Complaints may leave homeless man in cold

For Chuck, the old couch and wooden porch represent a warm place to stay -- a few months' shelter from the winter rain and cold. But for the University students who, by donating their porch, have given Chuck a few feet of sheltered living space, the whole experience has become a lesson in "fighting the system." With the permission of the house's residents, Chuck, a homeless man, has been sleeping and storing his possessions at the front of 3932 Spruce Street for about three months. But after numerous complaints from next door neighbor Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, the property's landlord -- University City Housing -- has told the house's residents that Chuck and his belongings must be removed by Monday morning. "It's our house and our porch," Wharton senior Hae Sin Kim said last night. "People who don't live in this house are telling us what to do." But UCH manager Bill Groves said he has never before had to deal with a case like this one. "It's something we don't encourage," Groves said. "It's something that rarely occurs." But, he added, "If there weren't any complaints we wouldn't have any policy." It all started when Chuck, who requested that only his first name be used, came upon the couch at 3932 Spruce. "It was raining one night and it was the only place where I could seek refuge," Chuck said last night. "When you're homeless, you're out in the elements all day long." The house's 11 residents began to develop a relationship with Chuck, often inviting him inside for meals. They soon allowed him to sleep on the porch and store his belongings there. "[College senior Jennifer McDonald] came out on the porch one day and asked me if I was hungry," Chuck said. "She took me to Wawa and we partied at Wawa." "I think that if it wasn't for the college kids, the homeless would be lost," he added. "He's a friend of mine," McDonald said. "He's very articulate and likes to read a lot." But as Chuck began to appear at the house more often, neighbors at Phi Kappa Psi said they began to get concerned. "We think it's really nice and all that they're giving this guy a place to stay," Phi Psi President Steve Kleinstein said last night. "But our girlfriends and other people would come over here and they were really scared to come in." "They should put him in contact with a homeless shelter," said Kleinstein, a College senior. "There is no reason he shouldn't be going there." Chuck said he does not like homeless shelters because the administrators are "corrupt." "The ones who even run it are smokers," Chuck said. "There is no rule. I'm not going to subject myself to extra abuse." Even at 3932 Spruce, Chuck was still subject to physical violence. He said he was assaulted one morning by someone who came to repair the house. "He kicked me in the head," Chuck said. "He was an old guy and I should have whupped him." Chuck said he does not know where he is going to live after Monday, adding that he cannot wait for warmer weather. "I can get out and do what I want to do in the summertime," Chuck said. "Last summer, I was able to work a few jobs." The residents of 3932 Spruce said the whole experience has changed the way they have thought about life at the University. "People are willing to volunteer on their own hours," McDonald said. "But when it comes close to home -- to having homeless near them -- they are afraid of the daily interaction." As for Chuck, he said he will not forget the people who invited him for a short stay on their Spruce Street porch. "All of the college kids try to lend a hand," Chuck said. "They have a sense of compassion."