American Homeless Diaries

Фото: Depositphotos

Edition Esquire collected blogs of American homeless people who keep their Internet diaries, sitting at train stations, in an internet cafe or just on the street.

Author: VIEW-SIDEWALK, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA (lost his job at a large advertising agency and ended up on the street with his wife and three children when his house was selected due to non-payment of a mortgage loan).

Outdoor Day: 1

An eviction notice arrived - it’s good that they didn’t hook it on the front door. Our house will be transferred to the property of the lender. Exactly one week to nine in the morning we need to vacate the premises, after which the bailiffs will hang the lock on the door. The rest of the time, we puzzled over where we would stick, and at the same time tried to maintain the usual routine of the day so that the children would not be too nervous. At the same time, I still have to attend the last days to work in a department store. And children, of course, need to continue to go to school.

Outdoor Day: 7

We have a rented truck and a rented place in the warehouse, and the cat has new owners. All items, with the exception of everyday necessities, will be loaded into the truck and taken to the warehouse. In the camp went all yesterday, then evening, then night. At some point I took a break to watch the next episode “Lost". By three in the morning, about 97% of our lives were packed in a truck. For the remaining 3%, we no longer had the strength, and we went to sleep. I slept badly, and in 6: 15 in the morning I was already up. I let the family sleep for another hour, but in 7: 15 we were all already absorbed in packing, dragging and stuffing. I count the minutes: 7: 25, 7: 45, 7: 55, 8: 10, 8: 25, 8: 35 ...

Outdoor Day: 18

We spent this week in a hotel, but we can no longer afford to stay there. Having called various agencies, we entered the service, which settles the homeless in churches and secular communes. It works like this: in the evening we are sent to spend the night in some church, which agreed to shelter the homeless, and after a week another one comes to replace it. The circuit works 12 weeks, after which it will be necessary to look for other options.

Outdoor Day: 26

Some are surprised that I spend time on a blog instead of looking for housing. But I do both. As all bloggers know, this exercise does not take too much time. For most of the day, I’m in fact going to doorsteps of people and organizations that can help. Do not worry: my family and my affairs are always in priority. Do any of you really work 24 an hour a day?

Outdoor Day: 26

I noticed from my bus window my sister in misfortune on the corner of West Wendover and Bridgford Parkway. She had her back to me, but by the way she looked at passing cars, it was clear that she was not just a pedestrian who was going to cross the street. In her hands is a piece of cardboard - on which, probably, something is written like: “Hungry. Homeless God save you. ” What a huge difference between us! She passively collects alms at the crossroads, raking insults and curses. I travel by public transport, and not somewhere, but to work, which, although it pays half a penny, but at least on a clearly defined day of the month. But most importantly, I break the stereotype that it only feeds: that homeless life is a personal choice of people who prefer to stand with an outstretched hand instead of working. It is not for me, of course, to judge this woman. One thing is clear: holding this piece of paper in her hands, she does a disservice to me and other homeless people.

Фото: Depositphotos

Author: HOMELESSFAMILY, Jacksonville, Florida, USA (after his house was taken away by creditors, he lived in shelters with his wife and children of school age).

Outdoor Day: 5

I finally got back part of the taxes for the period that I was not working. They took a hotel room with this money, which will give us a break and an opportunity to properly prepare for a homeless life.

Outdoor Day: 18

It's time to leave. Last night went to Walmart, bought a mosquito repellent, a tent, sleeping bags, toiletries and a trolley. They put in order a first-aid kit, put the children in the suitcases of their toys.

Outdoor Day: 18

We walked in the evening with my son and noticed a woman who had arranged a noise in the queue for dinners a week ago. In a black dress, in heels, she came out of one of the cheap hotels near the doss house. She looked so that there was no doubt about what she was doing there. As in the fact that she has big problems. I explained to her son her situation and made him understand that she was suffering primarily because of the irresponsibility and inhumanity of men. He offered him to compare my strong relationship with his wife over the past 15 years with the way her husband and friends probably did to that woman. The son silently nodded his head. In a sense, our homeless life gives him a view from the inside, which most of his peers will not have ...

Outdoor Day: 55

Copied warnings from the police were brought to the doss house. It turned out that one of the local guys recently served time for rape. Well, what can you do ... In any case, I think that it’s really worth being afraid of those about whom the police know nothing at all.

Outdoor Day: 261

From dinners to homeless people get fatter. Carbohydrates - the biggest problem, sometimes the whole plate only of them consists. This is a way to survive, but it can be fatal: diabetes is increasingly found in the homeless. A sad and frequent sight: the homeless traded for things sweet or fruit - and immediately sent to his mouth.

Author: POETCHARLES, San Francisco, USA (for many years living on the street and in shelters; a fighter for the rights of homeless people; has accounts for Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. Moderates an online forum for the homeless on Yahoo.com).

Outdoor Day: 802

He was at the mayor’s office at the meeting “How best to spend 8 million bucks on the needs of (semi-) homeless families.” For the first time in two years, the feeling that things are moving. How to build a city in which everyone could live like a human being?

Outdoor Day: 807

Story about me in Wall Street Journal (an article about the Internet habits of homeless people, published in the spring of 2009) did not really change my life. I’m still trying to survive, and my body is poisoned by the exhaust from passing cars. I don’t sleep on the sidewalks anymore: I’m afraid I’ll get arrested. I think it’s best to live in some abandoned house, all you have to do is find one. Higher city officials know about me and say: “Great story!” - and they move on, and I have to live with it.

Outdoor Day: 923

The cafe, from which I go to the Internet, does not allow me to use their toilet. Perhaps I will not buy anything from them anymore.

Фото: Depositphotos

Author: HOMELESSGUY, Nashville, Tennessee, USA (was homeless for more than 13 years, during which he lived in his car, spent the night in the street and in shelters; since 2008 has lived in a mini-apartment provided by a charity project; organized a newspaper publication for homeless; suffers from depression and social phobia; blog of the year 2002, donations through which are its main source of income).

Outdoor Day: 3498

The homeless and alone are not very calm people, and even when they get together ... Many of them do not know how to behave at all, and this is one of the reasons why I have few homeless friends. But they, of course, can be understood. Usually, a homeless person, before being on the street, exhausted all channels of assistance, including parents, relatives and friends. And now, when the help of loved ones did not help, the latter feel that they have spent their forces on him in vain, are disappointed in him and are moving away. So, having lost a house, in return a person acquires a load of guilt and personal grievances. And expresses them to society with its swine behavior.

Outdoor Day: 3810

They say that “only one or two salaries separate millions from homelessness”. What is this nonsense! There are lots of things you can do to not lose your home; not to mention that lenders and apartment owners are legally obligated to give you a few months before they send bailiffs to seal your door. But imagine a person who believes in this tale. Take the average American - let's call him James. James lives not rich, but with dignity. There is no luxury in his small apartment, but there is a TV, a tape recorder, books. He works full-time, but after he paid his bills and went to the supermarket, there is not much left on his hands. So he is looking forward to seeing his friend Kevin come to him and bring him a beer. James is not doing well at work, and at some point his chief, with great regret, puts him out of the door. James first calls the landlord and explains the situation. The owner (for a small fine) gives him a respite for a couple of weeks. Payment day is right, but James never found a job. And then, receipts for utilities are starting to arrive in the mailbox. James does not usually go to church, but then he looks at the light of the Presbyterians, who believe his stories and agree to pay his gas bill. They also give him the address of the charity kitchen, which will give him a set of products for two weeks in advance. But these two weeks also pass, but there is still no work. James tries not to catch the eye of the landlord and calls to another church. Those can not help, but give him the phone of the social department in the city hall. After spending three hours in the queue, James gets an appointment with a social worker - a complete black woman who has heard all this more than once, but is nevertheless surprised to see a well-groomed white guy in his office. The state will pay James the rent for this month. All this running is given to James is not easy, and by this time he was already depressed - why it is becoming more and more difficult to find work. And then the next month came up, and again you have to pay the bills. There are several hundred churches in the city, but James no longer has the strength to call them all and ask for God's help. Instead, he calls a friend, Kevin, who bills the bill bluntly, and even lends a few bucks to groceries. James still doesn’t have a job, even a temporary one, he has nothing to pay for the apartment again, and now James finds an eviction notice in the mailbox. Kevin, who was already in this situation, reassures James that for at least another three months he has no right to take him outside. James is now a regular guest in the charity kitchen, and all the churches in the county know his situation. Pastors are worried because he looks a little untidy. James search for work and stopped altogether. After three months, the sheriff is ringing the door: James has an 24 hour to vacate the premises. James hides the last can of beer and calls Kevin. Kevin agrees to let him sit on his couch, but they will divide the rent in half in half. But James is afraid that he will never have money for this. Fear is made unbearable, depression is growing, it seems to him that he has no other choice.

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