- [Interviewer] Reset.
You're homeless
here
in Oceanside
and you're disabled
and you're currently
in a faith-based
emergency shelter program.
- [Woman] Correct.
- [Interviewer] But that's not gonna last long
because
- [Woman] I'm not religious.
So they
were very promising
in the very beginning
that they promised they were going to get me
indoor transitional shelter,
a voucher program.
And when they figured out
really how difficult it is to
find someone's shelter
for a physically disabled person
they started pushing other options on me.
And she had made the call
that I had called
and found the exact same answers that I got.
And then she started asking me about faith-based.
And I was very polite
and I said, I have no problem with it
as long as I don't have to participate
because it's not my religion.
I'm atheist.
And that's when things really
took the downturn.
She was very condescending.
And
- [Interviewer] She meaning a case manager?
- [Woman] Case manager
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
- [Woman] Yes.
And I went from being
somebody who's being told
that I am now considered low priority and difficult.
- [Interviewer] But,
So if you don't go
to the forced Bubba Bible studies
then you're exited back to the streets.
- [Woman] To the streets, yes.
- [Interviewer] And you're in a walker
because you have trouble walking.
- [Woman] Yeah.
- [Interviewer] Dis disabled.
- [Woman] Correct.
- [Interviewer] Were you ever street homeless?
- [Woman] No, thank goodness.
I do have a vehicle at the moment.
It unfortunately gonna be repossessed
at some point in time.
I'm gonna start playing keep away
so I can keep sleeping in it
until I hopefully get my disability.
(airplane overhead)
And then my hope is
that I can find some kind of van
just so that's likable
because sexual assault homeless women is,
it's on the rise.
And then I will just start
piecing my life together myself.
'Cuz I just say now that
none of these homeless agencies
or the government is going to help me
- [Interviewer] Now.
So you are a vehicle resident,
mobile homeless.
How long were you in your car, or your
- [Woman] I actually
bought my car specifically to
have someplace to sleep.
I was in a school,
a bus, and I was working full-time.
Great job.
You know, working virtual.
I was actually on my way
to a,
what's called a work camping job
where you work in exchange
for a place for, for the season.
When I pulled over
and I got up to move something
and the bus rolled downhill
hit a tree and I flew out the windshield
and
that happened
the water pipe broke in my bus
and destroyed everything
that wasn't on a shelf.
- [Interviewer] And you
- [Woman] And me.
(laughing)
- [Interviewer] And So you were the worst hurt?
- [Woman] I was the worst hurt, yeah.
I lost pretty much
95% of everything I owned
and you know a lot of it
I had to give away
'cause I couldn't take with me
that didn't fit in the suitcase.
And I've been fighting ever since then.
Literally just to live and get my life back.
- [Interviewer] A lawyer,
a mutual friend,
lawyer is who first connected us.
Well I think you were following
me on Twitter or something.
- [Woman] Mm-Hm
- [Interviewer] We had some interactions,
but it was a, a mutual friend.
So
were you
had any issues with the criminalization?
- [Woman] Not yet,
but I know I will.
It it's just a matter of time,
you know, in San Diego
and with all the homeless
that's gonna be swept outta San Diego
it's it's gonna happen.
- [Interviewer] They gotta go someplace else.
- [Woman] But yeah.
- [Interviewer] And, and, and our mutual friend
said, you know what was important
of your story was how shelters
are not set up for people with disabilities.
- [Woman] They're, they're, they're really not.
I honestly have called 70 places now
and I have been told no every time
either because there's no openings
they don't take physically disabled
or I don't qualify
because I'm not a drug addict
fleeing domestic violence
or severely mentally ill.
- [Interviewer] Oh my gosh.
- [Woman] And I don't want to say
I'm severely mentally ill
because I hoping one day
after tons of physical therapy
I can go back to work.
And if I have drug addict or mental ill,
you know, severe mental illness on my record
it takes me out of a certain job markets
like financial, government, compliance,
if any of that is on a federal background check,
I won't get those jobs.
- [Interviewer] Right.
- [Woman] And that's where the money is.
- [Interviewer] So you wanna work,
just need a stable place where
- [Woman] I can heal.(chuckles)
- [Interviewer] Where you can heal
both from all this trauma.
- [Woman] Yeah. Physically and definitely
and absolutely emotional
- [Interviewer] When you're exited from
the
faith-based shelter,
a rescue mission.
So,
what are you gonna do?
- [Woman] Sleep in my
sleep in the back of my car
and
(helicopter flying by)
literally wait and hope.
Literally not even though,
even though I'm not religious.
Literally pray that
the police doesn't knock on my door.
I I won't survive.
I will not survive in a tent.
Literally.
- [Interviewer] And you,
are you getting disability?
- [Woman] Not yet.
I'm applying for it. I it looks
- [Interviewer] And that could take years.
- [Woman] Hopefully not. (chuckles)
- [Interviewer] Well, there's a large percentage
that actually
just get
turned down the first time.
- [Woman] Yeah.
- [Interviewer] And it's, you know
people who are desperately in, in need.
- [Woman] Yeah.
- [Interviewer] Because they can't work
and you know, anyways
- [Woman] My, my doctors have all said
they're going to say
that I should be on disability.
So I I I do have high hopes.
Higher.
- [Interviewer] Well you, you have to,
you have to hold on to at least hope
- [Woman] That right now
is literally all I have.
- [Interviewer] So what would you want people
to know about homelessness?
Because people normally think
homelessness is that guy
with the cardboard sign,
panhandling on the corner
and here you are.
- [Woman] I was like them.
I I honestly was,
I had the good job.
I had the home.
I, I was just like everyone who is housed,
beautiful life, beautiful job
beautiful everything
and insurance company screwed me over.
And every single thing that I have done
I have run into nothing but obstacles.
I have literally begged for help.
I have emailed and called my representatives
mayors and other cities.
I have done everything humanly possible
within, within my reach
to do something.
It's not us,
it's not us homeless.
We are what you see.
They make great news,
but it's not all of us
don't punish us
because of that small majority you see.
And those people were broken.
- [Interviewer] That's Right.
- [Woman] Those, there's been times where
I have honestly thought about
grabbing a bottle and saying
screw it, you know, it's easier.
And I don't, I don't know how I haven't,
but I haven't.
But I understand how they got there.
- [Interviewer] Right, that's what people don't know
is that, you know
or I think they know.
They just don't want to accept that,
you know people abuse drugs or alcohol
because they escaping pain
and homelessness has so much trauma
- [Woman] it's easier.
- [Interviewer] and pain.
Oh my gosh.
- [Woman] Yeah, we really are not to blame.
We, we are, we are doing our part.
It's the homeless agencies and
and the politicians who are not.
And I'm, I'm begging people to please demand change.
- [Interviewer] Yeah,
If you had three wishes, what would they be?
- [Woman] (chuckles) RV, doctors to help me heal.
And a really good recruiter
to get me a really good job again. (chuckles)
- [Interviewer] Well, thank you very much
for talking to me.
- [Woman] Thank you.