- [Interviewer] Charmaine.
- Hi.
- [Interviewer] You're still homeless in New York city.
- Yes, I am. Well, semi homeless.
- [Interviewer] And that's because you have a shelter space,
but it's not safe, so you sleep outside a lot?
- Yes, I do.
It's, so-called a Safe Haven,
but I am a domestic violence survivor
and I'm on a floor with seven men.
- [Interviewer] On a floor?
- On a floor.
We shared say bathroom and the same kitchen.
- [Interviewer] Oh you mean on the floor?
You're not sleeping on the floor? They...
- No no, I had my own room,
but we live on the same unit.
- [Interviewer] And you share a bathroom.
- And this is a pandemic era.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, - I got...
- [Interviewer] and you just don't feel safe,
so you stay outside?
- Yeah. So I stay outside a lot.
I have my boyfriend
who now he's going on a year of having his apartment.
- [Interviewer] Oh wow.
- Which is a great thing.
But what he had to go through to get that apartment
was not a great thing.
Well, he's got some mental issues
and because of that reason and he's on medication,
it was easier for him to get placed.
I don't understand why it's not easy for myself
as a woman to get my own apartment quicker.
- [Interviewer] Well, you've been out here since 2005.
- Yes.
And now I've learned
so much of being out here.
I feel like the homeless Mayor
- [Interviewer] The homeless Major?
- of the neighborhood.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, yeah yeah. You know everybody.
- And we've got a lot of outreach services out here.
And I think they're just trying to learn from the homeless.
That's been out here a long time
of what they should be doing,
but they don't not know what to do.
I like to get me a job,
which I think I would blend in.
With being a good...
- [Interviewer] Well you need to be inside
to heal for awhile - Yeah.
- [Interviewer] Before you go to work.
I think you can work.
You're very smart.
You're obviously resourceful,
to sleep, to live New York city for that long,
you know, but you there's,
you know, we all have issues,
but you need some time to learn how to be not homeless.
- Not homeless. Yes.
I need my own, I need my own key actually to an apartment,
not a room where I don't have to share a kitchen
and bathroom, feel unsafe.
I have to go urinate the middle of the night
or anytime I got to come out in my room.
- [Interviewer] And there is seven other homeless men
- And there is seven other men of all different ages
and different types of mentality
living on the same floor as I am.
- [Interviewer] Wow, so
you were on John Oliver?
- Yes.
- [Interviewer] An HBO show?
And what do you think about that?
- I think it was a wonderful thing.
I just hope that a lot of people
looked at that and in a different perspective,
other than how they judge people
that are homeless on the streets.
Cause there's all different types of homelessness.
And I know that because I live out here.
- Well how John, you know, the show Last week tonight,
used it and I'll link below in description,
was to show that system failures,
that the New York city shelter system,
it's not just New York city,
but shelter system is just broken housing system.
Social services just broken.
- It seems that I've seen it.
Obviously it get worse
because now with the pandemic, there's less workers
and there's just people being thrown into these jobs
where they really don't have no connection
with their clients.
And a large and a huge,
more situation homelessness,
coming from all over the place.
I've seen people in and out of the shelters.
They're scared to go back to the shelters
because at one point they moved them into hotels
and then they want to move them back to the shelters.
They don't want to go back to the shelters
and back on the streets.
All over the place.
- [Interviewer] Well, my work isn't scientific,
but I always go to the same places.
- Yeah
- [Interviewer] I stay in this area
because I know you're here
and there's more homeless people outside.
- Yes there is.
- [Interviewer] Then I've seen, and what's unique about
New York city is you have a right to shelter,
which really just gets people in these...
It doesn't end homeless.
- No, it doesn't.
It becomes a cluster of homelessness.
And I get, a lot of people seem to
just want to fall into the category now of
"Okay Well, they can't get a job now,
okay we're going to go live on the streets"
and try to blend in with other people
that have been out here too long.
- [Interviewer] Well. - It's getting dangerous.
- [Interviewer] Well then it's a point of getting a job.
It's you gotta be hire-able
and it's - Exactly.
- [Interviewer] Your smart.
And I know you could handle it,
but an employer has to be willing to give you a chance,
and you need a place to sleep and a place to shower.
- And good shower and
change your clothes - [Interviewer] Yeah so
you can maintain job - And maintain your mentality.
So you could maintain a job.
- [Interviewer] 'Right.
- And not have where some of the shelters,
you still have to leave at a certain time, in the day.
Come back at a certain time.
They still have the curfews.
And.
- [Interviewer] I have a homeless friend
who's a woman up in like emergency shelter up on 51st.
- Okay.
- [Interviewer] And she's kicked out
every day during the day.
- Yeah.
- [Interviewer] So I'm going to go up and try to see her
but you know, it's getting cold.
- It's sure is.
- [Interviewer] You know.
- We have... - [Interviewer] I mean, '
you're well layered.
You got the hoodie in the jacket.
And....
- Because fortunately, now
I have somewhere where I could go.
- [Interviewer] Right.
- But now I didn't for so long.
- [Interviewer] Right.
- And I know it's going to get real bad out here
this winter.
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
- We're getting into it right now.
And there's just a lot,
a lot more people out here.
- [Interviewer] So I love running into people.
I know, but I hate that you're still homeless
and you're kind of, so, you know,
I mean, - I know.
