Homeless man, 43, found dead at The Boulders

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on February 20, 2009

A man who died while at a South Amherst apartment over the weekend was likely one of a number of chronically homeless people living in Amherst.

Christopher George, 43, was found dead shortly after noon on Sunday at The Boulders, 188 East Hadley Road, after he didn't awake at the same time as the other people in the home.

A man who answered the intercom for the apartment Tuesday morning where the death occurred described the situation as "very stressful."

"He had been banned from here, and I told him he could no longer come to my house," said the man, who would not provide his name.

But George apparently entered the apartment with friends sometime overnight, according to the resident.

Amherst police declined to release George's name, saying it is not department policy to do so in cases of unattended death inside a private home in which there are no suspicious circumstances. Police have said no foul play is suspected, and an autopsy is being performed by the state Medical Examiner's Office.

The Boulders comprises hundreds of apartments and a dense mix of families and individuals from all backgrounds, as well as immigrants and students, with the median income well below that of Amherst at large.

Cheryl Zoll, executive director of the Amherst Survival Center, said George was a regular for the daily lunches.

"People are really sad about it," Zoll said. "He had a lot of close friends here."

Hwei-Ling Greeney, who administers the Not Bread Alone soup kitchen that serves homeless families and individuals three times a week in Amherst, said she believes there are at least 35 homeless people in Amherst who, like George, are being put up in housing on a semi-regular basis.

This means that any organized counts of homeless people, which tally those living on the streets, are likely short, she said.

"The homelessness is dire, but we don't see it on the street," Greeney said.

Greeney added that some people are risking their subsidized Section 8 housing by allowing their homeless friends to stay with them.

Though it's uncertain if George was actually prohibited by management from staying at The Boulders, as alleged by the tenant, the company's policy governing visitors could allow for such a ban if a person is unwilling or unable to be put on the lease.

"Northland Investment Corp. adheres closely to its policy on extended guests," said Diane Yentsen, vice president of multifamily for the Newton corporation that owns The Boulders. "Anyone found in violation must fill out an application and qualify for residency."

Stanley Maron, who served on the town's Homelessness Task Force in 2007, said he filed a minority report urging town officials to get a cot shelter, similar to the one in Northampton though on a smaller scale, up and running.

"I said I thought there was a need for an emergency shelter for between 10 and 20 people," Maron said.

But instead of solving the problem of temporary homelessness, which seems to be impacting Amherst, the Committee on Homelessness and town officials have instead decided to move toward a permanent housing, single-room occupancy model, Maron said. They have used this approach even though this might not address the needs of someone like George.

Zoll said many of the chronically homeless in Amherst are able to find places to stay for stretches at a time, but this doesn't mean they have permanent living space.

With the state changing its approach to combating homelessness by aiming at a philosophy of housing first, Amherst officials are hoping to get a permanent solution to the problem. The town's Community Services Department is looking at applying $450,000 from a block grant to begin this process.

George's death will help motivate those who serve the homeless.

"It's always tragic when something like this happens, and it reminds all of us to take really good care of those around us," Zoll said.