Disabled man finds home in Allendale shelter
Man who spent nights in cold now has private room
By Prentiss Findlay
The Post and Courier
After spending several nights in the cold outside Charleston's Crisis Ministries from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day, R.W. Langford has a new home at a men's shelter in Allendale.
Previous Story
Left out in the cold: Hospital sent man to shelter, but Crisis Ministries chief says he isn't eligible, published 01/01/09
R.W. Langford, the Charleston man who was living outside a homeless shelter and sleeping in his wheelchair, said Friday he has a new home at a men's shelter in Allendale.
"I'm up here in the hinterlands," he said. "I only have a vague idea where Allendale is."
The nearest pay phone is three blocks away, so he spoke on a cell phone that a resident loaned him.
"You have to go to church, and Bible study twice a week," Langford said. "If I had heard that codicil was in there, I would have never come up here. They snuck it past me completely."
Still, it beats being out in the weather. His private room is $55 per week and he shares a kitchen with six men. "I haven't paid a dime yet," he said. "I'm not griping."
On Thursday, Charleston Interfaith Crisis Ministries took Langford to Allendale, a rural area about 90 miles from Charleston, and paid his first month's rent. Langford said he receives $738 in monthly assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Langford, 61, lived in the courtyard at Crisis Ministries on Meeting Street from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day. Crisis Ministries fed him but allowed him inside only twice, he said. Crisis Ministries Executive Director Stacey Denaux said Langford belonged in an assisted living facility, and that a hospital inappropriately sent Langford to the homeless shelter.
On Thursday morning, he was offered the option of going to the Allendale shelter. Crisis Ministries said a woman affiliated with Christ Central Ministries in Allendale called to offer Langford a room after reading about his predicament in the Thursday editions of The Post and Courier. A Christ Central Ministries official could not be reached for comment Friday.
Langford said he was evicted from his North Charleston apartment for being behind on his monthly $650 rent, which included a $150 meal plan. After spending a week in a motel, he said that he went to Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital. He said that he spent two nights in the hospital emergency room lobby. He was evaluated, given a new wheelchair and sent to Crisis Ministries in a cab on Christmas Eve.
Denaux said the hospital did not follow protocol when it sent Langford to the shelter because he was not first evaluated by the shelter's intake coordinator. Instead, a hospital staffer spoke with a shelter receptionist, she said. She said that inappropriate referrals from hospitals to the shelter are a weekly problem. Denaux said Langford was ineligible for a shelter bed because the shelter is not an assisted living facility, which means that Langford needs help with bathing and using the restroom.
Hospital Media Relations Manager Margaret Mullins said that a hospital case worker and a Crisis Ministries staffer discussed the situation before the hospital sent Langford to the shelter, and that proper protocol was followed. She said that a physician worked with Langford, and the hospital did what it could to comfort and help him. There was no medical reason to admit him to the hospital, she said.
Langford said that because of a broken back he suffered in a fight he is more comfortable sleeping in his wheelchair than in a bed. He said that he has a debilitating form of arthritis.
E-mail this story
Printer-friendly version
Comments
goodgolly (anonymous) says...
Let me get this straight. Now this guy is complaining about having a place to stay because he has to go to Bible study. Is it that he is too busy going to work or trying to reconcile with his family? Or maybe you have to be sober to stay there. Or maybe he didn't like the idea of someone else paying his first month's rent.
Poor guy, instead of standing in a soup kitchen line he has to share a kitchen with 6 other people. In stead of using local emergency rooms for a warm meal and a bed, he may have to take care of himself. Like they say, "no good deed goes unpunsihed."
January 3, 2009 at 8:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spengler (anonymous) says...
well, he's got the rent down to 210/month with money left over for bling bling and his own cell phone. looks like he's livin' life large now. he can always sleep during the services if they're not his flavor.
January 3, 2009 at 8:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
goodgolly:
"he said, 'I'm not griping.'"
spengler
"he spoke on a cell phone that a resident loaned him."
i hope your comments were just sarcasm that went over my head.
Now, how about we support ALL our troops!
January 3, 2009 at 9:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rinaldo (anonymous) says...
