No room at the inn

Government, churches, passersby unable to get woman out of the weather, By Nicholas Troiano MILFORD - It was 8:30 p.m. on the eve of Valentine’s Day. The first big snow storm of the year had arrived, and the reporter was out to get some photos of the snowfall in Milford. The heat from his car was blasting through the vents as he passed the Milford Motel where a woman was in a wheelchair and bundled up beneath the street light. Her name is Marina, and she isn’t a new sight in the area. She has been around for years now. Aside from the times when he had stopped to let her cross the street, he had no interaction with her up until earlier that week when he approached her, interested in writing an article about how she is faring in the cold weather. The answer to that question became very obvious to him that bitterly cold Tuesday night. He pulled in on the side street by the Shell station and trekked back to her location. By the time he got there, his left hand, carrying the umbrella which protected his camera from the snow, was frozen (glove and all), and he could not imagine how cold she must have been. After seeing that she was not in a dire condition, he asked to photograph her, as he thought it would illustrate the theme of his article pretty well, but she declined. In conversation, Marina claimed that she has contractual ownership of the Milford Motel, and that her sons were being abused in the back. He walked a few more feet down the road to speak with the manager. According to the manager, Bina Patel, these were erroneous claims. She said that Marina is no longer permitted to stay in this hotel, nor any other local hotel for the same reasons. Patel said she does feel bad for the homeless lady, but even if she wanted to give her a room for the night she couldn’t. The manager said that in past Marina would take room keys that were not hers, curse in front of the Patel’s little children, and cause damage to the hotel. The police had to intervene several times, arresting her on one occasion. So it was back to Marina with the news, which was not well received. She was in constant communication, screaming at times, with two men who were not present, one of whom she told the reporter was the governor of Pennsylvania. She said the conversations were via an ear piece device. He asked her where she has been staying during the recent cold days, and she indicated she slept in the Methodist Church on Ann Street. It was around this point that a large pickup pulled over and the window rolled down. “Hey lady, how can I help you,” inquired the driver of the truck, Brian McCarthy. McCarthy and the reporter spent the next fifteen minutes trying to convince Marina that she could not stay out in the cold and snow that night. McCarthy described her as stubborn, as she refused every option he gave her. He was willing to do anything, but Marina did not want to leave the site of the hotel. “I can’t even have that good feeling of helping someone tonight,” McCarthy remarked before he left. As soon as he did, the reporter walked back to his car and paid a visit to Pastor Dave at the Methodist Church. The pastor confirmed that she had spent the past two weeks sleeping in the lobby of the church. However, he had to evict her because she was becoming belligerent and would not leave when he asked. She was kicked out of the only shelter she had. The pastor told the reporter that at five o’clock on this same evening he offered to put her up for free in a hotel in Port Jervis, but she refused. The reporter drove back to Marina, who now sat underneath his umbrella, which he gave her to shield her from the snow and freezing rain. He spent some more time with her, and she continued to talk about the motel and other related affairs. It seemed his options of getting her help were running out. He called the priest of St. Joseph’s Church in Matamoras and learned that she used to be a regular there, too. Marina had burned many bridges, said the priest - which wasn’t the first or last time the reporter would hear this sentiment that night. The priest offered to get her a room at the Apple Inn, but said it was probably too late to do that now. Getting her to Matamoras was also a problem. The reporter talked with Marina some more. It seemed the only option left that she would agree to was to stay at the Methodist Church, which meant one more trip back to Pastor Dave’s residence. He rang the pastor’s bell again at about 10:15. “It’s not an option,” he said frankly. He informed the reporter that the church had held a meeting in which it was decided that she can no longer stay there. The reporter couldn’t abandon her just yet, so he called the police in a last ditch effort. From the sound of the dispatcher, he wasn’t the first caller on this matter. A local officer called back informing the reporter that there is nothing more they can do. They already tried every option, the officer said. The reporter was told that she has been in hospitals, but released by the doctors. Only two weeks ago, said the officer, Marina locked herself into the library for two hours. She is no longer allowed there, nor most other public locations in Milford, the officer said. From the Pocono Medical Center to a homeless shelter, even to a resident’s home, she has refused to stay at each. She also refused all treatments at the hospital, the officer said. “We went through this over and over again … there is absolutely nothing we can do,” the officer told him. He also told the reporter that he could try to convince the motel and the state police to allow her to stay just this night in a room, but asked, “What are we going to do for the next snowstorm and the one after that?” The reporter went back to talk to her one last time and explained that he tried but could not get her anywhere for the night. She told him she would return his umbrella when they met again, and he told her to stay warm. He then drove off down the snow-covered roads back home. At home, he called the state police, who reiterated the same thing as the borough officer. As time goes on, Marina has fewer options. The dispatcher told him that Marina stayed at the Welcome Center in Matamoras for about two years but PennDOT lawyers eventually kicked her out. Price Chopper did the same. And unless Marina is a threat to others or herself, there is nothing more they can do to help her when everything they try is against her will. Feeling guilt and frustration, the reporter fell asleep in his warm bed.