*** Tell me about your childhood?
I was born and raised in ___ Florida. I grew up in ____. I became homeless probably about 9-10 months ago. I lived with my mom and dad. Me and (two other people) have known each for years. Me and ___ got involved with each other. We are now married. My family does not accept him, does not like him. Does not even know that we are married. I have two beautiful children. Fixing to become a grandmother. My kids do not know that I am homeless. I would never let them find out.
*** How did you become homeless?
I lost my job in 2009. Couldn’t afford to pay my bills. So, I have been living on the streets ever since.
*** Why wouldn’t you tell you children?
I have given my children everything that they need and I still do if I can. I wouldn’t want to hurt them like that.
*** You don’t think they would want to help?
My son just turned 19, my daughter just turned 24 years old, fixin to have her second child. I don’t want to stress my kids out any more than they are. My son has a (medical problem), is happily engaged.
*** You feel like you are protecting them?
I am protecting them and I will. I do a lot of work through the labor pool. They send me to work every now and then. So the money that I make I use to put gas in the car, buy what I need. I still keep in touch with my kids. So, they think that I’m okay.
*** They do not know where you are living?
No. My son is in college, in ____. My daughter lives in ____. (This shocked me. I know the small town very well.) With her wonderful husband. They just bought a house. So in order to protect my children I prefer them to not know anything.
*** What is your educational background?
I have gone through 12th grade and I’ve been to college for nursing.
*** Do you want to go back?
Yes. I will once I can come up with some money to. I dropped out in my second year.
*** What brought you here? (to the shelter)
I have been coming to (the shelter) probably for months now and wonderful people. They help us out a lot. I really thank the Lord for them.
*** How soon do you think you’ll get back to nursing school?
Well, if everything goes right hopefully in about 3 months. If everything goes right as I plan, 3 to 4 months I’ll go back.
*** Do you ever think you’ll tell your children?
Eventually. My kids will know but I want to make sure before they find out anything that I’m in my own home and I will invite them over to a wonderful dinner and I will sit down and tell them. It’s hard.
*** What would you have done differently? Do you think you could have prevented this?
I could have prevented this. When I fell in love with ___ and we all lived together, um, all of us were unemployed. I should have been more responsible and continued to try to work instead of following my heart and following him. (Her children nor her parents accepted her husband). I should have done what I needed to do. Nobody liked him. Nobody knows about him but me.
*** Do you attend church anywhere?
Yes. (a local church)
*** They help? They know that you are homeless?
Yes. Well, no, they do not know I am homeless but they are wonderful people.
*** Tell me about a typical day.
Well, I get up in the morning and I make my coffee. I sit down and have a cup of coffee, sweep, take care of the animals. Clean up around the camp. Sit back and think about things that we could do, look for work. Find fire wood to burn in the pit. Just an ordinary day. Make lunch, dinner, go to bed at night, start all over again the next day.
*** Who is your community?
Right now we are on the East side. Wherever we can find a place to lay our heads to keep from getting run out of camp. We move from camp to camp, stay in the car.
*** Do you know others where you can help each other out?
We don’t socialize with very many people. We are quiet people. Stay to ourselves. But like I said we come here every week and we will continue to do that as long as the good Lord will provide us to.
*** Do you blame anybody?
No. If I had anyone to blame to be homeless it would have been myself because I could have prevented it. So, nobody is at fault but myself.
*** Do you see a lot of mental health, drugs, alcohol, that sort of thing on the street?
From being homeless? Yeah, there is a lot of it out there. I choose not to do it. I don’t do it.
*** Do you feel safe?
Yeah.
*** Just because you have a man around...
Only the good Lord gets me through from day to day. He will always be my protector. No sense in stressing over something.
*** Any additional comments?
I can tell you this. If you can prevent from doing, preventing the mistakes we have made, think about it. Because there are a lot of hard things out there. You wish you could have a shower every day, you wish you could do this, and everything is taken away from you when you become homeless and it hurts.
(She is not angry even though it’s been hard. She says once she gets out of the woods she would turn around and help those still in the woods.)
No comments:
Post a Comment