Clyde

"The hardest part about being homeless is just that. You don’t have a spot. I come here to the soup kitchen to eat almost every day, but then I have to figure out where my other meals are coming from. It’s hard to keep yourself clean too. In the winter, you’re looking for heat, and in the summer when it's hot, like today, you’re looking for someplace cool.  Just surviving day-by-day is hard. It’s dangerous too. Early this morning I was at a bus stop and a guy sat down beside me. Next thing I knew, he had set fire to the trashcan. I mean, it was ridiculous. I’ve seen young guys jump on older guys who were sleeping at the bus stop, so most times I go up under a bridge to sleep.
 
"When I was younger, I worked full-time, but the last job I had was part-time with an independent land surveyor. When he retired, I lost that job and I haven't worked since. I turn 62 this year though and I’m applying for Social Security. Hopefully it’s going to come through and I’ll be able to get the money I paid into the system all those years. Before I can apply for Social Security, I have to get my ID straightened out, but it’s hard to do that when I don’t have an address and don’t pay rent or bills. I was born in Memphis, but it’s hard to get my birth certificate because I don’t have any proof of who I am. I’m going to try to get it all worked out. Maybe soon I won't be homeless."

For more information about the upcoming Friends of the Poor Walk/Run to benefit the Ozanam Center St. Vincent de Paul Food Mission, click HERE.

St. Vincent de Paul Food Mission:  "The Saint Vincent de Paul food mission in Memphis is critically important to the people we serve. It is the only food mission in midtown open every day. Open about two hours each day, seven day a week, 365 days a year it provides for the hunger of our guests."