Erick Sheptock, 'Homeless Homeless Advocate', Uses Social Media To Effect Change

Though Erick Sheptock has no home and no job, he has enough friends on Facebook and Twitter to effect some serious change in his hometown of Washington, DC.

Sheptock, who hasn't earned a full-time paycheck since 1994 and describes himself as a "homeless homeless advocate," has capitalized on social media networks to advocate for homelessness in DC, a social issue that he's all too familiar with.

With 5,000 Facebook friends, more than 1,400 Twitter followers and two active blogs, Sheptock has no problem spreading the word about an issue that permeates the capital.

According to CNN:

He says he got a leak fixed at one homeless shelter and stopped the harassment of homeless people at another...Sheptock says he's now trying to use his popularity to start a movement that reduces homelessness and improves shelter conditions.

WATCH:

Though his mission is undeniably well-intended, Sheptock has proved controversial to some critics.

According the Washington Post:

Sheptock, 41, wouldn't take a 9-to-5 job that compromised his advocacy efforts or the long hours he spends tending to his digital empire, he says. He wouldn't move out of the downtown DC shelter where he has slept for the past two years if it would make him a less effective voice for change.

Read more about Sheptock at the Post, or follow him on Twitter to find opportunities to play your part in ending homelessness.

Comments

[wakeupnow1]

04:37 PM on 01/01/2011

Keep up the good work Mr. Sheptock. You have been given a mission, don't let it go.

[Young Noh]

10:21 PM on 12/29/2010

I myself was homeless,built a website for them: www.homelessUnion.org

[Parsifals]

03:58 PM on 12/29/2010

I've been to the Community for Creative Non-violence in DC, one of several in the area, but perhaps the largest. The number of homeless in our country is astronomical and doesn't seem to get better. Several cities have been known to make matters worse by their treating the homeless population in the most despicable ways and of course the homeless have little to no recourse.

So if Mr. Sheptock can make any difference, good for him and good for the community.

[wdw505]

04:08 PM on 12/29/2010

homeless don't exist everywhere.......we just don't allow homelessne­ss to hangout in the main areas of town

[saythisword]

03:26 PM on 12/31/2010

Forcing them out of public spaces doesn't actually mean they stop existing.

[CMontalvo]

04:13 PM on 12/29/2010

Funny how the more comfortable we try to make the homeless, the more the ranks expand. Wonder if there's any connection there; B.F. Skinner would likely say yes. So, too, would those who saw the ranks of those on welfare expand exponentially during Johnson's War on Poverty, during which welfare benefits were greatly increased with no corresponding requirement that recipients achieve self-sufficiency.

The first obligation for any homeless person is to achieve self-sufficiency and that includes Mr. Sheptock. Following that, more power to him if he can support a similar transition for the person to whom he graciously relinquished his bed in the homeless shelter

[saythisword]

03:27 PM on 12/31/2010

So homelessness is expanding because it is slightly less humiliating and dangerous than it has been in the past, and not because of our country's economic collapse? That's some tortured logic there.

[Eric Sheptock]

03:19 PM on 12/29/2010

I commend HuffPo for this piece about me. I can see that they made an honest effort to present me in a positive light (unlike James Richardson and a few others). However, they made 2 mistakes:

1 -- My name is spelled "ERIC", not "ERICK".

2 -- The other is their statement which says,"Sheptock, who hasn't earned a full-time paycheck since 1994" I've worked several "permanent", full-time jobs since then. I've also done much day labor and some farm work as well since becoming homeless.

THE CONFUSION PROBABLY ARISES FROM people's assumption that homeless people don't work. I FIRST became homeless in 1994 after leaving my job of 6 years at Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL at the University of Florida. I've done plenty of work since then, exited homelessness more than once and fallen back into it. I think that when folk hear me say that I became homeless in 1994, they automatically assume that i haven't worked since then. I'll blog about it soon at www.ericsheptock.com

[MegP]

08:38 PM on 12/29/2010

Thank you, Eric, for this post. (I was curious about the spelling of your name and now I know!) Believe it or not, years ago I considered intentionally going "on welfare" so my basics would be looked after and I could devote myself full time to community service. My life developed along other paths, but the general notion still makes sense if it fits the situation. I have very positive feelings about what you're doing. I also believe, that a few years from now, the skills/knowledge you're honing will be important - either as now, or in different form. The very best to you, and to those you serve - Thank You!!

[Monkey615]

04:19 PM on 12/30/2010

Eric,
Thank you for making a difference. I was at a homeless shelter several years ago, visiting a client. It was the most horrid, disgraceful example of how selfish we are as people. I was ashamed that we could subject fellow human beings to those kind of conditions, without a care in the world Keep on doing what you do, someone has to do it.

[Smugglez]

12:43 PM on 12/29/2010

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this guy. If he evokes real change, like affordable housing for instance, then I applaud him. But I just checked out his site - http://www.ericsheptock.com/ - & it has this quote at the top of the page:
"A dynamic, dramatic, and diplomatically devastating deliverer of detailed information pertaining to his brothers and sisters of the streets of Washington, DC." Check and chime in at least weekly as Eric will enlighten, empower,engage, enrage, entertain, and explain to you what's going on with the homeless from the perspective of homeless - Mr. Eric Sheptock.

[Smugglez]

01:12 PM on 12/29/2010

After perusing his site for a bit, I admit he inspires me. He mentions job training for the homeless, which is what we need. Try to find a job when you have no phone, no home, no daily place to clean up, no reliable transportation, no experience and/or a poor work history. I have worked with computers for 30 years and I am homeless.

[signgrrl]

02:11 PM on 12/29/2010

that also means we need more jobs. the current 5 to 1 ratio is not sustainable for very much longer.

[Eric Sheptock]

03:05 PM on 12/29/2010

Smugglez,

That description of me and my blog was actually done by a guy named Greg. He is the site administrator at www.streats.tv He started the blog for me in June 2008 and I've been blogging ever since. I am not in the practice of bragging about myself. I'll fix it.

[lovelygirl33]

12:15 PM on 12/29/2010

Ego gratificat­ion? Well, that's a little cynical. I would add this - whether you help a few by serving at a soup kichen or fixing a leak or you help many by broadcasting or advising public policy - micro or macro, it's all helping isn't it?

Some see ego gratificat­ion, I suggest he is using his skills, talents, and interests to greatest effect. I've never heard of him before and now I'm going to go to his facebook and see how I can help. Bravo Erick, CNN, and HuffPo.

[Chris Worthington]

11:23 AM on 12/29/2010

Those of you with no class whatsoever, who are making light of this article, would probably kill yourselves within the first week if you had to live like homeless people do.

[thereisonlyoneparty]

12:21 PM on 12/29/2010

It all depends what someone wants.

There are many people who are content with "homelessness" (especially when it is like this guy has it.)  There are others though who are unable to live within society (diseased, dirty folks who are dangerous and push people off of train platforms).  There are people who take to homelessness better than others.

[CMontalvo]

02:23 PM on 12/29/2010

Those who are content with homelessness and unwilling to become self-sufficient sap resources from those who are homeless through no fault of their own and despite their best efforts to find housing. THAT'S why it's not OK for guys like this, who COULD be self-sufficient but won't, are not worthy of our respect.

[Andythelawyer]

11:14 AM on 12/29/2010

Photo caption: "No roof over my head but at least I can see Madonna naked."

[wdw505]

10:04 AM on 12/29/2010

just don't allow homelessness in your area...........as there are no homeless or registered sex offenders in my area........it does indeed change things

problem solved

[signgrrl]

12:03 PM on 12/29/2010

. . . .that you KNOW of . . . . .

[wdw505]

12:53 PM on 12/29/2010

so the homeless are hiding, right?

[Smugglez]

12:22 PM on 12/29/2010

Really? And where is this magical fairyland?

[signgrrl]

12:42 PM on 12/29/2010

of course, that's not saying how many UNregistered sex offenders there are . . . .
i guarantee you they ARE there.

[wdw505]

12:52 PM on 12/29/2010

45243

http://www.familywatchdog.us

but thanks for playing

[msanonymous222]

09:30 AM on 12/29/2010

I hope he picks up a copy of "The Lifelong Activist: How to Change the World Without Losing Your Way" by Hillary Rettig. It talks about burnout and how you don't have to be a martyr to be a very effective activist.

If he reads it, he'll "get" it. There are healthy ways to effect change, and then there are unhealthy ways.

[msstrick40]

12:07 PM on 12/29/2010

Very true.

[CMontalvo]

11:38 PM on 12/28/2010

When I saw the title of this article, I thought, "Whoa! FINALLY, a homeless person who's actually giving back!" I'd always wondered why homeless shelters and soup kitchens would need ANY volunteers, given that they had legions of unemployed folks who should by all rights be highly motivated to pitch in as repayment for what they received. But then I read the article and said to myself, "Naw, this guy isn't about remedying homelessness as much as he is about building a social network for his own ego gratification."

Sad...

[taylorfive]

01:33 PM on 12/29/2010

i'm not sure whether to agree with you or not. it's hard to believe that he would turn down a job offer, but as someone said earlier, it's about how happy you are with your situation. for most of us it's hard to get how someone is satisfied with being homeless, but i guess they have a different perspective of success.

[CMontalvo]

01:47 PM on 12/29/2010

I can accept someone who eschews the trappings of materialism for a simpler life...except when they do so on MY nickel. Is this guy receiving taxpayer-supported food stamps? Is he staying in a shelter and taking up a bed that tax dollars provided for victims? Is he expecting to receive medical treatment paid for by someone else? And is he feeling that he's entitled to all these things without working for them?

