Frosty nights
Cambridge man living in a tent for 90 days to raise funds for homeless
CAMBRIDGE — It was so cold for Paul Tavares early Thursday morning that he had to step outside his tent and walk around to keep warm.
“It was minus 17 with wind chill,” he says standing outside the tent that will be home for the next 90 days.
It was the coldest night so far for the Cambridge man just three days into his fundraiser for the homeless, called 90 Days and 90 Nights in the Cold.
His home for the next few months is a tent propped up in a big patch of grass. Green fencing surrounds it in a semicircle, and his front yard is covered in crunchy patches of ice.
“No one can sneak up on me,” Tavares, 50, says with a hearty laugh.
He chose a visible spot, at the far north corner of the Shoppers Drug Mart property in Galt where Ainslie and Water streets converge. Cars zip by on each side of his campsite. He got permission from the store to camp on their property.
Tavares wants people to see him living in the cold. He wants to raise awareness about the homeless in Cambridge who live outdoors without a choice. “I want to change people’s attitudes.” His goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of his campaign. It will go to five local charities that help the homeless in Cambridge.
Day 3, Thursday, was brisk and windy. Tavares was bundled up in layers of sweaters and jackets.
Well-wishers have brought him hot coffees and teas. He has a portable toilet nearby. He also happens to be across the street from the Bridges shelter.
This isn’t too tough for Tavares. He is no stranger to sleeping rough. He has been homeless twice, briefly.
Five years ago he moved back to Cambridge with very little money, and soon found himself at Bridges shelter. After a short spell there, he lived in Dickson Park for months.
He was also temporarily homeless two decades ago.
“We have a lot of Band-Aid solutions for homelessness right now,” Tavares says.
When he was at Bridges five years ago, he was dismayed to see familiar faces from decades past.
“There are people who are permanently homeless. I don’t want Bridges to become the solution. ”
Not only is more affordable housing necessary, Tavares says, but so are mental health and addiction services for many homeless individuals.
“The cycle to get off the street is very difficult,” he says.
He is at the camp site 24/7, sometimes nipping over to Bridges across the street. He is currently unemployed, a change in his life that led him to take on this campaign.
“I want people to give to the organizations that help the homeless,” he said.
His tent is slowly filling up with donated hygiene products as well as food and clothing. He will soon need a secure bin to collect all the items for local charities to collect.
The money he will raise is going to be split between the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank, Cambridge Shelter Corporation, Trinity Community Table, Vineyard Church, and Hand Up for the Homeless Cambridge.
“Some people don’t like to see this,” he says pointing to his campsite. But he wants people to see it.
“Homelessness is the invisible plague on Cambridge.”
More information, including the bank account number to make a donation, can be found on the 90 Days and 90 Nights in the Cold Facebook page.