- [Interviewer] Debra.
- Yes.
- [Interviewer] We're here in Harrisburg.
You're homeless, tell me about it.
- Yes.
I'm here, I came up here in Harrisburg, I'm homeless.
They told me about the Health Ministries
and the health ministry,
they give you a voucher for 28 days.
Normally 28 to 30 days,
because that's how long it takes for people,
for the shelter to put you in housing.
And the health ministry, they gave me my voucher,
I was at a shelter for four months
and they refused to put me in housing
because they say that my epilepsy
with the seizures is not a priority and so they--
I signed up for the SHARP Program
and they wouldn't put me in housing for nothing.
I can't go back to Health Ministries because--
Well I have been going back,
but they don't have no shelter for me
because you need a voucher
and the voucher is to help pay for,
help for them to pay for fundings for the shelter
and they can't find no shelter for me.
So I've been out on the street for three months,
sleeping on steps and they can't find no shelter for me
and it's hard.
- [Interviewer] Now, so you got a voucher
to go into the shelter, I guess that's how
it works here. - That's in April, yes.
- [Interviewer] And they let you stay longer.
- Yes.
They let me stay, they gave me,
the voucher they extended for two weeks.
So, waiting for the SHARP Program to come in,
either the SHARP or the Rapid housing.
But the Rapid housing says,
the landlord says my income is not enough money
for their apartments.
I only get 800 and some odd dollars
and for the apartments, they want more money
than what I get for my disability check
and I don't have it.
So, they put me back on the list
and so now I'm on the streets.
So--
- [Interviewer] And that's, you know,
people think that not being able to afford rent
is a big city thing, but here it is in Harrisburg
and you can't afford to get off the streets on disability.
- On disability, yes.
Rooms are--
You call rooms and their rooms are rented out.
Other cities,
you have to be a resident for at least 90 days
or whatever to even get into a shelter
and so I'm stuck.
I am stuck.
So I just leave it in Lord's hands, that's what I do,
I do things to try not to cry about it
and I just hated myself
and I just don't wanna think about it, get depressed,
but I do what I can.
- [Interviewer] And this is no way to live?
- No.
Not at all.
Not at all and I still say,
to be living at the Shalom House for four months
and see everybody who owes rent, who owe bills
and who owe whatever,
like I said, I don't owe no rent, I don't owe no bills
and I should have been in housing
and this is not right, it's not right to me,
it's not right at all.
- [Interviewer] And because you don't drink,
- No, no.
- [Interviewer] you don't do drugs?
- No.
- [Interviewer] And you're not disabled enough,
so they don't put you in housing.
- I have a cut in my brain.
I had to get my neuro--
I had to sign a piece of paper
to get my neurologist to send it to the shelter,
because they said I could've been lying.
So my neurologist, I signed a release form
for my neurologist to send it to the shelter
and they still saying that my epilepsy is not a priority
for them to put me in housing.
- [Interviewer] Oh my gosh.
- So, I don't know what more they want from me
but there's no more that I can do to get into, you know,
so I just--
But for, as far as the Health Ministries, I be there,
they tell me, you have to be there
first thing in the morning
and I be there from 8:30.
They call, they call and then if they don't hear nothing
they tell me to come back at one
and be there from 8:30 to four,
just to hear no, we don't have no shelter for you,
it's depressing, it's depressing and so--
- [Interviewer] I'm so sorry.
- You know, it's like it rained the other night
and I thank God it didn't rain hard,
I was able to get some sleep,
but I had to sleep in the rain.
The places need to put, you know,
themselves in people's shoes.
You know. - [Interviewer] Right.
- It's just not right.
- [Interviewer] Where'd you sleep last night?
- I sleep on the steps, I sleep on the step.
I don't know nobody to go anywhere but downtown, you know,
so, I just, you know.
- [Interviewer] What would you want housed people
to know about homelessness that they probably don't know?
