Joe Comfort (June 22, 1954 – September 14, 2024) was an American homeless man who lived in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as a New Haven "street legend".[1] He was featured in the Local Characters Trading Cards for New Haven, exhibited in 2005.[2] He earned money doing odd jobs including raking leaves, window washing, and repairs.[3] He also worked for Yale fraternities, cleaning up after parties.[1]
Joe Comfort | |
|---|---|
 Undated photo of Comfort | |
| Born | June 22, 1954 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A. |
| Died | September 14, 2024 (aged 70) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A. |
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]
Advocacy
editJoe Comfort spoke out at public hearings against welfare cuts in the state of Connecticut.[4] He also spoke out against harassment of homeless people by the police.[5]
References
edit- 1 2 Hayden, Pat (October 2007). "Cleaning House Fraternity brothers hire homeless help". The New Journal Magazine at Yale. Vol. 40, no. 2.
- ↑ "Local Characters Trading Cards for New Haven". lesliekuo.com.
- ↑ "COLUMN: City government and business must help homeless". HighBeam Research. 15 November 1999. Archived from the original on 2011-05-16.
- 1 2 Johnson, Kirk (6 March 1992). "Hartford Plan on Welfare Is Met With Tales of Woe". The New York Times.
- ↑ "YHHAP dedicates candlelight vigil to the city's homeless". Yale Daily News. Archived from the original on 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
 | This United States biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |