mandatory ‘system' that keeps records to identify homeless people is an invasion of privacy.

The homeless man shot by Philadelphia Police in July, was known on the streets as Poppa Doc. But to the coroner he is No. 09-2619. His real identity is yet to be established.

Poppa Doc is not the first homeless person to seemingly abandon their pre-homeless identity and take on a new life under a new guise... and a new name. I've known some homeless people for years without ever learning their real name. I don't think this matters; if I ever needed to know their real name, there's usually someone else on the streets or another service provider who does.

Personally if I was living on the streets, I'd rather everyone stay out of my life. I'd like power over who knows my private information. The last thing a homeless person wants is some overzealous employee at a charity contacting their relatives or giving out information about them without permission. This is why nick names or street names are often used on the street - to keep everyone at arm's length. It's a sensible practice... one that I recommend to anyone living on the streets.

There are a number of government services and non-profits that specialize in finding missing persons. I've never been a fan of these myself, since many "missing" homeless people don't want to be found for whatever reason.

That's not to say that we should completely do away with tracking homeless people's names and records. When a person enters prison or a hospital, this information is certainly important. You could imagine a Social Worker calling a prison and asking if they have ‘Poppa Doc' in custody. "Yes, he and B Rabbit have been mixing it up in the yard." It just doesn't work that way.

When somebody passes it's obviously good to know a person's next of kin and how to contact them. Knowing someone's real name and date of birth is important when there is a rumor on the street that they have passed. That way a Social Worker like me can check around and track them down if they are in a shelter, in a hospital, or are in fact dead. This way, we can provide accurate information back to folks on the street who are concerned.

But what is the most important lesson here, in my opinion? Over 100 people attended Poppa Doc's funeral. Most people didn't need to know his real name to befriend him and mourn his passing. It shouldn't matter what name or nick name you go by on the streets, the fact that you are remembered and your life is celebrated is more important than what goes on the headstone.

That is, if you get one.

Anyone currently or formerly homeless is welcome to join the International Homeless Forum.

Image: gillicious