Ending Homelessness for Kurt and the Wolfpack

Kristen Harris is organizing this fundraiser.

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Kurt and I wrote this together through our tears and laughs. It's been a life changing event for both of us. Thank you for your support. Here's our story of how it all came to fruition.

The Purpose: To help get Kurt and his 4 dogs off the streets and to end the cycle of his off and on 43+ years of homelessness. The funds we raise will go towards food, housing, his medical needs, the dogs medical needs-wellness exams, vaccines, spay and neuters. All funds are deposited into my (Kristen's) bank account as Kurt does not have one. I then disperse the money to Kurt as he needs to purchase items. Thank you for your support.

Background: Kurt has crisscrossed the country for over 43 years and the last 9 years with his dogs. He travels mostly by foot with a big backpack and his 4 dogs by his side. His dogs are Trigger, 9 yrs old, Fishhook, 5 yrs old, Woowawa, 3 yrs old and Tomahawk, 7 months old. He is from Minnesota and has traveled to Washington, Oregon, Alabama, Ohio, Colorado, Maine and all states in between. He is an animal lover, a nature enthusiast, a gardener and has a kind, loving soul. He does not have alcohol or drug addiction. Being born into poverty and his mental illness is what has gotten him into this predicament. He has no identification which has lead to a hard time getting the assistance that he deserves. He has been trying to get off the streets and to find a home for his pack to retire. But with no job, no ID, 4 dogs, no renters history/recommendations he has run into a lot of road blocks. This is our story of how Kurt and I met and how we are working together to turn this all around and make his vision come true.

Timeline of Events:
July 2018: Kurt and I met on a hot day in Falmouth, Maine while he was panhandling outside a store. I sat with him and his dogs and we spoke for about 45 minutes. I checked the wellbeing of all his dogs (which was stellar) and gave him some items he needed ( dog food, clean t-shirt, water, etc). I offered to spay and neuter any of his animals. I wrote a list of other items he needed (socks, wet wipes, flea/tick medication, food for him etc) and hoped to see him again in a few days. He had no phone so the only way to give him those items was to run into him again. I kept all those items in my car but I wouldn't find him. He had traveled on...

Fast forward 2 months:
Thursday, September 6th: It was early in the morning and I was still half asleep pumping gas in my hometown in Southern Maine and about to leave town for work. I looked over and in the grass on the edge of the woods I saw Kurt and his dogs curled up resting. I couldn't believe my eyes! He remember my name and first thing he said to me was "don't be mad but I think Woowawa is pregnant". I'm not a person to get mad and yell but I was slightly disappointed that we didn't take care of that sooner. I went 10 minutes back home and searched my home for things he could use and needed. I brought him fresh socks, dog collars, backpacking/lightweight sleeping pads and backpacking freeze dried meals. The rest I would hope to buy and give him in a few days. He said he was traveling south on Rt 1.

Sunday, September 9th- Thanks to the use of Facebook and asking my friends if they had seen Kurt, my husband and I were able to locate him and the Wolfpack a town south. He was panhandling at the entrance to a grocery store. We spent a few hours with him and the dogs. Chris (my husband) probably threw the stick a hundred times to Trigger on a little strip of grass next to the road. We gave him a synthetic sleeping bag, 2 dog backpacks, shaving cream and razors, wet wipes, medicine for his cold, dog food and treats and a jacket. Kurt was nervous about a gentleman who approached him and told him to go to city hall the next morning at 9 AM. He didn't get the guys name nor what it was about. He didn't want his dogs to be taken away from him or get into trouble. We encouraged him to go, showed him on google maps how to walk to city hall and said if any assistance is needed to call me. I gave him my phone number which he wrote on the doggie backpack in sharpie so he wouldn't lose it. This ended up being General Assistance for housing. After a week looking for housing and hitting numerous dead ends due to the number of dogs, no ID, no rental history Kurt would leave town. He wanted to travel south to a warmer state for Woowawa to have her puppies. Again, we would be out of touch because he did not have a phone. All I could do was send him positive energy to stay safe.

Late September: Kurt traveled on foot from Maine through New Hampshire, Massachusetts and into Rhode Island. A kind man purchased him a tracfone. We then connected via Facebook.

Early October: Kurt traveled from Rhode Island into Massachusetts and Connecticut. It was here that I would see his facebook posts start to deteriorate. With lots of rain and the new building infrastructure not having places to find shelter he was having a hard time with restless nights. Everyone kept on pushing him out of the towns.

