Interviews
Real Stories: Meet Robert
Published June 15, 2009 @ 11:03AM PT
When Robert and his wife moved away from Las Vegas in search of a better life, they never thought they'd end up homeless in LA's notorious Skid Row district. But that's exactly where they are today.
Rather than stay in shelters or an SRO (single room occupancy hotel), Robert and his wife choose to stay outside on the streets. Shelters, he said, separate men and women, and SRO's are downright nasty (he's right; I know from experience!). Furthermore, the hotels that accept welfare vouchers tend to attract crime, drugs, sex offenders, parolees, and gangs.
The day we met it was his wife's birthday, but they weren't celebrating. They were spending the day waiting in line for services at a homeless drop in center.I don't have words for to describe Skid Row. Los Angeles' police chief called Skid Row the worst social disaster in America. To me, this is the most accurate depiction of Skid Row. Please take a moment to watch the first and fifth video. They're short, but very powerful.
Can this really be America?
Robert from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Photo credit: Wm. Marc Salsberry
Real Stories: Meet Janine
Published June 10, 2009 @ 11:43AM PT
Some people backpack for fun. They consider carrying all of their food and belongings in extreme heat with no running water or facilities a sport. But for millions of Americans living without permanent home, this lifestyle is a never-ending nightmare.
When I met Janine one month ago, she was living in one of Sacramento's now infamous tent cities. She works as a gardener, but does not earn enough income to afford or sustain permanent housing. She says she cannot stay in area homeless shelters because there are not enough beds to meet the demand. Janine has been closely involved in the debacle surrounding Sacramento's tent city. She even spoke about the issue to city council.
Even still, her efforts to improve her situation didn't matter the morning we met. The day I met Janine, tent city residents were told that if they didn't pack their things and leave, they would be arrested. She had saved up enough money to put her belongings in storage, but still did not know where she is going to spend the night. Needless to say, on that dark day, she said her future looked grim.
One of Janine's wishes was for everyone to be on "safe ground," a term used to describe a proposed location for where the homeless can camp legally with access to basic needs. I still hope her wish comes true.
Janine from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Real Stories: Meet Joanne
Published June 04, 2009 @ 12:53PM PT
I found Joanna via Twitter. I was contacted asking for help moving a homeless woman's belongings into storage. I documented the story within the story and the crisis that happened behind the scenes on Whrrl. (Please take a moment to view it and send to a friend. It's an important story people need to be familiar with when working with people living on the streets.)
Joanna's story is powerful... and common. Thirty days ago, she was "kicked to the curb" (literally) by sheriffs carried out foreclosure orders. Since then, she's been living on the streets with all of her wordly possessions.
Sadly, Joanna is not new to this predicament. She has been in and out of homeless for nearly 20 years. She wants to work, but claims she is "financially and physically disabled," she says she has a PhD in homelessness.
This interview was not easy for me; it hit really close to home. But she shares some valuable insights, the most important being that homeless people are exactly that... people.
I hope you watch all the way through, her closing sentence blows me away!
Joanne from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Homeless Experts Sound Off
Published June 03, 2009 @ 04:00AM PT
Whether you're a policy buff or someone who has survived on the streets, you are an expert on homelessness. Thoughtful policy based on research is absolutely necessary for informing the way resources are directed towards ending homelessness. But at the same time, nobody knows more about surviving on the streets or living on a meager paycheck than someone who has experienced it. Voices from both perspectives play an important role in the conversation about homelessness and how to best address this issue.
So today, I'm happy to share two interviews with two homelessness experts. One survived for years under a highway overpass in New York City. He recently wrote a book chronicling his experiences. The other happens to be a member of President Obama's cabinet.
Both are experts in their own right. Both have important things to say.
First up: Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Shaun Donovan, in an interview conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Here's an excerpt:
NAEH: Where do you draw your inspiration?
SD: As an eleven year old, I was sitting in Yankee Stadium during Game 2 of the 1977 World Series when Howard Cosell's uttered his famous words: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning." The Bronx burning on the city skyline was just one of the many visible signs that government institutions and urban programs were failing. People were asking if our cities were dead, and American families moved out of urban cores to the suburbs in record numbers. It was a frightening and eye-opening time to live in New York. But it was a time that also sparked a deep interest in me, an interest in how I could play a part in changing the policies that shaped the urban landscape and the built environment around me. I remember very vividly walking on my way to school in the morning and seeing people sleeping on the streets. I remember constantly asking myself why. Why was the world like this? And what can I do to change it?