Mr. Langford is receiving way too much attention and ENJOYING IT! a more deserving person needs to be placed there-afterall imagine having to attend Bible study and all that Christian "stuff"-shame on you Post and Courier-your reporting is consistently accurate/appropriate-his monthly check far exceeds a majority of DESERVING folks-so send him on his way as he seems to prefer and report on us "good folks"-and you Allendale-ers-ban him who is mocking your beautiful town-seeya Langford-wouldn't wanta be ya!
January 3, 2009 at 9:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blackberry_fan (anonymous) says...
"Now, how about we support ALL our troops!"
If you go back and read the original article you will see that this guy is not a veteran. His is getting a government check because his father was. I'd be willing to bet this guy has done nothing with his life.
January 3, 2009 at 9:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rinaldo (anonymous) says...
so true he is not a veteran and we do support our troops-how about if everyone uses this mechanism to comment and i betcha we will do alot for helping those who NEED it
January 3, 2009 at 9:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...
blah_blah_blah- What do you mean "support ALL our troops"? This guy is NOT a veteran! Where's everyone who was crying about this guy yesterday? Did anyone notice in the article how he broke his back? A FIGHT! Remember everyone yesterday saying oh... poor man out in the cold? He actually says he WOULD NOT have gone knowing about the bible study! Well folks he must have been just fine sleeping outside. This guy is an ingrateful douche bag.
January 3, 2009 at 9:54 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
armymom (anonymous) says...
So let me see if I got this straight....he would not have gone up there if he knew he'd have to attend church and bible study? Yeah, right! He'd PREFER to be on the street?? uh-huh, suuuuuuure.
January 3, 2009 at 10:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
skeeter (anonymous) says...
Sounds like you all are friggin' typical Christians to me!
January 3, 2009 at 10:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...
johnnyholmes- I'm CFB- not ColdBeer! Give credit where credit is due man. I stand by what I posted and this guy isn't a vet and he's a douche bag. He got his back broken in a fight. My Dad always taught me "Don't write a check your azz can't cash" lol
January 3, 2009 at 10:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wonderdog (anonymous) says...
If he doesn't like the folks who have offered him help, he can refuse it. No one is forcing him to accept it. I hope the Bible study will do him some good, even if he doesn't accept Christianity - it might give him something to think about instead of his troubles. It sure won't hurt!
Again, he is free to leave.
January 3, 2009 at 10:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
Send him to New York city if he finds life to hard here. He can sleep on a nice warm steam grate.
January 3, 2009 at 11:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ysillyme (anonymous) says...
CFB wrote [don't write a check your Azz can't cash]~
I'll bet if you brought it to TitleMasters your hiney could cash it there. The silly one thinks your post is ....well, silly. My azz can only do one thing.
January 3, 2009 at 11:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhshjh (anonymous) says...
I think they should move him out and give it to someone more appreciative. Not, "thank you", but, "I'm not griping". These people offered him help because they saw a need.
"If I had heard that codicil was in there, I would have never come up here. Well, now that you know, why don't you leave?
How ungrateful can someone get.
January 3, 2009 at 12:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wucherer (anonymous) says...
Next on the Doctor Phil Show:
R.W. Langford, the Charleston man who was living outside a homeless shelter and sleeping in his wheelchair now has a warm bed and belly full. Witness the story first hand that he was forced to worship and bible study twice a week? Sounds like someone who isn't grateful that he is INDOORS and eating FOOD instead of the liquor bottle. I'm torn between how society is either thankful of what they have and the other half griping they deserve more. He's got his 15 minutes of fame twice, heck they might make a movie of his situation and add to the already crappy movies out already. I hope they dry this guy out of what chemical or medication he has been secretly taking and realize how fortune he really is!!
January 3, 2009 at 12:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
UrGatorbait (anonymous) says...
A tad ungrateful, "I'm not griping...." you can hear the implications. If your not griping then your mouth would be shut.
To those that use the emotional knee jerk statement of "Support our________________. (fill in the blank), please learn how to discuss things without the drama that prevails in local and national reporting and dialogue. Sheesh. Teh dude isn't a vet. He was in a fight and broke his back, not a car wreck, hit by a stray bus, or fell from a building while working; but a fight. He made his bed let 'em lay in it. This is a typical P&C "Enquirer" article written by a random HS newspaper. Suits its target audience very well.
January 3, 2009 at 12:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wonderdog (anonymous) says...
Well said, wucherer and UrGatorbait.
January 3, 2009 at 12:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCPDBLUE (anonymous) says...
goodgolly, Right on.
