These men, and the unreclaimed deserters, doubtless make up a large part of the floating population of homeless men in our large cities.  How large a part it is impossible to say, for they are likely to give assumed names and deny the possession of families.  Mrs. Solenberger[43] has noted, however, that if they are asked, not “Are you married?” but a less direct question such as “Where is your wife now?” a story of unfortunate married life will often be elicited.  Until we have some better method of inter-city registration of homeless men, many of these who otherwise might be identified and in suitable cases brought back, will continue to slip through our fingers.

With non-support in an incipient stage,[44] it is sometimes possible to deal so suddenly and effectively that the man is shocked into a better realization of his responsibilities.

A young Irish rigger, with a capable wife and two pretty babies, lost his job after a quarrel with his boss rigger.  He was a genial, popular chap, always “the life of the party” in his circle; and his companions encouraged him to feel that he was a much injured man.  They also helped him to fill his enforced leisure with too much beer.  When the family received a dispossess notice the wife’s patience was at an end, and acting on the advice of a society engaged in family case work, she put the furniture in storage and went to a shelter where she could leave her children in the daytime, while she was at work, and have them with her at night.  The man was told to shift for himself until he could get together sufficient money to re-establish the home.  The arrangement continued for nearly two months, during which the man lived in lodging houses, had an attack of stomach trouble, and was altogether thoroughly miserable.  Every night he waited for a word with his wife on a corner that she had to pass in coming from work.  Finally, when it seemed to the social worker and to the wife that his lesson had gone far enough, the home was re-established, with only a small amount of help from the society.  During the five years since that time, no recurrence of the trouble has come to the attention of the agency interested.

This experiment was realized to be a ticklish one, as a man less sincerely attached to his home might have been turned into a vagabond by such treatment.

In general, it may be said that, as there is less to work on constructively with the non-supporter, court action has more often to be invoked.  If the non-supporter is a “chronic,” his path must not be allowed to be too easy.  “Sometimes you just have to keep pestering him” was the way one social worker put it.  A Red Cross Home Service worker successfully shocked one elderly non-supporter into going to work, as described in one of the Red Cross publications: 

    “Well, Mr. Gage,” I said, “I see you’re not working yet.”

    “No, Mrs. Cox, the coal company promised to send for me.”