Look familiar? If you've been to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, PA, recently, it's likely that you've seen John before. You might have even come face-to-face with him at a red light, swerved out of his way as he trekked up and down the middle lane of the highway adjacent to the train station. If recognition has hit, have you ever caught yourself letting your eyes trail after his retreating form and wondering, "What's his story?" Now's your chance.
When I met Derrick, he wasnt homeless. Even though I wrongly profiled him, and regretted doing so, he told me that I shouldn't and that he glad that I did. Derrick said that that's how he see's the good in people, when they have an immediate impulse to help others. Derrick had been homeless for 15 years of his life, and he's seen how people are taught to think with their head first, instead of their heart, and that's a stigma. A stigma against people like him.
Due to the continuing nationwide pandemic, outreach for Naming the Homeless has been stalled due to health concerns. Although we haven't been able to conduct interviews for new content, we never stopped spreading awareness. Next month on NamingtheHomeless.com, we will be featuring never before seen interviews from our archives that relate to present day social issues. Thank you for sticking around and continuing to name the homeless with us, one story at a time.
My first experience with a homeless person was being told not to talk to them. Not because they didn't want me to, but I wanted to give the young girl my silver dollar and they were trying to teach me not to hand out money. Eventually they gave in, having no idea how this moment would influence me in the future. Keep reading to learn about my first experience with a homeless person.
Edwardo, originally from Detroit, has been homeless for half his life. Now 45, he's traveled the country looking for a better opportunity. Traveling is a lifelong goal for some, but Edwardo feels like he leaves a piece of himself behind with each move. The homeless account for some of America's most vulnerable and overlooked citizens. This is especially true during the COVID-19. Edwardo's search for a better opportunity, and daily survival, comes with the risk of losing his life.
More than one quarter of Philadelphia residents, roughly 400,000 people, live below the poverty line. These are people that are one paycheck, one sick day, one more eviction notice away from becoming homeless. As of January 2018, 1,083 people live on the streets, according to city data. Each of these people has their own reason for finding themselves on the streets, yet a stigma has developed over the years that blames the homeless for their situation. It’s important to remember that each person has a story, and you’ll never know what it is without asking taking the time to ask the right questions.
Michael has been homeless for about a year now, and the thing that he struggles with most is the way that he is treated by those around him. He now feels a disconnect from society, which he feels only adds to his disadvantages that homelessness causes. "Honestly, I wouldn't even get into words with that because, it just wouldn't be right," he said. "The words I've got for it are just mean words, because I hate that, I hate the way that they treat people." There are many things that Michael wishes he could change about his situation, one of the most pressing issues being the way that he is perceived by others. "Help one person at a time. Anything helps, it doesn't even matter. Food, anything, that helps. It helps a lot," he said. "And you can't help everybody, but you can help someone." Watch his full story here:
From the very beginning of this journey, our community has been extremely supportive of Naming the Homeless. With that being said, I couldn't do this project without the help of all of you guys. The amount of support that we have received from our community is absolutely overwhelming and something that I am grateful for every day.
This article was originally written in fall of 2018. People are sprawled ideally along street corners all across the United States of America, limbs stretching into the sidewalk in a manner that begs for attention. Their meager possessions are littered around them. Many of these static individuals have tattered cardboard displays at their feet, a... Continue Reading →
After graduating high school with a seventh grade education due to a learning disability, Turhan has worked his entire adult life to support himself--until now. "Labor is my only skill," he said, "if I can't lift anything, I can't work." At age 49, he developed an inguinal hernia that caused him constant pain and left him out of work and, because it's technically not an injury that he sustained while on the job, he never received workers' compensation. "That really hurt my feelings," Turhan said, "I'm a loyal employee, I put everything into my work because it's all I have... I couldn't understand why they wouldn't help me." Unable to work and with no other source of income, Turhan turned to the streets, where everyday is a battle with depression for him. "I don't want to hurt myself--I want to recover," Turhan said. Read more to find out what happens next.
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