Read the entire interview here.
Next, meet Cadillac Man. After the loss of his job and the breakdown of his marriage, he wound up on the streets of New York City. For 15 years, he survived by staying in shelters and collecting cans and bottles. His memoir, Land of the Lost Souls, was released in March. Here's an excerpt from his interview with The Morning News:
TMN: What's one thing the average person could do to help the situation of homeless people?
CM: By donations to soup kitchens, clothing donations, anywhere where the finances go more directly to the clients. Too much goes toward administrative costs and other hidden agendas. Also, the public could be better educated about who we are and why we are here. They often believe they live far removed from our way of life, but in fact they do not. Losing everything could happen to anyone at any time.
Read the rest here.
I don't know about you, but I'd like these two to meet someday.
Real Stories: Meet Steve
Published May 29, 2009 @ 04:46PM PT
It might seem silly to you, but Steve agreed to an interview on one condition: He needed me to watch his shopping cart while he ran behind a building to relieve himself. I was honored. A homeless person's shopping cart contains their entire world. Steve was saying he trusted me.
My honor was short-lived. Homelessness and "pushing a buggy" are not new to me. I have even written about my own experience pushing my life in a shopping cart. When Steve left me alone with that buggy, I was not expecting the swell of emotions that came with it. Cars drove by, and people gawked. I felt the shame and public humiliation all over again. It was a horrible experience!
But it is a part of Steve's daily life.
Most inner-cities feature the stark contrast of wealth and poverty, and Hollywood is no different. Famous television shows are taped feet away from where this interview takes place. Ironically, Steve came to Los Angeles to sell a screenplay. But like so many others, he found Hollywood to be the boulevard of broken dreams.
Steve's day starts by pushing a shopping cart in search of aluminum cans, plastic bottles and glass. He spends the money on beer and cigarettes while eating entirely out of trash dumpsters.
To put it mildly, Steve is a character. I really enjoyed our conversation, and I think you will, too. He says he is on the streets because he is a tough romantic who still holds on to his dream. And after our interview, I believe him. What do you think?
Steve from invisiblepeople.tv on Vimeo.
Real Stories: Meet Ray
Published May 19, 2009 @ 09:31AM PT
Ray lives in a tent. He walks miles each day for food and water. His government assistance check is not enough to cover housing, never mind his other costs of living. He struggles everyday to stay safe and survive these deplorable and unsanitary living conditions.
If you think this sounds like a third-world country, you're not too far off. During my two days visiting Sacramento's infamous tent cities I could not shake the feeling that I had somehow transported to Kenya or Southern Sudan, where people walk for days just to get water and the living conditions are paltry. It boggles my mind that peopleare forced to live like this in the richest country in the world.Ray is intelligent and articulate. There is a slight audio glitch in this video, but Ray's narrative of what has happened in Sacramento and how he survives homelessness is so insightful I had to post it. In this video Ray says that the location of their tent city is safe. But when I visited just the following day, everyone was told to move or be arrested.
I still cannot shake the feeling that what I experienced in Sacramento is the future of America's middleclass. That said, may we never accept tent cities as "normal." There is nothing normal about the lives Ray and countless others are being forced to live.
Ray from invisiblepeople.tv on Vimeo.
Real Stories: Meet David, Tish, and Natasha
Published May 11, 2009 @ 10:46AM PT
Having been homeless myself (and facing the possibility again today), I still cannot fathom the challenges of raising a family in a shelter. Yet, families are the fastest growing homeless population.
One of the most heartbreaking memories from my trip to the Prado Day Center was meeting David, Tish, and their 15-month old baby Natasha. All morning I watched David carry his daughter around the day shelter; I don't believe I saw her feet touch the ground once.
See, David doesn't just love his daughter, he is fiercely protective of her. He told me, "We don't have any place like home to go to, so we make the best of what we have and the services that are offered here."
David worked as a cook for 20 years but cannot find work. Their goal is to become a financially independent family and to have a place of their own. They try their best to stay positive about their situation and their future. Tish says, "We're homeless; we are not less human." They both want society to know homelessness is not a disease.
Truth is, most of us are only one paycheck away from being in their situation. There is someone you know that has lost their job and is living in crisis. You may not be able to pay their mortgage, but you can help them forget their crisis at least long enough for a dinner and a movie. Please- after watching this short video- take real, tangible action to help someone in need.
