Tent City Tour
Real Stories: Meet Yong
Published September 25, 2009 @ 04:00PM PT
Three months ago, Yong lost everything - including her house and all of her possessions - in a fire. To make matters worse, she did not receive the insurance money she needed to survive. She ended up homeless.
Yong's recollection of her first night homeless in Greensboro, North Carolina broke my heart. She was terrified. Today, Yong holds on the hope that she can soon move out of the woods and return to her life as it was before the fire.
While in Greensboro, I met Michele Forrest and her friend Audrie. They are part of a group that cares for the homeless in their community. They bring food, provide case management, and serve as a liaison to other homeless services in the area, such as the police.
Never forget that one person can make a huge difference in their community. Michele has, so can you.
Yong from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Real Stories: Meet Coreen
Published September 17, 2009 @ 08:53AM PT
Coreen is homeless, but she is also a survivor. I met her on her second day living in Nickelsville, Seattle's infamous tent city. Rather than stay in an abusive relationship, Coreen ran with just the clothes on her back to escape the daily beatings. I'm glad she got away, many victims of domestic violence are not so lucky.
Although the thought of being homeless was frightening to Coreen, she was happy to escape to Nickelsville. She said that her first night in the tent city was the best night's sleep she's had in over a year, because she now feels safe.
Now if only we could give all of the residents of Nickelsville the peace of having a 'safe ground' of their own.
Coreen from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Real Stories: Meet Ed
Published September 14, 2009 @ 01:13PM PT
Ed lived under a bridge before moving to his makeshift "apartment" in a Nashville wooded area. While his current living arrangement isn't ideal, it is impressive. If nothing else, it proves that some people can make the best of a bad situation. Still, Ed looks forward to someday having a real apartment with a real light switch on the wall.
And as for his outdoor apartment? He says he'll give it to someone else in need.
Ed from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Real Stories: Meet Debbie
Published September 12, 2009 @ 09:16AM PT
Debbie lives in a tent in a wooded area in Nashville, Tennessee. I met her the week of her 55th birthday.
Sadly, Debbie says she is not new to homelessness. She loves Nashville because she has spent most of her life here, but said she cannot finding housing she can afford.
She just wishes she had someplace safe to live.
Debbie from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Real Stories: Meet Angela
Published September 08, 2009 @ 08:34PM PT
Since last year, I have been documenting the stories of the homeless. For the past months, I have traveled from coast-to-coast talking to people living in the streets, in shelters, in weekly-rate hotels, and under bridges.
Nearly one hundred interviews (and thousands of pairs of donated socks) later, my perspective on homelessness has changed dramatically. For me, Angela's story resonated. For you, it might be Willy or Drew or Donna's story that strikes a chord.
But regardless of how you get the message, I hope you get the message.
Homelessness is a complex problem. Although everyone has a different story and different reasons for being homeless, there are similarities in these stories. Although these videos are not often about solutions to homelessness, I hope one thing has become clear: if we want to solve homelessness, we need to stop focusing on band-aid solutions.
As advocates from coast to coast have screamed and shouted for years, it's okay to feed people in the park, but we have to focus on getting them out of the park and into safe, decent, and affordable housing.
Please watch this short video. If it affects you, do something. Embed it video on your blog, send a link to all your friends, do whatever it takes to help keep people like Angela from dying under a bridge in America.
Angela from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Real Stories: Meet Vickie
Published September 06, 2009 @ 05:57AM PT
For four hard months, Vickie has been living under a bridge. She says that there are lots of rats and ants, yet this is where they now call home. She ended up on the streets as a direct result of the recession; Vickie's boyfriend lost his job and their ability to pay rent.
When I asked Vickie about sleeping on the rocks, she showed me how she uses her clothes as padding to make a bed. That really broke my heart. People should not have to live like this.
Vickie said she hoped she'd find a place to live this week. I hope so too. A bridge is not an appropriate roof for anyone.
Vickie from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
Photo by the author.
Real Stories: Meet Vickie
Published September 04, 2009 @ 05:32PM PT
For four hard months, Vickie has been living under a bridge. She says that there are lots of rats and ants, yet this is where they now call home. She ended up on the streets as a direct result of the recession; Vickie's boyfriend lost his job and their ability to pay rent.
When I asked Vickie about sleeping on the rocks, she showed me how she uses her clothes as padding to make a bed. That really broke my heart. People should not have to live like this.
Vickie said she hoped she'd find a place to live this week. I hope so too. A bridge is not an appropriate roof for anyone.
Vickie from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.
