Life is hard, and things are not getting any better.
Yes, I am out there every day trying to sell my Street Sense papers. But I have no money. I have no home. I have no life.
I am 62 years old and all alone. I am tired of life.
I was at the New York Avenue shelter. They told me about a new program to help get my homeless people housing. “What about the other program that you said you offered 10 years ago? I asked.
I’m not saying the city needs to supply housing, but they came to me! They tell you they’re going to help you, then nothing happens. They ask personal questions to make “getting housing” sound important. Can you live alone? Are you an alcoholic? Do you have disabilities? Then you hear nothing back. All this and my life still hasn’t changed.
I saw a man in our paper holding a key to his home. That gives me hope. But I wonder how far down the list I am and how many years that will turn into.
In the shelter, if you don’t answer the questions you won’t get the bed. If you do answer, you still won’t get a house. So why participate in something you know won’t amount to anything?
This is why I’m so tired of life. The people in charge give you false hope. Then they have no sympathy when it doesn’t work out. They blame YOU! They think you can do better. But they give you no way out.
