Date: 3/3/2018
Type: Interview
Location: Downtown Soup Kitchen at First United Methodist Church
User Description: Paul, Sarah, and Yuwei interviewed Bill, a homeless man living in the South Bend area. Bill shared his experiences and views on being homeless.
User Characteristic: Homeless in South Bend, Male, approximately age 50, and single.
What has been this individuals living situation?
He has been living day to day without a home for the twenty years, living in different states. He sleeps in different places that offer a him a bed in South Bend and is friends with James.
What is this person’s biggest pain?
Seeing and hearing some painful stories of other people that are homeless.
Key Takeaways:
-Three reasons for being homeless.
- Circumstances like jail, falling behind on bills, or felonies.
- Addiction
- Mental Illness
-Heroin is most popular drug of the homeless population for the last two years, before that was meth for three years, and before that was crack cocaine for twenty years.
– South Bend is between the drug trade between Detroit and Chicago.
– No good resources for drug addicts, most places require you to be felony free. YMCA is one organization doing good work and Hope Ministries.
-South Bend’s center for homeless is one of best in country and people travel across United States to be part of it.
– Veterans who are homeless have to wait a long time to be treated in the VA in South Bend.
– A lot of homeless are disabled and cannot work. Disability pays less than social security or other welfare programs.
– The reinstitution of debtor prisons have made more people homeless by sending them to jail for not paying bills like child support. During this time they lose their money which could have kept them in their home.
Quotes:
“Drug addicts don’t say they have a problem they just say they self medicate.” Bill’s quote highlights the problem with heroin addiction because people use it to kill their pain whether physical or emotional.