THE STORY OF HOMER THE HOMELESS GOOSE

HOMER SAYS: HOUSE THE HOMELESS!

AARR is grateful to Lori Cervenak-Renteria, the adopted godmother of Homer the Homeless Goose, for sharing his story with us.

HOMER IN FORMAL WEAR

Lori writes: I'm sad to report to friends of Homer the Homeless Goose that his sole surviving daughter, Hazel II, died peacefully in her pen on Monday, February 6th after a very short illness. She was 14 years old and like homeless people, she did not have health or burial insurance so I buried her in my front yard.

A memorial service was held for Hazel II at Town Lake on Saturday, April 1st, at 2 PM and also at that time a birthday celebration for Homer honored his 18 years of life.

From Lori's booklet: In 1986 the Mayor's Task Force on the Homeless created the 5-Step Plan to End Homelessness and said the best place to relocate the Salvation Army Shelter was near the police station. Mayor's Task Force members formed a non-profit called Austin Homeward Bound to try to build a 24-hour service center  next to the new Salvation Army Shelter  because the Sally was not going to be able to provide some essential services identified in the 5-Step Plan. (Note: It took 20 years for the ARCH to finally be built on the same site with some of the same services identified back then.)

An excerpt from the talk give by Louisa Stark, Director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, when asked how best to fund the 24-hour service center: .....first, you need to take off the fancy suits, put on some jeans, go out into the streets and organize the homeless people to speak for themselves. You'll never get the politicians to champion the cause unless you let them meet real homeless people and hear their stories. I'll warn you in advance, it won't be easy and your personal relationships with the City Council will be a love-hate relationship. They will love you when the homeless people praise their actions, and they will blame you when they get attacked.....................Your job, should you decide to take it, is to give them their own voice, to support their actions, connect them to the media and provide needed resources because most of the local homeless providers will not want them organizing their clients in their facilities, and most importantly, try to keep them from taking actions that will get them thrown in jail.

From Lori: Over the next few months, progress was made on the demands and relationships with City Council members, Labor Unions, housing providers and neighborhood groups strengthened. ........On June 25th, 1988, Mitch Snyder, the nation's most famous homeless person, came to Blackland (Neighborhood Association) to announce a national campaign called "Take the Boards Off."  The Street People's Advisory Council, or SPAC, was born in the winter of 1988 and began the SPAC ATTACK TO END HOMELESSNESS CAMPAIGN. They made a list of 10 demands and decided there would have to be consequences of the demands weren't met.  One of the suggestions to get the attention of citizens and the City Council was to steal a swan from a city park and threaten to kill it an eat it. Unwilling to steal city property, SPAC decided to save money and buy their own swan.

SPAC officer's jumped into my truck and we headed to Callahan's General Store to buy a swan. Unfortunately swans cost $300 and it would take six weeks for delivery. With a little over $17 in the hat, we headed for the bird cages to come up with Plan B. Diana was the first to see the baby goslings and declared, "I've found our mascot, meet Homer the Homeless Goose. He will lay us the golden egg."

SPAC created a furor when it also bought a duck, with plans to grill it at a press conference at Barton Springs later that week. The organizers read the list of their demands, told some horror stories of life on the streets and ended with Carl swimming out of the creek with a large Bowie knife between his teeth and grabbing the duck to slice its throat and throw it on the grill. The Austin American-Statesman carried the whole story on May 7th. The Humane Society threatened Class C Misdemeanor charges and bird lovers in Austin went nuts. The Statesman carried another article chastising birds lovers who wanted funds to buy habitats for vireos and warblers and challenged the bird lovers to help the homeless. The campaign was a huge success, even though the organizers were banned from the Salvation Army. However, the homeless were getting offers from individuals and churches to shelter them. Harry Whittington, the man recently shot by Vice President Cheney, offered free offic space to the homeless and room to sleep in his building. Homer had outgrown his parakeet cage so a bigger wooden cage was made for him and he slept in the office garage.

As the bulldozers moved on Blackland to tear down the houses there, SPAC put about 15 people on the roofs and saved the houses that were later moved to another location and are still being used for transitional housing for the homeless.

One hot summer day, Homer passed out as SPAC members were working the lunch line at St. David's Church as CARITAS served lunches out the side door. Dr. Miller at Westgate Bird and Pet Clinic offered to treat Homer and explained that geese sweat from their feet and Homer had a heat stroke. Dr. Miller said that Homer could not continue to live on the street and SPAC members begged me (Lori Cervenak-Renteria) to keep him.

On October 30th, the Austin Mad Housers were ready to donate their first home to SPAC members. SPAC got a raft to float on Town Lake as a constant reminder to house the homeless. They called the raft "The SS Homer." A sign on one side said, "Austin's Boat People, Ronald Reagan's Refugees."

Homer has been with Lori for 18 years now, but she is unable to keep him any longer and has asked Austin Avian Rescue and Rehabilitation to house and care for Homer for  the rest of his life. We are proud to do so.

HOMER'S SONG

Chorus: Homer on the range,

Where the dear little gosling must pay.

Where seldom is heard from the web-footed bird,

"Save me! Help the homeless today."

First Verse: Oh, give me a home

So I don't have to roam

Through the alleys and dumpsters today.

Where seldom is heard an encouraging word.

They just wish we'd all go away.

Second Verse; i can't pay the rent

So I live in a tent

Beneath the Montopolis Bridge.

I just need a home,

With a bed and a phone,

A stove and a toilet and fridge.