Unemployed and houseless

Alpha Plasma Center, sleeping in Balboa Park, camping in Mission Valley’s riverbed, how homeless spend Thanksgiving

Author

By Various Authors

Publish Date

Oct. 15, 2016

Commercial Street homeless, from left to right: Ozzie, J. Kakei, David Clinton Reed, Matthew Castel. Reed: "This is my family here. The homeless people are my family. That's why we're all together, and we all stick up for each other."

What Do I Have to Be Thankful For?

Reed: "I have no plans for Thanksgiving. Just be with good friends, like my family here and with Sister Winnie and St. Vincent's and the Salvation Army."

Kakei: "Sister Winnie is over at 16th and Island. She's very good. Horizon is the best one for Thanksgiving. You get showers, you get clothes, You also get an eye test and a glaucoma check. They have doctors — they have everything. It's in Clairemont."

By Robert Kumpel, Nov 22, 2000 | Read full article

Firefighters under I-5 bridge. "Not only do the homeless fill it with debris, but the taggers leave their cans around and the paint goes into the river."

They Make Their Home by the River

The Mission Valley Preserve is one of the most beautiful areas in San Diego. It also is one of the ugliest and that is part of the problem. It has native plants, like cottonwoods and willows; and invasive exotics like Arundo donax, salt cedar and palms. It has giant blue heron, Least Bell’s vireos, yellow warblers and feral cats and stray dogs. The river has largemouth bass and green sunfish and - shopping carts and Styrofoam containers.

Houseless

“I had a business that was failing to support me, and I could not bring myself to let it go. I had to sell everything I own — microwave, childhood toys, guitars, all of my CDs, 99 percent of everything I owned — just to keep it going. I finally walked away. I could not stand the pressure. Digging my food out of a Dumpster or getting lunch and a sermon is so much better than working like a dog.”

By Doug DuBrul, June 22, 2000 | Read full article

Though Rat, Painter, and Wyoming would rather panhandle for money, they have been donors there off and on for months. (David Diaz)

Blood Brothers

It wasn’t long before the owner of the radiator shop discovered that Rat had been sleeping in the van. But when the man saw Rat’s beat-up face and how sick he was, he agreed to let Rat sleep there. Rat has a certain way about him that makes people like the shop owner want to help him out. Besides his blond, youthful appearance, he has an eager sincerity, like the perfect soldier he once was.

By Steve Sorensen, Dec. 23, 1987 | Read full article

Suicide bridge, near El Prado. Al grabs the scruff of my neck and shoves my head far over the railing. The view below seems to drop straight down to Hades. (Robert Burroughs)

Labyrinth of the Radiant City

He's got hold of my bag. He’s trying to yank me into the bushes. “What do you want?” I scream. He grips my bag. A tug-of-war begins. “What do you want?” It’s obvious what he wants, stupid. He gets two hands on the strap, pulls harder. “Let go! Let go!” I yank with all I have, and the contents of my bag spill to the sidewalk. The man releases the strap and scuttles behind the bushes.

By David Rioux, June 3, 1993 | Read full article