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Maybe it's just a function of being immersed too long, but I wouldn't describe the smell as bad, but it is definitely unique.
I am thinking this morning about one soul who was very attuned to smells and odours of all types.
Too my shame I can't remember his name, I always new him as the preacher and that is the name that will have to do. The Preacher was a snappy dresser, sort of. He was always wearign at least one suit, and as they deteriorated over time he would add a new layer over the old. At times he could have three complete three piece suits on.
The Preacher was aquaphobic. There was no amount of persuasion, threatening or cajoling that would encourage him to get laundry done or to have a shower. In the months that I new him I don't think I ever saw him freshly scrubbed.
The Preacher and his ilk pose a very special challenge to a shelter worker. On the one hand, your mission is too provide shelter and you are acutely aware of the dangers for clients who sleep outside. On the other hand, in a crowded dormitory the consequences of poor personal hygiene can be dire as there is a peer response that kicks in when staff fail to address an issue. It is easy for the Preacher's to end up with persistent service restrictions due to a behavior over which they have limited control, and when they are far enough off the radar that mental health care will be a long time in coming,if ever.
I decided that the way to address the issue was, too paraphrase, "If you want to be understood, first seek to understand". Every day I would meet the Preacher at the door and we would have very eclectic discussions about his world view. Over the course of a week in a hot summer, as the aroma he carried became more pervasive, we reached a point where things were becoming a bit critical.
In my social work training there was a concept in called the 'demand for work'. After you set the tone for a session, covered the basics of interpersonal conduct and worked through the initial stages of the intervention came the time when you had to put the onus on the client to start the hard work. So with more enthusiasm than sense, more book learning than practical experience, I decided that the time had come.
Meeting the Preacher at the door, I took him aside and had a clear and direct conversation about his hygiene. He was angry at first, but when I steered the conversation to the "why" the problem existed he gave me an insight into what was happening.
The Preacher was not new to mental illness, and was not inexperienced at surviving homelessness. From the late onset of his 'troubles' however he had been almost paralyzed with fright about both experiences. Wearing this suits allowed him to carry the healthy environment he had known with him through these darker days. He described the suits as a space suit of sorts, allowing him to carry an environment with him that allowed him to survive in a hostile space. Big A-HA moment.
Showing to much interest in these explanations about the inexplicable can be hazardous to your health. Seeing that I was interested in his explanation he leaned closer to me, said that it was important to be protected by a safe atmosphere, and pulling back the collar of his shirt, said "See what I mean?"
When I regained consciousness...
So after this experience I had tempered my theory with a little bit of practice. However unusual or bizarre or unfathomable a behaviour is, from the perspective of the person who is exhibiting the behaviour it makes sense. You have to understand why it makes sense before you have a hope in hell of changing it.
The Disney end to this story would be a tale of change and transformation, redemption and hope. The Preacher died not long afterwards, killed by homelessness. The second sad truth I learned was that many times the damage that has been done to a person as they descend into homelessness cannot be undone in time with the resources available at the proverbial sharp end of the stick.
