Review:

 

Article written by Kimberley Silverton for New York City Transit newsletter

August 10, 2010

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“No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.” Those were the words of Tommy McInnis in ’93, when his life began to turn around, the day he was hired by MTA Connections, Homeless Outreach Unit. Those were the words that McInnis and Nelson Velez lived and worked by as they helped get the homeless out of the subway system and in effect off of the streets. Their book, Last Stop: A Survivor’s Story tells the true tale of Velez and McInnis, a NYC Transit cop and an MTA outreach worker as they succeeded in getting thousands of homeless people off the streets and into better lives.

 

Velez began writing Last Stop himself, in 2004 and had to convince McInnis to share his story as well. “I was willing to take it to the grave,” said McInnis. “No one knew my story – not my family, not my friends.” Before Velez connected with Police Department Homeless Outreach Unit he was a NYC Transit cop who patrolled the subway systems and cleared them of danger and homeless people. But it was not his job to think about where they went after that. Before McInnis began working as a Homeless Outreach worker, he was one of the homeless that Velez had to clear out daily.

 

So when the two men were teamed up by MTA Connections, an unlikely partnership developed. Both were involved in getting the homeless off the streets and into more permanent situations but they did so in very different ways. McInnis personally identified with the homeless and was empathetic to their situation. In his words, “Street education is what I brought to the table,” and he therefore would not place the homeless in situations in which he would not place himself. One such situation many homeless try to avoid is the city shelter and many would prefer the raw conditions of the subway stations over the unpredictability of the shelters. In a 1989 NY Times article a homeless man is quoted as saying, “In the subway, you have to sleep with one eye open. In the shelter, you have to sleep with both eyes open.'' Since Velez handled his position as an outsider he was less empathetic but was able to sympathize from a professional distance. Velez acknowledges that despite these differences of opinion they made a good team.

 

Despite their devotion to their careers, the job was still not an easy one. As Velez points out, in the subway stations it is “Hot, dirty, noisy and unpredictable. There might be someone with violent tendencies.” “We’re invading their homes,” says McInnis “That is their home until we get them out of there.” Velez also mentions that for some subway inhabitants, there might even be warrants out for their arrest.

 

Velez cleared up a common misconception about homelessness. Being homeless isn’t a state of being, it isn’t something most people are born into but as Velez clarifies, “The minute you’re evicted, you’re considered homeless.” Entire families with children can be found resting in the subway stations or permanently living in the subway tunnels. A sad fact Velez also pointed out is that “25% of the homeless are persistently mentally ill.”

 

Even employed individuals can become homeless as McInnis’ situation has proven. In the book his daily routine is described: “He once had a job at a restaurant. When he went to work, he would run in fast. He hoped the other workers wouldn’t recognize that he was wearing the same clothes [as the day before]. He slept on the street, finding a spot just around the corner and a few blocks over from where he worked. He would always be looking over his shoulder, hoping someone else from work didn’t notice him or see where he was going.” McInnis was unable to retain that job, but he still managed life on the streets. “I learned the ropes,” says McInnis. “I got clothing from churches. They have supply trucks where you could come and actually make an order for what you need.”

 

“I didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel until end of ’89,” recalls McInnis. But McInnis did eventually get back on his feet and one year after he had been hired by MTA Connections, he was sent with his supervisor and Velez to interview witnesses to a police shooting. A homeless man in Prospect Park was shot and killed by the police after pointing a gun at a police officer. McInnis thought to himself, “This is where I could have been.”

 

Even though their job involved dealing with human lives, Velez and McInnis both admitted to being desensitized at times. “If you got too attached, you can’t do your jobs,” says Velez. “I thought about them when I got home,” says McInnis. “But when you’re there you can’t feel sorry.” So why did they do it? Why devote so many years of their lives to helping the homeless? “It became my mission,” says Velez. “I felt responsible for them.” For McInnis, it was more for validation. “I spent years being homeless,” says McInnis. “Why did I go through it?” He believes so his experience can help others.

 

McInnis’ most memorable accomplishment is reuniting a homeless woman with her family. He had known the woman, Sheila from several encounters at a 34th St. Station. He says her daughter contacted MTA Connections and soon after, they located a sister in South Carolina. Sheila had been diagnosed with a fatal illness, but instead of dying alone in a subway tunnel, she passed away in a hospital, surrounded by her family.

 

Over the course of their careers, they helped several thousand people. As Velez points out they didn’t just improve the lives of the homeless but the NYC Transit commuters as well. “The riders are afraid,” says Velez. “We make it safer for them to ride.” went above and beyond their job requirements by keeping later hours than required and frequently bringing work home with them. Promotions came up over the years but both men decided against advancement. “I rather stay doing this,” says Velez. “Promotions are not as important.” McInnis left MTA Connections in 2002 and Velez retired from the NYPD in 2005.