Sean C. Morgan
A 55-year-old Sweet Home homeless man, who was found earlier this month suffering from hypothermia, died three days after he was taken to the hospital, a family member said last week.
Sweet Home police received a call at 2:08 p.m. on Feb. 10 about Billy G. Seibert, said Police Chief Jeff Lynn. “Passersby located a male on the side of the building,” a burned-out house at 2221 Main St.
Sweet Home officers and medics responded, Lynn said. Seibert was conscious and aware but suffering from hypothermia.
Medics transported him to Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital.
Seibert has been listed as a transient in Sweet Home Police Department records since 2011.
His sister, Donna Seibert, told The New Era that Billy Seibert died at 1:10 p.m. on Feb. 13.
She said Billy had already suffered a series of strokes before being found on the street.
“He had two very large strokes and so many small ones,” Seibert said. “So he was pretty much not able to move or even talk. I am thankful that he was transported to the hospital and then to the ICU unit, but with his meth use and the strokes, his (prognosis) was not good. I had to make the choice for the end of his life.”
Her brother’s first stroke affected the front part of his brain, Seibert said, affecting memory and some speech and motor skills. The most recent stroke was on his left side and paralyzed the left side of his body.
Those strokes, along with however long he had been out in the cold, played a part in his death, Seibert said.
“If only someone would of reached out to him days before he may still be alive today. That we will not know.”
He moved to a hospice in Albany on Feb. 12, Seibert said. He had his younger sister, younger brother and his mother by his side.
“As we all know, some never get the chance to have loved ones by their side,” Seibert said. “We are thankful that we were contacted and were able to be there.”
Billy chose to be homeless, Seibert said.
“My brother did not make good choices on so many things, like those who he would hang around with, but we are each our own person to make the choices we make for ourselves.”
Among those poor choices, Billy used meth, she said. She doesn’t believe he was addicted, but he used it when it was offered. He also liked smoking marijuana.
Billy had family who offered him places to stay, Seibert said, but he didn’t want that.
“To him it was too much responsibility or a burden to us,” Seibert said. “He would never ask for money to use for his meth. He would ask for us to buy food and basic need items. We would offer him a few dollars when we would see him on the streets of Sweet Home, but when he was getting into the meth more, we had the hard choice to let him be. Tough love is very hard for family to go through.”
Billy saw the outside world as his home, Seibert said. He liked being able to camp in remote spots and to have adventures in the deep woods.
“He did tire of being around other people, so that was his solitude,” Seibert said. “No, he did not always make good judgments, but they were the ones that made him happy. He never married nor did he have any children. It was his choice to be single.
“He would not hold a sign or beg for money. I’ve known him to walk miles collecting bottles and cans for some cash. He really liked his coffee and smokes, (but) he would not feel right doing that, no matter how desperate he was.”
At times, Billy would stack firewood or mow a lawn for a home-cooked meal, Seibert said. He always felt better working for what he needed.
“Heck, he ran over a mile to catch up with our stepdad, to let him know something was wrong with our mother,” Seibert said. “She was having a stroke at that time. We all want to say he was a good person. In most ways, yes, Billy was for family that he cared about.”
Billy had his faults, but not in the ways many would know about, Seibert said. He had a learning disability, “but he had really good streets smarts,” which helped him when he needed it most.
Billy was a son and brother, who his mom, youngest sister and younger brother worried about most, Seibert said. “I miss him, and it will be hard to drive through Sweet Home and not see him there on the streets, to stop and have coffee with him.”
Members of the Sweet Home community are working on various efforts to address homelessness. Lynn began holding informal meetings in December to find ways to provide resources to the homeless. An Albany organization, CHANCE, is beginning to work in Sweet Home with those who have substance-abuse and mental health issues. An adult services team, with members from numerous agencies and organizations offering resources, will begin working with individual homeless or individuals who are at risk of becoming homeless.
Volunteers began operating a warming shelter, open when the weather is wet and cold, the day before the police located Billy.
Solutions could include rehabilitation for drug addiction, Seibert said. Volunteers could help with reading, writing and basic job interview skills.
“To make changes and to help those in need, such as the homeless people, you have to see them as human beings,” Seibert said. “Not meth addicts or faceless people” – to recognize a disability over a drug issue, “treating them with respect instead of just a criminal or lawbreaker.
“In many cases, kindness goes a long ways when someone is homeless and down and out. Sometimes, just giving a homeless person someone to whom they can look up to and talk with and not have guilt or feel that they are in the wrong all the time. Some have even hit rock bottom and have no idea how to think like someone that has a home.”