- [Interviewer] You don't have a home,
you don't have a place.
- Yeah that I - [Interviewer] Where you feel
- Can say is really - [Interviewer] safe.
It's really mine - [Interviewer] Right, right.
You still try to hustle a place to sleep
from time to time.
And sometimes...
- And most of the time I come outside here,
just because I have the hustle
because I need something proper to eat
because I cannot depend on the shelter system food.
That's not healthy.
So that's mostly what it pans down to.
- [Interviewer] Well, I,
there's only one other person I've interviewed
as many times
and it just breaks my heart
because I'm excited to see you.
I really adore you, - Me too.
- [Interviewer] But is just such a statement
that since 2005,
the sector has not gotten you out of this madness.
- Yep, absolutely.
And I appreciate you so much for being so concerned.
- [Interviewer] And because John Oliver,
so people don't know,
I, people have to give permission,
- Yes.
- [Interviewer] You know, I'd normally say no,
but through a mutual friend, I was able to contact you
because you don't have a phone.
They're working on a new phone
and you said, "yes" and then John Oliver pays $500 at clip.
And we're able to get you the thousand dollars.
- Yep, thank you.
- [Interviewer] And you are smart
because you have somebody holding it on for you.
But, our mutual friend who gives it to you as you need.
So you don't lose it
- That's right.
- [Interviewer] Or it gets stolen.
And that's pretty smart.
I wish more places were like that.
I mean, there's one place in Vancouver
that has a bank for homeless people.
- Okay.
- [Interviewer] Where you could walk in,
but those types of service,
I have never seen any place else.
- And I wish it had more services like that as well.
- [Interviewer] I mean because people get
their welfare check or their social security.
- And there's a big problem with that
being that you mentioned that now.
The systems is they're doing something very wrong too,
because a lot of people that are getting in their apartments
and they're not SSI and SSD,
they're taking most of their money
to pay for where they live at.
They still got to come out here and hustle,
because they don't have enough money to survive off of
because it's going towards the rent
that the city promised it was going to help you pay.
- [Interviewer] Well, I seen that.
So supposedly it's only supposed to take a third,
but you know,
let's say if you're getting 300 bucks in the city takes 200,
you've got a hundred to live off.
- Yeah.
- [Interviewer] And each person's payment is different.
And as I see people panhandling.
- Yep.
- [Interviewer] Often their housed people.
They're in an apartment, but they can't make ends meet.
- Nope.
That's the problem with my boyfriend and myself.
He's well and good now.
He's got a one bedroom apartment,
but he still has to come out
to hustle to make ends meet.
To have food and money - [Interviewer] And people are
- Survive off. - [Interviewer] gonna ask
"why don't you live with him?"
- Well, because I'm not supposed to.
That's part of... - [Interviewer] Oh you get
kicked out?
- Yeah that's part of...
- [Interviewer] Ah, that is so stupid.
- That's part of...
And we're not not married.
And we can't get married because...
(car hoots)
- [Interviewer] For people that don't know
often homeless services, - Yes.
- [Interviewer] they don't - There's always...
- [Interviewer] Allow somebody else,
- There's always a - [Interviewer] And they get
- String attached. - [Interviewer] Kicked out.
Which is stupid because they could end
two of you could live there - They could end two, exactly.
And considering that
the people that placed him
and the people that placed me, the outreach service,
it's the same people.
They know us and they kind of just
work that in by. - [Interviewer] Right, right.
And they monitor it.
You can't sneak in.
- Yeah.
- [Interviewer] You know, because they monitor it
and then they'll kick...
Oh gosh.
- And if that landlord for his building
happens to just say,
"oh, well I see her going there every day or something."
- [Interviewer] Right?
- Yeah. - [Interviewer] They report it
- Its monitored.
- [Interviewer] I've seen it so many times, people...
- And then they lose their place.
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
- I've seen a couple of couples get housed,
but it's rare.
- Yeah.
- [Interviewer] Unless they're married,
but you know, - Yep.
- [Interviewer] so, oh my gosh.
Ah, a broken system.
- A very broken system.
- [Interviewer] Well, it's good to see you.
- You too.
- [Interviewer] If you had three wishes, what would they be?
- Um, to see you again and again and again,
and we can change this.
- Yeah.
- [Interviewer] Well,
And Next time...
- I'd like to get my...
Actually I have a real big wish.
I want a job with Human dot NYC.
- [Interviewer] With what?
- Human dot NYC.
- [Interviewer] What is that?
- That's our advocate.
- [Interviewer] Oh that's what - That's our mutual friend.
- [Interviewer] Oh really?
Oh, you want Josh to hire you?
- Yeah.
- [Interviewer] So I know he's going to be watching this.
(Charmaine. laughs)
- Yeah, cause I'm willing to do
- [Interviewer] You calling him on the spot?
- Yeah, I'm willing to do do the walking around
and talk to everybody and get all the information he wants.
I got enough of it already.
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
- I started writing it down too,
but I'm not willing to give it up just yet.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, okay.
- I might do that for the new year.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
(both laughing)
- [Interviewer] Well, good seeing you.
Let's go grab something to eat.
- You too. Thanks you.
God bless you honey.
You stay safe and well,
and everyone watching,
please open your heart to this interview
and learn something about it.
Thank you.
(mystical electro music)