Anthony Horton, photo by Nura Qureshi

On Sunday night, 43-year-old author and tunnel dweller Anthony Horton died in a subway tunnel fire on the F line just north of 63^rd Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City.  He was born in New York City and grew up in foster homes after being abandoned by his parents.  He was no stranger to law enforcement:  he was jailed from 1990 to 1991 and 1999 to 2003 on assault-related charges.  He met artist Youme Landowne in 2004 with whom he collaborated on the graphic novel, Pitch Black, published in 2008.  The book was based on his life underground. 

Friends said that he struggled with drinking and his book mentions substance abuse issues.  He also wrote that he found the streets safer than shelters.  His friend Jordan Buck invited him to stay with him and his sister in TriBeca in the 90s, but Horton preferred the tunnels. 

Buck said, “On the one hand, he set up these rooms for himself and he definitely felt pride and a sense of ownership.  There was something magical and mystical down there.  The other part was lonely.”

Ms. Landowne said, “He drew himself and the subways and things from his imagination, kind of a better world.”  She said he loved dogs, and taught gymnastics and art classes for homeless people at Jan Hus Presbyterian Church on the Upper East Side.

Mr. Horton showed Landowne his tunnel dwellings.  One had a futon, bookshelves and artwork.  He said he hid his art and meager possessions throughout the subway system for fear they would be lost or stolen.  He had about a dozen rules to live by, including:  (1) always carry a light, (2) anything you need can be found in the garbage and (3) always have more than one spot.

Lelia Boroughs

  
Lelia Boroughs, NBCBayArea.com photo 

Lelia Boroughs of San Francisco’s Pacific Heights was not known to many outside her community.  Neighbors said the retired nurse was a kind soul who offered to pick up people’s groceries and fed the homeless who hung around outside her apartment.  She had no family to leave her estate to.  Before she died in September at the age of 84, she told her attorney she wanted to bequeath her 525-square-foot condo to the city to convert into a homeless shelter.

Boroughs' will stated that the city could sell the condo if it wasn’t deemed a viable shelter.  This week, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors will vote on whether the sale can be cleared.  Director of San Francisco’s Department of Human Services, Trent Rhorer, said the condo would net the city’s homeless fund $400,000 to $500,000, which could help up to 150 families get into housing or help families on the verge of losing their homes to stay in them.

Veteran homeless advocates were not aware of Boroughs’ commitment to the cause. 

“I think it is a beautiful thing,” said Jennifer Friedenbach of the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness.  “I think in San Francisco, it really shows people do care about other people.”

* * *

My mother was homeless and lived in a women’s shelter for six months in the late 80s.  During the winter, her suede boots were slashed, and she was always in fear of her possessions being stolen.  She got a black eye from a resident of Irish descent she called “Rosie O’Grady”.   Believe me, she gave as good as she got.

Mom pounded the pavement and eventually found an apartment.  It was a dark time for all of us.  She suffered from mental illness, and I was in college and unable to take her in or give her money to find a home.  I wish I had known someone like Lelia Boroughs back then.

Unsung heroes are all around us.  Have you met any today?