- [Host] Gina.
- Yes.
- We're in Philadelphia, you're out here homeless.
Tell me about it.
- I became homeless in 2010.
First I was in Delaware.
And then I arrived here in Philly when
we had Occupy Philly.
I started staying here, and I stayed in a tent here,
but I stayed out here for seven years.
Now I'm in a place, it's called ODAAT.
It's one day at a time.
It's a shelter.
It's nothing really in there
that's being proud of to being there
because they really don't help you as much as they can
but they try to help get housing for you
if it's possible.
And you're able to get it.
But being out here really is no joke.
For everything you see,
and you live through,
it's not a joke being on the streets, not fun.
- [Host] So what happened in,
now were you homeless in Delaware?
- Yes.
- [Host] And what happened that got you
out on the streets in the first place?
- I got sick, I had a stroke when I was working.
I lived in Downing Town.
And I worked in Downing Town.
But I got sick,
and I couldn't afford my place anymore so I left.
I came into Delaware with my middle child
and she couldn't keep me too long
so I stayed on the streets in Delaware until I got here.
So that's a lot of things right there that,
- [Host] And you've been out here seven years?
- For seven years, since 2010.
- [Host] Oh my gosh.
- Yes.
- [Host] So does the shelter allow you in during the days
or they kick you out, or?
- No, you have to stay,
they make you want to get up and go do something
for the day so you're not sitting in the shelter.
You can go back like any time after two.
And that way you can go upstairs
but you share a room.
There's four people in one room.
So you're not by yourself in a room.
Okay, you've gotta pay for your own personals.
You gotta pay for your own clothing.
You gotta be able to get your stuff
to wash your own clothes.
Okay, if you make money, you gotta pay
some of that out for rent.
- [Host] So do you,
how do they help you figure out
a way so you can make a few bucks?
Or it's just out there panhandling?
- I get out here to panhandle and I let them know that.
And then I collect food stamps,
so I have to give up half for my food stamps to them
so I can eat.
- [Host] So you give up to half of your food stamps
to the shelter.
- Yes.
Yeah.
You have to eat somehow and that's the only way I know.
If you don't, then you don't get nothing to eat,
and you survive on your own, so.
- [Host] What,
I hear Philly's really bad out here.
It's dangerous.
- Oh yeah, the streets are dangerous.
- [Host] What's it like?
What's homelessness like here compared to other places?
- Delaware was easy.
It wasn't so bad because the people weren't so bad.
And it's a small town.
Here in Philly, since it's so big,
you're homeless,
okay a lot of time you're not getting nothing
and ones who aren't getting anything,
they're out to get what they can get.
No matter how they get it or when they get it,
they're gonna get it.
- [Host] Survival mode.
- Exactly, is what it is.
- [Host] Now I was here three months ago and it seems
that homelessness even in that short period of time
is getting worse.
- It's ten times worse.
Since I came here, homelessness
is ten times worse than what it was.
And the people out here now
they're more crazier than what they were.
At least some of then back then,
they were in their right mind.
Now there's a lot of them that
are not in their right mind at all.
And you can see that on the streets.
They don't get them help, and that's sad.
- [Host] What's your future like?
- What's my future?
Hopefully I'm in a place they were talking about
by the fall, but I'm not sure.
So hopefully I get a place and I move on from there.
I need a place to live.
- [Host] If you had three wishes, what would they be?
- A place to live,
never have to worry again,
and my third?
Just to be okay.
Okay.
- [Host] Well thank you very much for talking with me
- Thank you.
Thank you for listening, really.
And hopefully everything turns out okay.
Because I'm praying.
I pray every day.
And it's people like you that come along
and hopefully things will help work out.
Because we need that.
We need that here in Philadelphia.
Y'know, we just need it.
And it hope it does, I hope it works out great.
(upbeat music plays)