I’ve been homeless since 1999. I’ve been in and out of shelters. I have a learning disability. I suffer from paranoia and other mental health issues, which I think prevented me from obtaining my GED even though I spent two years studying for it.
I’ve been robbed, jumped on, and beaten nearly to death. Those attacks led me to fear for my life constantly. While doing that I committed a violent crime, for which I served two years in prison. I was freed in January, after which I had a job for three months. But I had to leave it because the company wanted me to work longer than eight hours a day and my physical ailments prevented me from doing that. Since then I’ve updated my resume and looked for other jobs to supplement my Street Sense income.
I still need employment help, although my experiences make it hard to trust people. And I desperately need housing help so I can stop asking “how long must I suffer for housing?”
