Steven: “Christopher?”
Christopher: “Yes.”
Steven: “Nice to meet you”
Christopher: “Thank you. I’m so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to share my story.”
Steven: Wow, is that your dog? What’s the name?
Christopher: Her name is Izzy. She’s been with me for years now. Couldn’t have done it without her.
Steven: She is so adorable. Wow, I want a dog too but my family won’t get me one
Christopher: (laughs) Yeah, dogs are really the best thing in the world.
Steven: Of course! And also thank you for wanting to share your story. Everyone’s stories mean a lot, even if you might not realize it. It’s about to get cold. What are you gonna do?
Christopher: “The same thing I do every year. Bundle up. I got my sleeping bags and my jackets. Just keep warm.”
Steven: “You told me you’ve been right here for over a year, but outside for six years?”
Christopher: “Yes.”
Steven: “Oh my gosh. That’s way too long.”
Christopher: “Yeah, no doubt.”
Steven: “Have you tried the shelter system?”
Christopher: “Yeah, actually. I’m very disappointed. I’ve been waiting for a couple of years. I worked with a place called Breaking Ground. Last month, they came and said they had a place for me. They picked me up and put me in a place with a roommate. It was just a horror show—bottles of urine on the floor and in the room. I couldn’t stay. I just walked away after two years of working with them.”
Steven: “Yeah.”
Christopher: “Nothing. So I walked out.”
Steven: “I have other friends out here who have gone into shelters, and the situations there…”
Christopher: “Yeah, it’s terrible.”
Steven: “…are just so bad that you feel safer out here.”
Christopher: “Definitely safer, yeah. And the hoops they make you jump through. If you don’t get there at a certain time, you’re going to lose your bed. Keep it, keep it. It’s not worth it.”
Steven: “How did you end up out here?”
Christopher: “About eight years ago, my wife got very sick. She was bedridden for two years, and six years ago, on January 27th, she passed. She died on a Friday morning, and by Saturday evening, I was evicted. They got me out of the house. As soon as she died, I was gone. I’ve been homeless since then.”
Steven: “I’m so sorry.”
Christopher: “Oh, God bless you. Thank you.”
Steven: “Sadly, it’s a common story where a significant other, a partner, or a spouse passes, and it ends up leading to homelessness.”
Christopher: “Yeah, and I had health insurance, but she died out of network—whatever that means. It cost me $85,000. I’m in debt, and they really want that money. I gave up for a while.”
Steven: “Wait, wait. You’re in debt because of medical bills?”
Christopher: “Medical bills.”
Steven: “And they’re coming after you, even though you’re out here?”
Christopher: “Yeah. I was served four years ago while panhandling. I don’t know how they found me, but they served me.”
Steven: “Oh my gosh.”
Christopher: “I was going to cry. I couldn’t believe it.”
Steven: “That’s awful.”
Christopher: “Yeah. At first, I gave up. I didn’t care about anything. I got involved with some bad people and some bad drugs—methamphetamines. I lost my teeth. But I quit that now, thank God.”
Steven: “That’s good to hear.”
Christopher: “Now that I’m trying to get back into society, I can’t. They don’t want to let you back in.”
Steven: “We don’t make it easy for people to get the help they need.”
Christopher: “No. They have one solution for everyone, and if it doesn’t fit you, too bad. You’re gone. The solution doesn’t fit me. I need two weeks of stability, and I’ll have a job. Some people, you put them inside for two weeks, and they’re the same people, just inside. But I’m different. I’m ready to go back to work. I don’t need rehab. I just need two weeks of stability—a place to shower and keep my stuff.”
Steven: “And a good night’s sleep.”
Christopher: “Yeah, exactly. I just don’t want to worry about stupid stuff like that.”
Steven: “How much sleep do you get out here on the sidewalk?”
Christopher: “Two or three hours at a time, if I’m lucky.”
Steven: “When it snows, what do you do?”
Christopher: “I sleep inside the subway platforms.”
Steven: “There’s snow around the corner.”
Christopher: “Yeah, I don’t mind the winter, actually. I hate the summer.”
Steven: “Really? Why is that?”
Christopher: “I hate the heat. You can only get so naked, and that’s it. You’re hot. I don’t have air conditioning. This city is hot in the summer.”
Steven: “But in winter, you can wrap up.”
Christopher: “Yeah. You can always add more layers.”
Steven: “How do you survive out here?”