October 11th: His facebook post was "I've had enough. I am going loose my mind". I knew Woowawa could be due at the end of the month. I couldn't just sit back and watch this all go down. So I messaged him to see how he was doing and if I could help in any way. He expressed to me that he couldn't find a place to settle and set up camp for Woowawa. He wasn't going to make it to a warmer state in time. He needed help and CT wasn't being kind (sorry CT folks). He asked me to pick him up.... At the time I was sitting on the couch with my husband Chris. It was about 8 PM on a Thursday night. Chris was well aware that I was "tracking" Kurt's whereabouts through facebook. I immediately said to him "Kurt is asking for my help." Chris said " what kind of help?" I said " Like can I borrow your car tomorrow and go to southern CT and pick them up kind of help. He needs a safe place to have this litter and we can provide that." So Chris agreed to let me drive to CT and pick up a "stranger" and his 4 dogs and bring them back to Maine.

October 12th: I borrowed my husbands Mazda 5 mini minivan, threw some sleeping bags in the back and drove 10 hours round trip to Southern Connecticut (practically NYC) and picked him and the 4 dogs up. My adrenaline was rushing the whole time. He was a nervous, stressed, anxious being when I got him. We had a 5 hour drive back to Maine of us to talk, calm down and make a game plan. That evening we would set up a tent in the dark on some land I had found. The land owner would allow him access to the house for the bathroom, kitchen and a small room to store some items.

October and November: I would take Kurt shopping for personal hygiene items, clothing, guitar strings and food. It was a lot of stimulation for him to be in stores so we did it in small spurts over numerous days. He was doing the best he could and I was proud of him. I watched his mental and physical health flourish!! He was doing so well. He was so thankful. We purchased a Cabelas Big Horn 3 Canvas Tent, a wood stove, a futon and together built the best shanty out there!!

A Mr Heater big buddy propane heater would be used for a secondary heat source. Yes, I even got a fire extinguisher and fire/CO2 detector for him. Their safety is always a top priority. We installed fencing for a dog yard. The same kind man from RI who got Kurt the phone would also reach out to us and purchase 2 cords of wood for the wood stove. Kurt and I spent days together setting up camp, hauling and stacking wood. I got to know him better and learned his capabilities and what his triggers are. We laughed, we cried, we even got into bickering matches like we were brother and sister. Together we made a safe, temporary place for him and the Wolfpack to call home. He was going to keep his family together and let Woowawa have her babies in a safe place. Behind the scenes I was searching craiglist for places he could rent and move to. After a few weeks of talking to numerous landlords and hitting dead end after dead end due to no ID, the number of dogs, no rental history or references, no job ( even though I was willing to pay rent) I realized that if this cycle of homelessness was going to be broken for him that I was going to have to take matters into my own hands. My husband and I would start the search to find and purchase a small private home with land. We would spend hours late at night and the wee hours of the morning searching Zillow, craiglist and MLS sending each other properties we found. Chris and I traveled hours to meet our realtor and looked at numerous camps, cabins and small homes. I had specific criteria it needed to meet and I wasn't going to settle for anything less. I wanted to set Kurt up for success. It needed to have land and not be right next to neighbors, a well, septic, electricity, a wood stove and secondary source of heat, be insulated for four seasons, within 3 hours of my home, less than 3 miles to a grocery store, and less than $100,000. We searched and searched and visited numerous places. My father always said patience is a virtue so I knew I needed to not jump on the first place "that would work". We needed to continue searching until "that one" came to us.

November 8th: In the wee hours of the morning we welcomed 11 puppies into this world. It was game time! Not only would I continue to cook him meals, do his laundry, run errands with and for him but we had 11 puppies to care for. I was scared we would lose 1 or 2 with that big litter size. I gave Kurt a bottle and some milk replacer formula to supplement. He would be with those dogs 24 hours a day caring for them. We had 3 little tiny ones to watch and he would bottle feed them when needed. He would also bottle feed for 12 hours every 4 hours when Woowawa found a porcupine and needed emergency surgery at MVMC and couldn't nurse due to anesthesia. That was an "oh shit" moment and an expense we weren't expecting. But we got through it together.

November: Kurt has no identification. No Birth Certificate. No Social Security Card. No State ID. No License. I have found its hard to get someone back into society with nothing but I won't give up. I was advised to start with the Birth Certificate. In order to get a BC the application needs to be notarized. You need an ID to get a document notarized. Dead End. In order to get a SS card you need an ID. Dead End. In order to get a state ID you need proof of identity and a proof of residency with a pay stub or bill with address. Dead End. I am in contact with his birthplace trying to figure it out but I can see why its so hard for him to get back and settled into a place to call home.

