CAUSES OF OPPRESSION AGAINST THE POOR & HOMELESS "The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.“ - Franklin D. Roosevelt

African-American, female, age 35 E P I S O D I C My story is simple but you won’t like it. I had a job and made $9 an hour. But 1/3 of what I had went to childcare and half went to rent. The rest went to food and bills. I got 5 kids. I got no other money. You can’t make it on that. I went to school and learned to be a cook. I worked good restaurants and did what I could. You just can’t have kids and make it on $9 an hour. When my child got pneumonia, I had insurance but the copay was high and the hospital wanted me to pay out $300 a month. I could not pay and they took me to court. Then my car needed a new exhaust and that was $1000. I needed the car to get to work. I fell behind on my rent and got kicked out. Ain’t no way I can do it. I tried to pay my bills, but then something comes up and I’m flat.

Caucasian, male, age 49 C H R O N I C I can hardly remember when I wasn’t homeless. Sometimes over the years I got a room, but then I would leave. I got this mental illness. I can’t take my medicine because it makes me sick. I been hearing voices since I was a teenager. Most of the time I get messages that I shouldn’t be somewhere or I should move on. So I go to a shelter and some case manager tries to give me medication, but then I get sick again and leave and go live in a parked car or an old bus or up there in the park. But I’m not unhappy. Sometimes the voices are like my friends and they might be better friends than those out here. I think I will always be homeless.

Caucasian, male, age 63 C H R O N I C I worked for 35 years. I took early retirement and early social security. It didn’t leave me with much to live on. I didn’t have any insurance after I retired and I had to have a bypass. It took all of my savings and I still have to pay for the hospital bill each month. I started drinking heavy after that. I was lonely too because I didn’t have any kids and all my brothers are dead. With the drinking and low cash, I lost my house 4 years ago. I live 6 months homeless and 6 months with a room. I try to make sure I’m only homeless in warm weather.

Systemic Causes of Poverty WHY are the poor, poor?