Joe Comfort (New Haven homeless man)
Joe Comfort is a homeless man living in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as a "street legend".[1] He was featured in the Local Characters Trading Cards for New Haven, exhibited in 2005.[2] He earns money doing odd jobs including raking leaves, window washing, and repairs.[3] He has also worked for Yale fraternities, cleaning up after parties.[1]
Joe Comfort was at one point a carpenter for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and claimed to at one point be a licensed plumber. He attributes his lack of employment to potential employers' fear of having to pay workers compensation if his medical problems recur.[4] He has epilepsy and Capgras delusion.[citation needed]
Advocacy[edit]
Joe Comfort has spoken out at public hearings against welfare cuts in the state of Connecticut.[4] He has also spoken out against harassment of homeless people by the police.[5]
External links[edit]
- A video of Joe Comfort talking about himself
- Transcript of a committee hearing in the state of Connecticut, at which Joe Comfort spoke
References[edit]
- ^ a b Pat Hayden, "Cleaning House Fraternity brothers hire homeless help.", The New Journal Magazine at Yale, Vol. 40, No. 2, Oct. 2007.
- ^ Local Characters Trading Cards for New Haven
- ^ COLUMN: City government and business must help homeless - University Wire - HighBeam Research
- ^ a b Hartford Plan on Welfare Is Met With Tales of Woe – New York Times
- ^ "Yale Daily News - YHHAP dedicates candlelight vigil to the city's homeless". Archived from the original on 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
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