December 3rd- Chris and I made an offer on a super cute 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 4 season open concept cabin with a loft on 7.7 acres in the mountains of Maine. We would start the process of building and septic inspections and the lovely bank mortgage process. Chris and I were a team finding the needed documents and scanning them to the bank. We had "scanning parties"instead of date night. Wow I forgot what the banks need nowadays for a mortgage. Chris was always a team member supporting me with this mission. Kurt calls him the "silent partner" and often tells Chris how much he appreciates him.

December 22nd- We have 11 very healthy puppies that are adopted to friends and family. They all go to the vet next week for their wellness checks and first round of shots at a local shelter that provides a low cost clinic. The building and septic inspection came back with only a few minor things that Chris and I can fix in the next year. Closing is set for January 28th!!!

OUR GOALS: We both have short and long term goals.
Short term: Kristen: To provide the items Kurt, the dogs and puppies need on an every day basis to survive. To work on securing housing. I purchase 5 Gallon propane tanks every few days regularly, home cooked meals are less expensive than take out so I cook a lot after my work day late at night and early in the morning hours, keep up with puppy laundry and make sure I'm a positive support to Kurt along with my own family of 3 kids, 5 dogs, 1 cat and husband.
Short term: Kurt: To raise a healthy litter of puppies and provide his dogs shelter, warmth and food in a safe environment.
Long Term: Kristen: My current and long term goal is to be a positive mentor for Kurt. To listen and respond appropriately to his needs, wants, wishes, dreams and admirations. To help him in the process of getting his birth certificate, SS card, ID, License, Job, etc.. This is a big job that will take time but I'll get it DONE!! To provide Kurt and his dogs a safe home to live in. (Kurt hasn't had it easy in his lifetime. I have cried thinking about some of the horror stories he's told me. For example, at age 7 when he was pretty much on his own, running free in a big city alone and he would sneak onto the city buses and sleep in the back of the bus because it was warm. He would be found sometimes late at night when they would clean the buses. He would quickly try to run off before being caught or else he would go to police and back to his "home" that wasn't the best environment. Repeat that a few times at age 7-9... ). We would all like to see him in a forever home. During the process we showed him places for his feedback. We were willing to do the initial first screening of the home and bring him back for a second showing. We were all dedicated in finding the right place. We are offering him the chance to rent to own. Any money Kurt is able to raise from this fundraiser or provide to us is going to be put towards him purchasing the home. He's dedicated. He's ready to have a home. Chris and I are helping him get to that point with our moral and financial support.
Long Term: Kurt: Coming Soon in Kurts Words! We have been busy caring for puppies, adoptions and every day living in the Maine Winter. I do know he wants a safe place for his pack to retire the streets and a safe place for him to homestead and work in the community either with animals or gardens.

Everyday Kurt, Chris and I work to keep this ship sailing forward. We appreciate your help. If you do not wish to donate via cash we have made an amazon wishlist. Thank you!
Amazon Wishlist
Also, if you wish to donate items you already have in your home, gift cards to Walmart, Tractor Supply etc. or would like to write Kurt an encouraging note you can send them to the address below.
Kristen Harris
Attn: Kurt
5Moose Creek Lane
Scarborough, ME 04074

I would like to thank a few people:
To the landowner who allowed us to set up camp on her land and have access to her home. This would not have been possible without you. Thank you for your assistance.
To my brothers for the jokes about how frugal I am in my everyday life but I'll buy a homeless man and his dogs a $85,000 home. Thanks for the laughs.
To my parents for cautiously asking questions and giving your moral support. You've always taught me to be kind to others and treat them how I would like to be treated. They always taught me to "pay it forward" and I'm doing just that. I remember growing up my Dad would bring me to deliver turkeys to the Worcester Food Bank around Thanksgiving, we would pick up boys from the youth home to play baseball on his team he coached , he would always tell me those folks on Rt 9 in Worcester sleeping in the bus stations were homeless but not necessarily dangerous as we drove past them to go to a Worcester Ice Hockey game. I thank my parents for my amazing upbringing and who I am today.
To my open minded, big hearted husband, Chris. For picking up my slack at home with our own 3 kids, 5 dogs and 1 cat so I can spend time helping Kurt. For the time you've spent searching for homes, letting me bounce CRAZY ideas off you, for taking out a second mortgage to change a strangers life. Yup, I can't thank you enough. We are an amazing team. I love you so you much.
To Kurt for asking for help and for accepting the help I'm able to provide. We will get through this together. I've adopted you as a brother and the pack forever.
To YOU for reading all of our story and for your support. For donating and sharing this. Every little bit will help. I truly appreciate it.

May you all have a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year!
Love and Peace,
Kurt, Trigger, Fishhook, Woowawa, Tomahawk, Kristen and Chris