- David. - Yes.
- [Cameraman] We're out here in Denver.
You're homeless, tell me about it.
- I've been homeless for approximately
five years now, due to health conditions and
I'm drawing my social security, but it's not enough
to pay for my rent and my medications right now, so
I'm on the street until I can figure out
how to find the resources necessary for help.
Problem is is there are very limited resources,
problem is is the money goes to other people
than the homeless, these places start up,
they get these government grants,
and they are basically enough to pay
for their building and their salaries,
and what's left over doesn't go to the homeless.
But, hopefully Denver has some insight
into the problem, we can no longer
put our heads in the sand and wish
the problem would go away because it's not going to go away.
- [Cameraman] It's getting worse.
- I also have issues with mental health,
I suffer from depression and anxiety,
and that contributes to my homelessness too.
But, hopefully America will wake up.
- [Cameraman] Yeah, now you said that
you were just out of the hospital.
- Yeah I was just released from the hospital yesterday
I had an aortic abdominal aneurism that they had to fix.
Fortunately they got it fixed, so,
it was an emergency deal, and-
- [Cameraman] But you're back out here?
- Yes I'm back out here, because I have no other choice.
Normally I try to sleep during the day
because I can't find a place to sleep
at night that's safe, so, but today I'm working all day.
- [Cameraman] I used to do that too,
because night is dangerous.
- Right.
- [Cameraman] And sleep during the day when more people
are around, at least I felt safe,
I don't know if I was actually safer, but I felt safer.
- That's right, that's right.
- [Cameraman] Now how old are you?
- I'm 66.
- [Cameraman] That's no way to spend your retirement years.
- It's not the golden years, it's not the golden years.
- [Cameraman] Oh my god, so what's a day like?
- I wake up, or I'm out here on the street
usually around six o'clock in the morning.
And I stay out here until the malls close,
and then I just wander.
- [Cameraman] What would you want housed people
to know about homelessness that they probably don't know?
- We're not bad people.
Bad decisions sometimes.
Bad health, bad circumstances, they all contribute
to homelessness. - It snowballs.
- Of course mental health contributes to it
and drug problems contribute to it.
Fortunately I'm not in the category of an alcoholic
or a drug addict, just trying to survive.
- Well if homelessness was a punishment
for bad decisions we'd all be out here, you know?
- Absolutely, absolutely. - Well you said it yourself,
you get social security, but there's no place
that you can rent on social security.
That's not your decision. - It's impossible.
- That's life, that's the lack of affordable housing.
- That's right, I thought I was going to be able
to work forever, I was a carpenter all my life.
When I got this neuropathy I was no longer able
to stay on my feet, and I had to quit working,
and unfortunately I didn't have anything in reserve
to help me out, so that's why I'm in my situation.
- And that's what's happening to most seniors these days,
even me, I lost everything in the '08 crash,
that's when I started doing this actually,
and chances of me being homeless again are very real.
- Oh yeah, people don't realize how many people
are a paycheck away from homelessness.
you know I mean, I watch people, and when I'm out here
panhandling, I know those that are going to help
and those that don't care and it's alright I guess.
- But you're seeing people walk by you all day.
- Yeah. - Gosh.
- It's part of it.
But then again a kind soul will walk by
and give me five dollars or 10 dollars,
and like I said I got robbed when I was staying
at the Rescue Mission, I have a bad knee
that will give out on me, and one day
I was sitting at the mission, and talking
to some people, and I got up to get a drink of water,
and my knee collapsed on me and I fell,
went straight down and hit my head on the concrete,
and it temporarily dazed me and knocked me out
for a few seconds, but during that time,
it was enough time for them to get into my backpack
and steal my money. - Oh jeez.
- So that's why I avoid the Rescue Mission,
because that's just another place that
houses people during the day but doesn't
do anything to help the situation.
- [Cameraman] And an often not safe place, there's some
good shelters in the world, - Oh there are,
- [Cameraman] But many of them are not safe.
- They're not safe, and too many of them
are run by Christian thugs.
And I avoid the missions at all costs, because...
- [Cameraman] And then you have to sit through preaching.
- Yeah, that, and craziness and, they just
don't help there, so why hang there, you know.
- [Cameraman] It's warehousing people.
- It's what it is, you know, and Denver
spends a tremendous amount of money every day
busing homeless people from the mission
to a warehouse, they bus 350 to 400 people a day,
using a modern transit company called Aero bus lines.
- [Cameraman] Is it like an emergency shelter?
- It's a warehouse with bunks in it yeah.
- [Cameraman] Yeah, emergency shelter.
- Right, but they use it every day, year long.
- Wow. - And estimated cost
is six thousand dollars a day, just for transportation.
- Just busing, wow. - That six thousand dollars
could go a long way to helping somebody.
- [Cameraman] Right, I know.
- But it's a way that Denver has addressed the problem.
- [Cameraman] Well there's no housing, so what Denver
and other cities need to do is emergency go all in
in getting housing so somebody like you,
who has a social security check can get
off the streets into someplace.
- I could pay 400 dollars a month rent.
- [Cameraman] Right.
- I paid into social security all my life,
and it just doesn't seem that there's much return
in there, but going back to that busing people,
that six thousand dollars a day would go a long way
to building a building for the homeless
that not only had housing, but had computers,
job search, job training, things that actually help people.
- [Cameraman] And the problem is people here
probably wouldn't want that, that's why they're busing
people, I'm guessing, but to get them out of the city.
- It's people putting their heads
in the sand and wishing the problem away.
I haven't been to LA or New York in a long time,
but I know the problem is compounded.
- [Cameraman] Yeah, it's the same everywhere.
- Right. - I mean, a little different,
but it's a lack of affordable housing,
homelessness is growing everywhere.
- Exactly, and the problem has to be addressed.
The problem that I'm looking at is it won't be addressed,
and there's gonna be utilization,
and that's gonna be the answer to get rid
of the mentally ill and the homeless people.
That's what I believe.
- [Cameraman] If you had three wishes what would they be?
- Three wishes, that I would have a home,
that I would be able to go back to Tennessee
to visit my granddaughters, just peace of mind
and stability, great one. - Great wishes.
Well thank you very much for talking to me.
- Thank you for the interview, I hope it does some good.
(bright music)