ELKHART — An industrial-sized bag of cooked chicken wings salvaged from a grocery store Dumpster sits on the ground.
Three dogs wander around. One man sips from a large can of beer and Bruce Collins, a homeless man at the encampment that residents call Tent City, holds forth.
He’s never known of a mayor to make an up-close and personal visit with the homeless, on their turf, says the 47-year-old lifelong Elkhart County resident.
“But Tim Neese has, and that makes him a great mayor,” Collins said. “That makes him a wonderful mayor because he ... cares about his people.”
With plans afoot to clear part of the wooded, city-owned property where Tent City sits, Neese has visited the homeless encampment four times since late May, offering those living there seasonal city work. He’s hoping to prod them in a new direction.
“It’s just about trying to help someone out that hasn’t had a lot of opportunity over the years,” says Neese.
Collins and two others – his niece, Jamie Morrison, and Gregory McCullom, a friend – took up Neese on the work offer and started their part-time custodial jobs at the Tolson Community and Youth Center on Wednesday. All three have struggled with drug use, but they made a pact to stay clean even before Neese visited, creating their own mini support group.
The jobs, they hope, represent the start of a new chapter, helping them build off the momentum created by quitting drugs.
“Now it’s time to move forward and take advantage of the opportunity that the mayor’s offered us,” Collins said, standing amid the jumble of tents, blankets and other items that mark the area in Tent City where they’ve been living.
The three hope to pool their money when they get their first paycheck to get an apartment. With secure steady work, they are hoping to make a go of it without food stamps.