Christopher: “I beg for a living. I don’t steal, and I don’t sell drugs. I just can’t handle that. These guys out here take care of me pretty well.”
Steven: “That’s good to hear.”
Christopher: “Some of these people even want to see me get back to work. I’ve got job offers, but I just need to get cleaned up. I just need that one little step, and they won’t give it to me—two weeks of stability.”
Steven: “And rent just went up.”
Christopher: “Yeah, I don’t want to talk about the rent.”
Steven: “I’m sorry about that. It’s understandable because even when you get a job, saving up for first and last month’s rent is a challenge.”
Christopher: “Exactly.”
Steven: “You’ve been out here six years?”
Christopher: “Yep.”
Steven: “So you’ll need some time to heal.”
Christopher: “Yeah, I’ve done some healing out here. It took a long time to heal from losing my wife. I lost faith in myself and in God, but I got all that back now.”
Steven: “That’s powerful.”
Christopher: “Yeah. But then you sit here, and you get so frustrated because you can’t do anything.”
Steven: “We all need to help prevent and solve homelessness.”
Steven: “The two things that stuck with me when I was homeless were, ‘How did I get here?’ and ‘How do I get out?’”
Christopher: “Yeah, same.”
Christopher: “Yeah. And they changed the laws after my wife died. Now, people can get paid to take care of a spouse. Back then, you couldn’t. They gave me $750 a month for the two of us to live on, but rent was $950.”
Steven: “Because you were taking care of her.”
Christopher: “Yeah, I had no choice. She needed 24-hour care.”
Steven: “I’m so sorry.”
Christopher: “Thank you.”
Steven: “If you had three wishes, what would they be?”
Christopher: “Oh, wow. I haven’t thought about that. To bring my wife back—though I know that’s not happening. I miss paying bills. I know it sounds weird, but I miss that feeling of responsibility.”
Steven: “That’s understandable.”
Christopher: “And I just want a chance to get back on my feet.”
Steven: “Thank you so much for sharing your story.”
Christopher: “Thank you, Steven.”
I’m just imagining him getting served with debt papers while panhandling is just…wow. I can’t believe that actually happened.
This makes me so freaken sad. I hope someone out there sees this and gives him the chance he needs
He’s got job offers, but he can’t take them because he doesn’t have a place to clean up? That’s so messed up like its right there but no one is willing to help him
It’s like he’s lost in an endless maze within his head. Truly haunting
terrifying but hopeful
I’ve seen some negative comments from ignorant people who clearly don’t understand the field of sociology, so I just stopped by to say thanks Steven. Thanks for sharing these stories and for giving back to this community.
The fact that he sleeps on subway platforms in the winter…it’s heartbreaking. How can we let people live like this?
His three wishes were so simple, yet they say so much. He just wants a chance to get back to some kind of normal Come on guys we should help him get there.
Society \ failed him. He took care of his wife, and when she passed, he lost everything. It shouldn’t be like this.
Wish I could rewind time for this guy to 3 years old. And help him start again with the right people..
Christopher is so strong. The fact that he’s been through all this and still has hope is inspiring so we need to support people like him
Losing faith, then getting it back… there’s still hope. You got this! There’s a fresh start for everyone
“‘I just need two weeks of stability.’ That line got me because he just wants a way to prove himself but he can never get the opportunity. He’s a smart man I can tell
The way he talked about his wife…it’s clear how much he loved her. No one should lose everything because they tried to do the right thing by caring for a loved one.
Six years is way too long to be on the streets. He’s got job offers and just needs a chance. Let’s do better, New York
The subway platforms during winter? How does anyone live like that because that’s something most of us can’t imagine.
It’s wild how losing his wife set off a chain of events that led to homelessness. We need to rethink how we support people in crisis situations
I can’t believe they served him legal papers while he was panhandling. It’s like they’re kicking him while he’s down. Unreal.
“‘You can only get so naked.’ That line hit me. People don’t think about how brutal the summer can be for those on the streets.
That some powerful stuff you don’t hear often. Hearing about how he lost faith in himself and then found it again is so powerful.
Medical bills put him out on the street, and they’re still coming after him? That’s beyond messed up. This country needs better healthcare.
“‘I miss paying bills.’ Wow. That really says it all.
He’s been clean for a year and still can’t catch a break. That takes real strength. I’m rooting for him.
His three wishes were so simple, yet they say so much. RESPECT
Shelters should be safe places, not places people are afraid of
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