- Tonya? - Yes.
- You're homeless. - Yes.
- In Oakland? - Yes.
- [Interviewer] Tell me about it.
- Being homeless is really not a good thing,
because I've been homeless
on the streets for about five years.
I'm not safe being homeless,
'cause a lot of bad things been happening to me
since I've been homeless, like I've been living in tents.
The city come and knock over all my stuff,
take all my stuff away from me.
I'm without water, electricity,
and it's like sometimes I don't know,
I don't like being homeless at all,
'cause it's not right man.
I think homeless people should get a little bit more help
because we're on the streets, and people are pregnant,
should get a little bit more help I think,
'cause they got a baby coming.
I don't got nothing for myself.
I can't, sometimes I feel like I wanna keep a baby,
but then I don't 'cause I don't know how could I,
I can't even take care of myself.
So why would I bring a child into this world,
but I don't believe in killing kids either,
you know what I mean and me being homeless is hard.
I need help with my life.
It's hard for me to be like this.
I don't like being homeless.
I have nobody, nobody to help me,
not even my own mom, my baby daddy, nobody, it's hard.
I just wish I could get some help.
Streets are not nice.
- [Interviewer] How far along are you?
- Two months, two months pregnant.
Two months, I do wanna keep the baby,
'cause like I said, I love kids
and I wouldn't want to give my kid away to nobody
or have an abortion, get rid of my kid or nothing,
it's just I don't know what to do.
I just want some help.
Being on the streets is not my thing
and knowing that I have nobody to help me out.
Sometimes I need water, nobody wanna help me out with water.
Food, I be starving sometimes
with three or four days without eating,
'cause I have no money or I'm not going to go on the streets
to do something bad to get money,
'cause that's not what I do.
So I gotta survive with it I guess.
Wish I could find something better to do.
- [Interviewer] Now you said
that you've been applying for housing.
- I applied for housing.
I just don't remember the name.
They went by my place on 85th by my trailer,
but can't remember the name of the place.
Housing Authority I think.
Yeah, they went by there.
They said that we were gonna be on the list
for a couple months and that they were gonna give me a call.
They haven't called me.
I know it takes a minute to get housing,
but man, it's hard man.
I would just appreciate it if somebody could just help me
because I'm wanna be a good mother like I know I can be
and I want to keep my child
and I don't wanna be on the streets with my child
'cause that's not right.
Think me and my child should be in a place
where we're gonna be safe, not on the streets.
- [Interviewer] How'd you end up on the streets?
- Bad decisions that I made before in my life,
like hanging out with the wrong people,
doing drugs back in the days.
I don't do drugs no more, but doing drugs back in the days,
hanging out with the wrong people,
not giving a crap about myself.
My mom was just tired of me not listening
and doing bad things, and hanging around with bad people.
She's like if you wanna be hanging around bad people
go choose your friends then and I was dumb
and I choose my friends instead of my family.
So I ended up on the streets
and then I was doing bad things, going to jail all the time,
but I don't go to jail no more.
I've been out of jail for a long, long time.
My records clean, I'm doing so good right now.
Just like, I wanna get my life straight.
Just be a good mom that I know I can be
and just stay off the streets.
- [Interviewer] Well everybody says homelessness
is caused by bad decisions
and I always say as the Bart goes by,
if homelessness was the punishment for bad decisions,
we'd all be homeless,
'cause everybody makes bad decisions,
everybody falls a little bit--
- It's not only that.
- [Interviewer] And we need to pick people up.
- Yeah, I had my own house and stuff,
it's just I lost it 'cause I didn't have no more job,
I lost it 'cause I couldn't pay my bills,
and everything just went down the drain.
I lost my place, and then I ended up
just being on the streets, and it's,
I don't know it's hard man.
It's hard.
Like right now I don't get no income,
they won't even give me cash on my food...
On my EVT card, they only gave me food stamps,
it's kind of weird.
They won't give me cash 'til August.
- [Interviewer] I thought pregnant moms
got some extra help here in California.
- You know what, I thought so too.
But I told welfare that I'm pregnant,
they said I can't tell them again 'til I'm six months.
Now there's a new thing now,
that they won't let you get on until your six months
if you're pregnant, that's kind of weird.
'Cause before they, right when your pregnant,
you're supposed to tell them and they'll get you on,
but I can't get my welfare money 'til August.
So I'm screwed anyway.
Sometimes I get food stamps, $200 a month,
I can't support $200 a month for the whole month,
I'm pregnant, come on now.
What's $200 food stamps gonna do for me, it's hard.
It's ridiculous man.
I tried every program.
I tried a lot of things man,
it's just not working, I don't know.
- [Interviewer] What would you want people to know
about homelessness that they probably don't know?
- Being homeless it's very sad because a lot of people
don't decide to be homeless, and the people
that are out here that are homeless,
they need a lot of help because I be seeing
my friends out here that are homeless
and they're dying of cancer and stuff.
I think those type of people need help.
If somebody sees somebody homeless
on the streets like that, at least stop and help 'em,
you know what I mean.
My friend right now he's dying from cancer
round on 85th.
He's doing real bad, people just beat him up all the time,
being homeless is not good man, at all.
- [Interviewer] If you had three wishes what would they be?
- Three wishes would be for me not to be homeless,
for me to get off the streets,
and for me to be a better person that I can be
and have my own place.
- [Interviewer] Well thank you very much
for talking to us.
- You're welcome.
- [Interviewer] Let me get a still shot
if you don't mind.
(bright upbeat music)