Joette Tavernise has slept in some pretty uncomfortable places over the past two years.
At one time, she was slumbering beneath the overhang of a drive-through-teller lane at an abandoned bank, in the front seat of her 2002 Honda CR-V. At another, she bunked at a shelter in a room housing dozens of other homeless people, all separated by barely an arm’s length. Just a few weeks ago, she spent the night snoozing next to a dumpster in south Charlotte.
None of these are ideal sleeping arrangements for a 73-year-old woman whose only protection is a diminutive dog named Boogie.
“It’s just great,” Joette says. “Before I go to sleep at night, I look up at the ceiling and think, ‘Ahhh. Got a roof over my head, and don’t have 50 people sleeping beside me coughing.’ It’s wonderful.”
It’s remarkable, too. Mainly that she was able to keep herself and Boogie alive for so long on the streets — since a series of unfortunate events forced her from her normal life in 2018 — but also that, thanks to the kindness of strangers, these devoted companions are finally back in a living situation offering genuine peace of mind.
At the same time, this living situation is only temporary. And for reasons that go beyond just the structural, and just the financial, Joette fears she and Boogie won’t necessarily live happily ever after together...READ MORE
