Editor’s Note: This article was contributed from the Laney College Chapter, Poor People’s Campaign
My name is Ray, a formerly homeless young adult in the Bay. I bought a car and just started to make some money with deliveries. The car also provided me with a place to live, so I ended up on the street when I lost the car.
I thought that I would be able to survive homelessness, thinking to myself it can’t be that hard to work your way up. I quickly learned that it’s “not easy to overcome all the obstacles to get a home again.” So I decided to go to a Shelter called Covenant House.
I, being a young adult homeless person in the Bay Area, felt it was easier with the Covenant House program and at the time of this article I was approved for housing. Sometimes it can take months or more after getting approved to when you are in housing.
In Oakland, homeless people are given three hours to move their stuff. If, by chance, the person is at a doctor’s appointment or a job interview or out trying to find food and water, the city takes all their belongings.
I share how, while living from house to house with family members, my father had gotten deported and we were separated from my dad, who ultimately provided for the family. During this time I experienced different social structures that caused my homelessness to become even more stressful. I eventually lived with family members and moved around couch surfin. Mom took care of us until I graduated from High School, this is where I experienced more houseless circumstances, dealt with racial inequality, would get judged by my peers for the clothes I wore, had to steal, and faced criminal charges because I was caught trespassing. While on my own I ended up in jail 3 times, I crashed my car with a passenger and almost died, not to mention the cold nights in a car always having to keep an eye open when I sleep… The dangers of being homeless on the street can make you turn to drugs, sex, and sometimes even jail. But I found out about YAB and when I realized I can also be a part of transforming lives I chose to work to provide for myself as I continued transitional housing programs. I began to be plugged into Zoom Meetings that paid for multiple sessions at 1hr increments and eventually, I found myself on multiple committees fighting youth homelessness, with resources, and awareness of what’s going on in the community. But that’s not to say that there aren’t stories out there that haven’t been heard, mine is just 1 out of 1 million others who don’t dare to share.
Cities across America continue to invest more in pushing homeless people out of sight than helping to solve homelessness through evidence-based programs like housing. Oakland is home to helping individuals like myself and many others but without the city’s funding, supportive educational meetings, and strategic planning for homeless youth, the continuum of care will be lost to the individuals that are affected the most and may never be able to see the light on the other side.
Thank You. GO OAKAND!
