- [Interviewer] Gary you're out here homeless,
this is Chicago, tell me about it.
- Okay I've been homeless for approximately six months,
since a week before Thanksgiving of last year.
And the reason why is because I had unpaid fines
and court costs in Dupage County
and they gave me six months, and I just recently got out
about seven weeks ago and I had a job,
and I had my own place, it was a weekly rental
and I was paying $140 a week, and I lost my place.
My girlfriend took all her stuff and took off
and the second week that I got out of jail
was about five weeks ago, I was staying at
Pacific Gardens Mission and I had one my backpacks,
this is a new backpack, you have to put
all your backpacks in what they call a hot room,
and everybody has to put their backpacks in the same room
so it kills all the bugs.
And when I went to go get my backpack the next day
it was gone.
And they won't let you take nothing upstairs
besides like a toothbrush and stuff like that.
And unfortunately in it was my phone,
and things like that, but my wallet and everything
wasn't in that at that time.
Then, approximately four weeks ago,
I've been out for two months, four weeks ago
I was on the blue line in the middle of the night
going out to O'Hare and two African American gentlemen
approached me and robbed me by knife point.
- Oh my gosh. - Yes.
And took my other, the only backpack that I had
and that had my wallet, my credentials, my ID's
everything in it - Oh my gosh.
- And the train stopped, the operator said
that I had to go upstairs to report the crime
and she had to get back in the train
and move the train along.
So that's how I lost all my stuff,
I'm homeless - You don't have any ID?
- I have nothing at all, but I'm having a couple,
two different churches helped me get
my social security card, first of all my birth certificate,
then my social security card and then from there
I can get my State ID.
- [Interviewer] Great, but there's no agencies,
no non-profits out here doing outreach helping you?
- Basically there's two right now,
Breakthrough Ministry helps me.
- [Interviewer] But they're faith based groups
that are helping?
- What's that?
- [Interviewer] They're churches that are helping?
- Yes, exactly.
- [ Interviewer] No other, great,
that's really good to hear though.
- But I have to do the leg work and get on their computers
and do the work myself, and then there's
a church group called Effany, it's on Grace and Damen
over in Wrigleyville, and they really helped me a lot.
- [Interviewer] It's great hearing that churches
are being more proactive and helping people.
- Yes, they're helping me a lot.
They have me a homeless letter so when I do get
my birth certificate, social security card
I will be able to go down and get ID.
- [ Interviewer] So they must be part of
the Continuum working with the rest of the city.
- Yes they are, I do believe so.
- [Interviewer] Good, so how are you surviving out here,
just panhandling?
- Basically I do everything, mostly I buy my own clothes
because it's so hard at the missions to get clothes.
Catholic charities helps you a lot
but you can only go there once a month,
and one set of clothes is not good enough for a month.
So I wear everything basically one week,
and then what happens I usually go to either
Salvation Army thrift stores, or I go to the Village
thrifts stores off of Kimble and I get my clothes.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, so what's your future like?
- My future is that I'm trying to get all my ID's back
and find some more employment.
- [Interviewer] And you can get out of this.
- Get off the streets.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, if you had three wishes
what would they be?
- Three wishes would be, I have very limited family,
to get my family back in my life.
And get off the streets totally, and to find
employment of course, and to become a positive
member of society again here in Chicago.
- [Interviewer] Well thank you very much for talking.
- Thank you very much for interviewing me, it's awesome.
(gentle music)