Street People
The Bay Area’s Homeless Speak About The Hardship of Being Invisible
By Miguel Solis
As dusk befalls the breathtaking Hayward hills, a homeless woman hurriedly scuffles through a pile of grocery bags filled with the few belongings she has left, looking for her most precious commodity, a donated, stained, and tattered sleeping bag.
Donna Alvares has been homeless for almost a decade now, a victim of an epidemic facing millions of Americans today.
Years ago, a younger and more naïve Donna believed she embodied the American dream. She went to school, got married and purchased a home in which she planned to raise her daughter in. She even aspired to attend California State University Hayward.
“I always wanted to go to college because I wanted to be a math teacher. My mom always said she regretted not going,” said Donna of her dreams. “I remember wanting to be a teacher with the perfect family.”
After giving birth to her daughter, Donna forwent college, unable to foresee that after 20 years of sacrifice and an almost dogmatic commitment to her Wal-Mart job and her family, both would forsake her.
“I always thought I’d have a chance to get help if I got injured or ran into some hard times,” said Donna. “I worked really hard so my daughter could go to school, so we wouldn’t need nothing from nobody. I figured since I paid taxes for over 20 years I’d get some help if I needed it.”
After enduring a bitter divorce and a disheartening layoff, Donna was evicted after failing to pay rent. Unlike her daughter, Donna was unwelcome at her ex-husband’s home. With no living relatives to take her in, she was forced into homelessness.
“When times got hard I didn’t have anyone left to count on. I’ve been living all over the Bay, but today I stay behind an abandoned building here at the Oasis.”
Donna stood up and walked behind the abandoned building where she kept her worn and shabby sleeping bag at the “The Oasis.” On the surface, the locale seems like a perfect example of Hayward’s natural beauty, surrounded by lively wildlife, bright greenery and a soothing river. But “The Oasis” is a modern day Hooverville, reminiscent of the homeless communities from the Great Depression where homes were made of refuse and trash. Approximately every other week, city employees destroy these makeshift homes, forcing the residents to rebuild continuously.
Donna is reminded of the days she spent as a typical middle class woman, when she didn’t have to endure such abuses, when she said was last treated like a human being. Living on fringes of society for almost a decade has eroded Donna’s physical, emotional, and mental health, but not her faith. Exhaustion from her harsh lifestyle has made Donna more dependent on her Christian faith.
Despite having an adult daughter who is fully employed, Donna, forlorn and starving, cannot count on her daughter for support. The last time they interacted was almost a year ago.
“She took me to the McDonalds on Mission Boulevard for Mother’s Day and bought me two double cheeseburgers and gave me $10.”
Since then, Donna said that when she tries to call her daughter she often gets hung up on because her daughter says she calls during busy times of the day.
“No, I don’t bother my daughter. She has her life and I don’t want to be a burden on her. It hurts not being able to see her or my grandkids, but I know they care about me. They get worried if I don’t call,” said Donna, struggling to keep tears from falling down her sunken cheeks. She wiped her eyes with a dirty cloth she keeps nearby, asking to change the subject.
Life on the streets exposes and subjects millions of women like Donna to all types of abuse: assault, robbery and rape. Although she always reports these abuses to law enforcement, homeless crimes are typically ignored because the homeless are seen like animals rather than humans by the government, said Donna.
Donna finds comfort and solace from her grueling life in her friendship with fellow homeless persons like Rodney. Their friendship is mutually beneficial, providing each other with emotional support, strength, and companionship. They’ve become all-too-familiar with the imminent threat of mortality awaiting those without help.
Rodney grew up in Hayward but dropped out of school his sophomore year to work as a mechanic in his uncle’s garage.
“The job was exhausting but I made good money. I figured that people work if they don’t like school. I just never assumed I’d end up as badly as I did,” he said.
Because he depended on manual labor for his livelihood, Rodney became homeless after a job-related hernia injury cost him his job. He said he could not even apply for workers’ compensation because he had been working under the table for years; consequently, he landed in the streets after failing to acquire medical treatment. Over the last decade, Rodney said he’s been to the emergency room more times than he can remember and has yet to receive treatment other than pain killers.
“I have a stomach that hangs out of my body and it only stays inside because of my skin and still this does not qualify me for emergency help. It’s like we’re invisible,” said Rodney.
Donna and Rodney are part the immeasurable number of homeless people nationwide. They feel ignored and disenfranchised by politicians, the media, and mainstream society. They call themselves “the invisible class.” These invisible people face grim circumstances, unaware of the programs and procedures to get out of homelessness. Section 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights put forth by the United Nations shows that our country, and many others violate the rights of people like Donna and Rodney by denying them access to protection, which is defined as an unalienable right.
But not all hope is lost for the future. Some cities are beginning to realize the gravity of the homeless situation and its ramifications on our communities. In April 2008, The National Coalition on Homelessness helped pass a landmark decision that requires every homeless shelter in San Francisco to maintain its facilities, provide clean linens, supply nutritious food, and train its staff adequately. That is one city down, and many more to go, so that people like Donna and Rodney do not have to face lonely, unjust, and ultimately, invisible deaths.
