Eric Sheptock facts for kids

Eric Jonathan Sheptock (born February 15, 1969) is an American who speaks up for people experiencing homelessness. He is known for being an advocate who has also experienced homelessness himself.

Eric Sheptock's Early Life

Eric Sheptock was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. When he was a child, he had a serious head injury. Doctors thought he might not develop normally. This injury also made him feel very tired.

Eric spent about five years in foster care. When he was five, he was adopted by Joanne and Rudy Sheptock. They were a Polish man and an Italian woman. They lived in a large old mansion in Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey. Their family was very big, with thirty-seven children. Seven were their own, and thirty were adopted. Many of the adopted children had disabilities.

In 1985, Eric's family moved to Interlachen, Florida. Eric later graduated from Hollister Christian Academy.

Eric Sheptock's Early Experiences with Homelessness

Eric Sheptock experienced homelessness on and off starting in 1994. This happened after he left his job as a freight handler. In the summer of 2005, Eric walked from Gainesville, Florida, to Washington, D.C.. He had been homeless and without a job in Florida. His first night in D.C. was spent in Logan Circle Park.

Fighting for Shelter Access

In 2006, Eric Sheptock started learning about how to advocate for people experiencing homelessness. He received help from Mary Ann Luby, a Dominican Nun. Eric began his advocacy work by joining a group that wanted to save the Franklin School Shelter.

The Franklin School Shelter was a large shelter for men in downtown D.C. It had 235 beds. This shelter was an emergency place, meaning people could only stay there from 4 P.M. to 7 A.M. Eric and other advocates worked hard to keep the shelter open in 2006.

However, on September 26, 2008, Mayor Adrian Fenty closed the shelter. The people living there, including Eric, had their belongings moved to another shelter. Eric tried to take legal action to stop the closing. He argued that the city did not give enough notice. Even though he tried, Eric did not win these legal cases.

Becoming a Homeless Advocate

After the Franklin Shelter closed, Eric Sheptock moved to another shelter in downtown D.C. This was the Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter. It was well-known because of another activist named Mitch Snyder.

By June 2009, National Public Radio featured Eric in a story. It was called "Homeless Advocate Goes High Tech." He also appeared on CNN to talk about finding a job. By 2010, Eric Sheptock was using social media to share his message. He had many friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter. He also wrote on two blogs.

Eric Sheptock was mentioned in a book by Barbara Ehrenreich. The book discussed how people experiencing homelessness are sometimes treated unfairly. Eric spoke about this, saying, "Can you imagine? They arrested a homeless man in a shelter for being homeless?"

In 2011, Eric started a project called "Shelter, Housing, and Respectful Change." Its goal was to tell people experiencing homelessness about budget cuts. These cuts could negatively affect their lives. In 2013, he started important discussions with activists and government leaders. They talked about the possibility of his home, the Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter, closing.

On December 31, 2014, the DC City Council honored Eric. They declared that day "Eric Jonathan Sheptock Day." Jim Graham and Muriel Bowser presented him with this special honor.