Portraits of Homelessness

Willie died in August of 2009. A friend remembers: One night we both were at a meeting. He missed his bus. I was driving, so I invited him to my place. I was worried about having to wrestle with him if he got intoxicated, but the next morning I found him sitting...

I wrote Black poetry in the 60s to the mid-70s. It was a flavor of the times--about opening your eyes to who you were as a black person in America. I was with a group that combined poetry with singing and dance until we got it just right--juuust riiight. If you...

I was the oldest son of 10 kids. I heard a lot of abuse in my family. After my dad died, my mom couldn't afford all us kids, so she pushed me out. When I got out of prison after 25 years, no one was happy to see me. I didn't feel wanted by family. I'd like to part of...

My name is Stew Golak, but I never go by that anymore, only "Tiger." I'm 73 but don't feel that old. I was born in Buffalo. The winters there are terrible. Oh, man! You think you have a lot of snow here, you ought to go to Buffalo. We came to Cleveland, and I went to...

I became homeless after a few wrong choices back on New Year's Eve, 1999. I put all my belongings in two large garbage bags and took them to a friend's house for safekeeping. That night I met someone who gave me her last $8.00--she's been my friend ever since. Because...

There has been a strong upswing of people sliding through the cracks, becoming homeless. Thirty years ago there were tons of cheap hotels, cheap apartments, flophouses, around here in Cleveland ... these were the good days of homelessness. We all have to admit how...

I was an issue, for years trouble at the shelter. You'd see me under the influence, raising hell, and good at egging others on. Then, and there's no way to explain it, you didn't see me in trouble. If the group was drunk and dumb, I was sober and working. I only had...

Between living, volunteering, and now working at 2100, I understand these guys pretty well. There's guys here who have done time in prison, so their life is already full of bosses; guards, social workers, unit staff-authority that can put you in the hole. Some people...

I'm 19, one of the youngest people here, and my 3rd time in a shelter. Before 2100 I was at Project Hope in Painesville, and before that Union Mission in Norfolk, Virginia-- I got left there by people who I thought were my friends. I've been in shelters because I have...

I wanted to help at 2100. So this summer I oversaw the shelter’s vegetable and flower garden at 23rd and St. Clair. At 6 to 8 years old in El Salvador, I tried to work. I didn’t even have clothes, shoes, just a little ripped shirt. But I was able to help my mom in the...

The old one sat there drinking his coffee. It should have been a joyous day. He had his housing voucher- that should have been enough to make him at least a little happy. A man who slept across from him lay there snoring. Booming over the loudspeaker was the...

I was good with computers, but I didn't have a degree. People asked me for help with computer problems everywhere I worked. I learned the technology to help them, teaching myself. For years I helped with web development, support, systems administration, network...

I started out in a little town on the west coast of Scotland. We had a fairly big family, 7 kids, and we got caught up in a rift with another big family. It was to the point where someone was going to get killed--so the families agreed to just stop. We moved down to...

I was at the end of a vicious cycle when I arrived at 2100. For the last 25 years I was in and out of Penitentiary. Addicted to heroin, I'd be on the streets for 6 months, in the Penn for a couple of years. Finally I was homeless for the last 5-6 years, either living...

Today I am happy for the simple things; fixing breakfast, clothing myself, seeing someone else smile, knowing God is in this day. I was born and raised in Cleveland with a twin brother by the name of Larry. I had 8 brothers and sisters. My mom worked hard to help us....

2100, a place so supposedly dismal, is where I had the opportunity to garden and do murals. I always lived in apartments, never had the opportunity for gardening or for painting; I never had the space, never had the equipment. I learned about vegetable gardens - even...

I'm alive. - Willie Fischer  

It's lingered in the back of my mind: I served my country, protected people, and now, being a veteran, nobody seems like they give a damn whether I do or don't. When I first arrived at 2100, I was so stressed out that I just wanted to end my life - go down to the...