Bart Gets Life Makeover

“Bart” ran away from home in Texas after his father died. He ended up on the streets of Omaha, where he ingested, inhaled and smoked any drugs that he could find. For a full year, Bart partied all night and slept in the daytime. His clothing preference was monochromatic – orange. Bart wore only orange shoes, socks, shirts, short or pants. His arms were covered wrist to elbow with yellow and orange beaded bracelets, and he wore several strands of orange beads around his neck.

When he visited the Street Outreach Center, Bart searched for orange colored clothes. He appeared to listen as staff members talked about life options such as education, employment opportunities and housing choices, but he clung to street life.

Suddenly, the visits stopped. The Outreach workers didn’t see Bart for nearly nine months. When he did reappear, they hardly recognized him. Well dressed and neatly groomed, Bart dropped by to say thank you to the staff. He had been working for five months at a local company. He had an apartment and a roommate and he told the gathered Street Outreach staff that he had given up orange. “It’s a little easier to earn people’s respect when you are dressed normally,” he said.