Doug doesn't want to be a burden

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Doug was sleeping when unexpected visitors dropped in last week.

Maybe that would annoy most people, but Doug, a laid-back man with a soft voice, took it pretty well in stride — even though he’s not used to getting company.

“Doug?” called Bob Zingaro, a New Castle man who volunteers with Patches Place, an organization on Mill Street that offers services for mentally ill people.

“He’s coming,” Zingaro said, while inside his makeshift tent, Doug was undoubtedly shaking off the remnants of sleep.

A rude awakening? Maybe. But for a man whose home has been a shelter made of tarps in woods outside New Castle for more than 20 years, he’s likely had them before.

He doesn’t want to be a burden.

For the full story, see Sunday's Vindicator or Vindy.com.