Homeless, Not Drug-less

It’s hard to understand how some people tick. Most people take a look at how much money they have to spend and then make a list of their expenses. They cut back on the expenses that are not necessities. Now, the list of necessities will vary from person to person because it all depends on what we are used to having and what we wish to have. For one person, two cars are a necessity. For another, just keeping one old car running is a necessity. For another person, just having enough for a monthly TransPass has to do the trick.

It’s the same with homes. Some people see their large home and mortgage as a necessity. Others put rent first of all and then spend money accordingly. Maybe they wish to go to a movie or buy steaks for dinner, but the roof over their heads comes first.

In April 2011 an interesting case came up over in Norwalk. Tanya McDowell is a woman who is “homeless” who enrolled her son into the Norwalk school district based on the fact that her babysitter lives there and she has sometimes stayed in a shelter there as well. When the school district found out, they accused her of larceny and conspiracy to commit larceny; they said that she should have enrolled her son over in Bridgeport where her last known address was. No doubt one of her points will be that she doesn’t live in Bridgeport anymore.

Unfortunately, her situation got worse in June, when she was arrested for selling crack cocaine and marijuana. She has also been accused of selling these items near a school, which makes it an even heavier charge.

So the question to be answered is this: was she homeless because she was spending her money to satisfy her drug habit? Did she indeed sell drugs to an undercover agent as well as to actual drug-users?

What a mess to untangle. Her attorney was surprised at the drug charges (or so he states) which means that he will probably suggest that his client is innocent and that this was a bad sting operation, intended to put Tanya McDowell in a more negative light.

Whether this is the case with her or not, we cannot doubt that addictions do lead to financial difficulties and family problems that we would all do better without.