I strongly support assisting those poor who are victims of circumstances beyond their control. But those who are poor because they're lazy, irresponsible, self-indulgent or simply LIKE being poor are deserving of NOTHING. They're impinging on services that would otherwise be available to the deserving victims of poverty.

[Parsifals]

04:02 PM on 12/29/2010

I don't know about Mr. Sheptock, or his work, but I know many shelters and soup kitchens where the "homeless" are the volunteers. One center in NYC with a youth program has an active force of homeless getting better educated, and contributing to their room and board. But to get these programs support is more the problem than anyone can imagine. It is mostly stigma and that hurts getting folks out of their situation, often not of their own making, and into a lifestyle that empowers rather than disempowers them.

[CMontalvo]

04:41 PM on 12/29/2010

"...I know many shelters and soup kitchens where the "homeless" are the volunteers­."

That's good to hear. I can't imagine these institutions relying on anything but. And yet I still hear calls for volunteers in my area.

[MegP]

10:30 PM on 12/28/2010

Generally speaking, I find Erick Sheptock's "refusal" to accept employment (that would distract him from his mission) entirely appropriate and laudable.

It seems he is focused and dedicated, using his talent and interest for a "greater good".

It says something about those who criticize him for this, that they seem to believe demonstration of himself as a "successful human being" would be for him to abandon his mission for the sake of personal material gain. This, they would approve?

"Self-gain" is a major part of what is wrong with common cultural individual pursuit!

Kudos to Erick Sheptock!

[CMontalvo]

11:33 PM on 12/28/2010

"Self-gain­" is a major part of what is wrong with common cultural individual pursuit!"

Hey, geat philosophy to build a movement on! Shall we call it, hmmm, communism? Oh sure, there've been a few problems with that over the years but I'm thinkin' it's about time to give it another go.

[Livinginthenow]

11:42 PM on 12/28/2010

An odd leap, from a man with a social conscience to communism.

[Livinginthenow]

01:00 AM on 12/29/2010

With that many digital followers, Sheptock will eventually land a book deal AND raise awareness about homelessness. Does not sound like communism to me. In fact, this is a free market wet dream. This guy's going to end up making more money than you, CM, so, tough to find anything objectionable. I also don't think a great story like this needs to be politicized or made into a Fox news talking point.

[AnastaciaBrice]

12:06 AM on 12/29/2010

I have no doubt that the path of homeless isn't an easy one for him. I wouldn't choose it. And I absolutely applaud him for working for change. It's an amazingly loving thing to do.

I don't think people criticize him for choosing his mission over "personal material gain." I think the criticism is that he won't take the job, and therefore be self-supporting WHILE working his mission (part time, if he has to). You know... like the rest of us would have to.

And therein lies the disconnect for me. I don't buy pleading the case for change for a group of people, many of whom would LOVE a job and a chance to be self supporting and off the street, by thumbing your nose at that very opportunity.

The best way to raise people up is by modeling. By being a good example. By showing what's possible. I don't think he does that as well as he might by staying where he is.

[TruelyFedUp]

10:47 AM on 12/29/2010

A JOB, the Holy Grail. Why can't people not have jobs? Why must everybody go out and make stuff or provide services that support having stuff and support a capitalist system. Some of us would be quite happy living as the Native people of this country did and work enough to eat and provide simple housing. Some of us think that our minds and our spirituality could be used in better ways than supporting the manufacture of jeans or gas guzzling vehicles or in stocking our own personal McMansion with stuff.

Why isn't enforced jobs called slavery? Why does our system promote personal ownership of land so that those with nothing have no legal place to stand during the day or to lay down and sleep at night yet the wealthy can own land for speculation and hold it unused for decades or centuries solely for profit or to force others to pay for the use of it? Why does money make somebody a valid American and no money make the same man a criminal on this land?

[Peabodies]

10:27 PM on 12/28/2010

Eric Sheptock, I admire you and wish you well in your worthy cause. I will donate and follow your path in this coming year.

I still don't understand how this country went from being the most prosperous, and envy of the world, when Eric was a toddler, to this nickel-and-diming, shabby and heartless economy. Doesn't make sense.

[TruelyFedUp]

10:52 AM on 12/29/2010

Here is a reason why http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/05/beware-the-psychopath-my-son/

[signgrrl]

12:08 PM on 12/29/2010

my best guess starts with 2 words: ronald reagan

[tompoe]

10:04 PM on 12/28/2010

Leave it to corporate media to smear anything and everything that threatens their hold on journalism. If homelessness is an issue, WAPO will do the reporting, thank you. Worse, anyone that lives as a homeless person by choice is highly suspect as a true American. I hope CNN and WAPO find the credibility gap as wide as the Grand Canyon after this.