- Housing, they--
Somebody says they, some of those people tell me
it take a year for housing to come through for people
but it's hard living in the streets.
Now, some people, I don't know, I can't speak for them
but for me, living in the streets for a year,
I'm a 50 year old woman
and my bones hurt sleeping on them steps.
My bones hurt and my back hurt
and my head hurt.
Somebody sucker punched me in my sleep
and for no reason
and it's just like it's dangerous,
you don't know what to expect and you know.
It is some good people out here who look out for me,
when I wake up I see food in a bag
and you know, it's things they,
you know some people like to help,
you know, like to help
and pray for me and stuff like that but,
it's hard, it's hard and--
- [Interviewer] So their, you have, 'cause--
For you to qualify as homeless,
you have to be outside for a year.
- Oh, oof.
- [Interviewer] And that is crazy.
- Well see, I don't, when the shelter had put me out
and then they took me off the list,
I don't understand why they did that,
I don't understand why they did that
because there wasn't no reason why
for them to take me off the list,
because the reason why they told me
I had to wait all that time
because they had to take care of the people
who out on the street, who lived under the bridges.
Now I'm out on the street and y'all took me off the list.
They contradict, they like, it just don't make no sense,
it don't make no sense at all
and I don't understand the reason
why they did that. - [Interviewer] I'm sorry.
- You know, y'all kick me, y'all put me out
because of stupidness and then y'all said,
well you outside so we gotta take you off the list,
when y'all told me I had to wait for y'all to get in contact
with the people who live under the bridges,
who live out on their cars,
before y'all can put me into the SHARP Program
but now I'm out on the streets
and y'all take me off the list.
It's like they was playing games,
it seem like they never had the tendency,
they never wanted to put me in the housing program.
In a permanent housing program, which I needed, you know.
Where though, I pay my rent constantly.
I pay even though now I'm in the streets,
I pay my bills before I do whatever I have to do,
because that's what I have to do, I have to pay my bills.
I don't--
- [Interviewer] I'm so sorry.
It's like I do everything I can for what I do,
make my blood pressure not come up
and things that I need for me
not to cause my seizures to come back,
but it hurts my head to have people, you know, look at me
and it's just, you know,
with being a bum or anything else like that,
'cause I know I'm not a bum.
I'm a 50 year old woman who take care of herself
and take care of her bills
and always have been since I was 16
and I know what to do to take care of myself
and things that I need.
People like to try to fight you,
people like to try start argument with you
and that's why I stay to myself.
I speak to people who speak to me with respect,
but people who like to start arguments with me,
I stay away from and that's just it.
'Cause I don't have time for no fights,
I don't have time for that.
I never was like that all my life
but I will defend myself if I have to
and that's just it, I have to.
Other than that, I listen to my gospels, listen to my music
and I leave it in the Lord's hands
and that's the only thing I can do.
- [Interviewer] Debra, if you had three wishes,
what would they be?
- Ooh.
- [Interviewer] I love the smile, oh my gosh,
I got you to smile on that one.
- Well I would love, I would love to, first and foremost,
I would love to be into my home.
I would love to--
I would love for people
to treat each other with more respect, more get along,
everybody get along, that means help.
I mean, the world has gotten so, oh my goodness,
it just don't make no sense and--
You said three, I have so many.
(laughs)
- [Interviewer] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- It's hard to put it in a--
It's like, oh my goodness,
because my teeth got knocked out
because I got jumped having a seizure
and it's like, you said so many, it was like, wow.
- [Interviewer] I have bad teeth from my homelessness,
(laughs)
so I understand.
- So, it's like wow.
Wow.
I guess for--
I know one thing I do have, is that's Jesus by my side.
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
- So, I already have him no matter whether I'm doing,
you know, whether everything is going for me good or bad.
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
- So, I already have, I already have that.
- [Interviewer] Well thank you very much for talking to me,
been an honor to meet you this afternoon.
- Thank you.
Thank you, thank you very much.
(upbeat music)