IN HER SHOEs:
JOURNEYS OF
HOMELESS WOMEN
Linda
"Humans are always going to be afraid of what they don’t see and what they don’t know."
Mabo
"Well definitely homelessness has taught me to trust more because you’re in a situation with people you don’t know, you’re sleeping with. I mean, they could cut your throat in the shelter structure."
Vinola
"I became homeless November 2004 and I’ve been homeless ever since. I call it shelter hopping; going in and out of shelters and stuff like that. I don’t think shelters are really safe now, these days. It depends on the county."
Resources are constantly depleting for homeless women. This is why.
Image courtesy of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
Follow the women.
Three women told us their stories
Linda
Linda was the first woman who agreed to interview with us. She spoke softly, but with conviction.
After fleeing from an abusive husband, Linda packed her children in her car. Her children were eventually taken away from her after they were found living in her car.
She grew emotional as she told us her story, and paused with tears filled her eyes.
“I don’t think I was strong enough, in all honesty. I wasn’t strong enough to hold up my children and the tribulation we were going through and I feel like that’s why I lost them.”
She blamed the decisions she made for her current situation.
Linda has been homeless for about 2 years.
Mabo
The first thing we noticed about Ms. Weaver was her long green dress. She sat with her legs crossed at the ankle, paying close attention to what we were asking.
“Anything you want to tell us would be great,” we said encouragingly to the women. While some grunted in response, Ms. Weaver asked more questions about the interview. She agreed to speak with us.
Ms. Weaver is a 40-year-old woman who was raised in the Bay Area and who has been homeless for 8 months. During the interview she relished us with her story, giving us an interesting perspective of homelessness.
“I’m like my own social worker. I find it very hard to get someone to help me with my situation,” said Ms. Weaver during the interview. “And my situation really is not as difficult as some of those who have been homeless for like years and don’t have vouchers.”
Ms. Weaver declined to be on camera, but did allow us to use her audio from the interview. Listen to her account of homelessness in San Francisco below.
Vinola
Vinola rushed into the small room where we were interviewing carry bags on each arm. She told us she was interested in telling her story.
While she talked about her experience being homeless, she laughed between answers. Behind the camera, we felt the warmth of her smile.
As she described being estranged with her daughter, losing her job, and her experience “shelter hopping” between counties, Vinola somehow managed to smile contagiously.
“I’ve been to other counties and I’ve never seen any homeless people that were transients lying on the ground, lying on the sidewalks,” she said.
Vinola has been homeless since November 2004.