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Steve is a philosopher. He acknowledges that his homelessness was the result of his poor decisions in the past.
“People who have experienced homelessness wear this experience like a scarlet letter that they cannot escape as they move forward in their lives,” he said.
As a 60-something white man, he noted with sadness that the people most likely to judge him harshly are those who most resemble him. His wise observation was that those most at risk of ending up just like him, are the ones who scorn him when they encounter him — by dehumanizing Steve, they put distance between themselves and his situation.
And yet Steve is a success story. After spending eight months at Camp Hope, he was able to get an apartment where he has lived for three years. The apartment isn’t fancy, and he wrangles with the landlord over AC that isn’t cooling well and mold growing under a sink where there is a leak.
But as someone who has had a heart attack at age 49, has multiple stents in his arteries, and is being treated for congestive heart failure, it is important that he have protection from the elements. Life still has its challenges, but Steve is enormously grateful to the residents and staff of Camp Hope, where he found respite and help finding new options for his future.
