Samantha doesn’t scare easily. She startles rather easily but doesn’t scare lucky for me. As I continued to tug at Tucker to convince him my feet were soaked and the piney branch would be there later, as in after the sun came up and it dried out, Sam continued to crouch and crawl under another branch of the same tree. Suddenly she jumped back with a combination of a yelp, bark and growl. Equally as startled I tugged them both toward the flickering street light, nearly tripping over a pair of men’s ankle-height shoes neatly lined up at one edge of the overhanging branches. Heart-rate back under control I peered under the canopy, in toward the trunk and made out the image of a shadow; mostly likely a blanket or thin coat given the late summer warmth. Continuing my tug I picked up our pace toward the street, knowing we’d likely disturbed the occupant’s early morning sleep.
That was the first time I’d run across someone tucked under the trees in such a manner; the evenings wind and rain forced him under which made me wonder why he had not taken refuge under one of the local bridges scattered all along Brush Creek. It also resulted in my further checking into homeless information around the area. Considering I’ve walked among them, chatted them up, fed a couple and slipped a few dollars to another I guess it was only a matter of time before I nearly stumbled over one.
Not surprisingly KC has a sizable 
homeless population. Extrapolated this looks to apply to Kansas and Missouri overall. A couple of years ago a study indicated that our states had among the highest increases in homeless populations in the nation.
Somewhat surprising to me is their geographic spread, as most of them in Tucson congregate in only couple areas and have built up several impressive campsites. I’ve lived in enough decent size metro areas that I’ve not ever felt unsafe around the homeless population. Things I’ve seen and learned in my short time have changed that somewhat here. Recent reports of thieves collaborating with homeless-–in turn, turning them into thieves.
I could do more; it’d be a stretch to come up with excuses. Yet I can come up with them. For now the occasional breakfast and spare change is where I’ll land. Anything else said seems pointless. The limited amount I know about the ones semi-residing in our park helps keep many concerns of my world soundly in check.