January 3, 2009 at 12:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ysillyme (anonymous) says...
gatorbreath~
How long you been light in the loafers? Didn't your Mom tell you you'd go blind if you didn't stop?
January 3, 2009 at 12:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
UrGatorbait (anonymous) says...
I thought JimboIslandCabanaBoy or maybe one of the other regular windbag pontificators of the "Do as I say not as I do" school of human kindness might have made the paper by putting their actions where their pie holes are our actually stepped up. Darn, I am truly disappointed they didn't. Man, life little disappointments are a bummer dude, sniff.
January 3, 2009 at 12:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
UrGatorbait (anonymous) says...
Coming from you silly goose, I'm glad to see you have a braille keyboard and can hear the spoken words with your head so far gone in the neither regions of your body, good for you. Very flexible and talented I must say.
January 3, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
soulfullatina (anonymous) says...
"Coming from you silly goose, I'm glad to see you have a braille keyboard and can hear the spoken words with your head so far gone in the neither regions of your body, good for you. Very flexible and talented I must say."
hey gatorbait: I hope you don't mind, but I GOTTA use that one!
ROFL!!!!!!
January 3, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
soulfullatina (anonymous) says...
Far too much time has been spent on the "story".
If Mr. Langford is not satisfied with his lodgings, he is free to going back to the streets.
If I were the generous managers of Christ Central Ministries, I would consider Mr. Langford's comments a slap in the face and politely bring him back down to Charleston.
I'm sure there are far more grateful individuals within a smaller radius who would far more humble and gracious in their appreciation of such help.
January 3, 2009 at 1:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
skeeter (anonymous) says...
You cannot judge a man by a newspaper story. Reporters love those "Quotes" that stir up controversy. This man needs help.
January 3, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
affy01 (anonymous) says...
coolfreaknbeans wrote "Where's everyone who was crying about this guy yesterday?"
-------------------------------------------------------
I'm here to tell you that I was wrong!
My heart bled for this good-for-nothing.
But still, could you leave a human being out in the cold
no matter his past?
See, its still bleeding. lol
January 3, 2009 at 1:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rinaldo (anonymous) says...
we-me too-need to focus on something/anything els-langford is on hiscomputer as we speak and enjoying all our words so all together now-we are all done with you Langford!!!
January 3, 2009 at 2 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fyrefighter273 (anonymous) says...
skeeter, you need to take this pos into your home, help him seek the help he needs and let someone else have that bed, I am sure somebody out there would appreciate it. Check this guy out, bet he has been in prison, but I am sure it was someone elses fault. Take his VA money since he never served, give it to someone who deserves and appreciates it. It is obvious that I am more concerned about "working" people who loose their homes than this burden on society. I know that on the 20th of Jan this pos will be delivered from the right wing evil he was sentenced to.
January 3, 2009 at 3:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...
ysillyme- If your butt does only one thing you need to see a doctor.
January 3, 2009 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blah_blah_blah (anonymous) says...
Jesus said, "It's not the healthy that need a doctor."
Just because this man doesn't like going to church now, doesn't mean we should give up and throw him in the streets!
January 3, 2009 at 4:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
proud2bme (anonymous) says...
skeeter,
In my opinion, your comment is the only one that appears to be right on target.
January 3, 2009 at 4:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CNN_10 (anonymous) says...
This man should be bless to have a place to stay a beggars cannot be choosers.
January 3, 2009 at 5 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yird (anonymous) says...
He needs to be thankful his wheelchair wasn't stolen from him during his nocturnal stays in Charleston.
January 3, 2009 at 5:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Postandcourier.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Postandcourier.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full Terms and Conditions.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by signing up!
Thank you for your interest in this story. The comment thread for this article has been closed.
- Most Commented
- Most Emailed
- Shared
- Upper King on rise: Hotels, apartments, restaurants changing face of downtown area
- UPDATE: Missing woman's fiance seen leaving scene of burned SUV, carrying a shovel
- Missing woman case gets murkier
- Magnolia Gardens offering free dream wedding to contest winner
- Body of missing woman's fiance was found near handgun
- Pinterest: Pinning hopes and dreams
- DAVID SLADE: S.C. offers hybrid car tax credit
- Black women today: Strong. Resilient. Ambitious.
- Ex-Boeing worker claims racism, retaliation in firing
- MCDERMOTT COLUMN: Golf business has risks, rewards
