How poor people survive in the USA | DW Documentary

in Southern California the Sun rises over San Diego Bay next to a major road in this parking lot 54 year old Maria begins her day straighten my bed this car is her home [Music] this is everyday this routine about stretching my bed Maria no longer has a place to live she has been sleeping in her van for a year now looks pretty nice you don't you don't see it doesn't seem that you live here but you do I have seen people with their cars so messy and things all over the place and how can I go to work with my life like that I mean has to have a little order you know because it's what we need to continue it's a it's not that perfect but it's the way I want and makes me feel better [Music] [Applause] just like Maria around 30 other people sleep overnight in their cars in this free parking lot nevertheless most of them work they are security guards uber drivers secretaries or even computer technicians Maria is a cleaner and a carer exhausting work that she does seven days a week to provide some comfort for all these people an organization has supplied them with the water point portable toilets and a small outdoor kitchen where Maria prepares her morning coffee before going to work this kind of wood bulletproof coffee is very famous in the United States [Music] Maria's fall from grace is a situation that affects thousands of other Americans for a long time she had everything she always wanted she was married and lived in this beautiful house but after five years of living together her blissful marriage suddenly fell apart he kind of dumped me dumped me it's okay it didn't work bye bye okay bye bye see you later I said well no I don't have please go home I'm a homeless no bad no no furniture no house so it's just my car I have a seat here and yeah that's the way it is Maria preferred to leave everything to her ex-husband and turn over a new leaf but over the last several years in California the cost of rent has risen so much that her salary the equivalent of 1,500 euros was not enough for her to afford an apartment Maria's just one of many middle-class Americans who have in recent years fallen into poverty [Applause] officially America is great again since the 2008 crisis the economy has never been stronger with record-breaking growth and unemployment has dropped to a historical low less than four percent an upturn for which Donald Trump has claimed all the credit there has never been a better time to start living the American dream but despite what the president claims the famous American dream is far from being achieved 40 million people are living below the poverty line and millions of workers will go to great lengths to stay above it becoming homeless overnight is what these Americans fear most because here the system is not very kind to those short of cash then I catch up real quick or Europe can have a judgement of possession against you and get addicted in some states being laced on your rent is no laughing matter one by one tenants are evicted at gunpoint for these Americans on the verge of ruin seeking medical treatment can cost a fortune and take your medicine too because you may not get one or the other so some people are standing up in solidarity making sure they're taking care of free of charge in field hospitals not unlike those found in a country at war an insight into the lives of those who cannot scrape a living in the heart of destitute America [Music] San Diego in Southern California 300 days of sunshine a year and beaches as far as the eye can see this is picture-postcard California San Diego is also one of the most dynamic cities in the country here unemployment is practically non-existent this dream lifestyle was once an everyday reality for Eric he was a successful computer engineer earning 7,000 euros a month today at 53 years old this man lives alone in his car and in order to eat for free he has made an arrangement with the staff at a pizzeria hello how are you today yep thank you what do you take here that these are the slices that they have in their display that they haven't for too long then they put them in the fridge for me so that they donate them [Music] era comes every evening to pick up some leftover pizza well thank you very much very much appreciate it okay bye-bye he's going to share these unsold slices with other victims of poverty because for a year and a half Eric has been sleeping in this parking lot the one way Maria the cleaner also lives his pizza deliveries make his neighbors very happy like lorella a 55 year old obit driver no no no I had a drive all day today [Music] in his former life Eric also worked a lot 50 hours a week but four years ago he suffered a burn out and also problems with his heart he could not work and received unemployment benefits for six months and then nothing at all going burning through my savings I ended up basically burning through everything and what couldn't afford to stay in a farm in a larger job eric is trying to pick himself up nowadays is doing temporary work and is saving up to be able to rent an apartment after her long day at work Maria's back yeah it's a where I work is a little hard because I have to lift a lady she's very heavy back and forth back and forth but nine hours is new it's a lot of hours but I'm okay first eat my food my bed I'm ready to jump in my bed at half past 9:00 at night the gates closed from this point onward no more cars can enter the parking lot at night there isn't a security guard they haven't been any attacks here to date but Maria doesn't take any chances I close the door put the windows down like this much and put the alarm somebody's trying to break in I will know I got my pepper spray and my hand my cutter somebody's trying to break in Shh spray yeah because you never know a few meters away Erik is getting ready to spend another night in his car even though it's full to the brim the former computer engineer will sleep sitting behind the wheel it's a world away from the comforts of his old life one thing that I've really found out about this is that you know the typical stereotype of you know the homeless person being lazy and not wanting to work or being a drug addict that may be the case in some places and some and some but the people have come true in this program most of them are very hard-working people that want to get ahead that and either have some some health issues or have some had a streak of bad luck or for whatever reason they've you know come into this this this situation some people are able to get out of it quickly some people it takes longer California is a state of stark contrasts despite being the fifth largest economy in the world a growing number of its workers can no longer afford a place to live but there is another state where the system is even more and forgiving that state is Virginia right next to Washington DC it's capital Richmond is a former industrial city here a quarter of the population live beneath the poverty threshold of the ten major cities with the highest rates of eviction in the country half are located in Virginia in Richmond alone around 3,000 tenants are forced out of their homes every year the evictions are a routine job for officer loyal from the sheriff's office several times a week he distributes the dreaded yellow notices in the state of Virginia the law is strict if the rent is laid by five days the landlord has the right to begin the eviction process the threatened tenants have one week to settle their debts otherwise they face eviction by force and officer loyal does not show much sympathy this morning he and his colleagues have to evict the residents of this house and just like when arresting a dangerous criminal they enter the home with their guns drawn the tenant is not currently at home and clearly they have not had time to vacate the premises as well the landlord he immediately reclaims his property to make sure the house is secure the tenant has arrived and is in shock she had been renting the house was seven years a single mother to a grown-up daughter she works but as frequently struggled to make ends meet she has to pick up her belongings the next day otherwise everything will go to the junkyard at her expense it's just gonna be easy on you like the vehicle to send a backyard or whatever if you haven't removed because if he has a tow company remove it and that's an added expense that you'd be looking at do you think all this is a bit harsh do I think it's harsh now you got to do we gotta do it I gotta do what I gotta do what are you gonna do where am I gonna sleep deep in the whole thing about needs yeah I can yeah have a good day she's immediately rendered homeless no room for negotiation this is the only way that's up to her if that's the only way she said she would move before this didn't move maybe she had nowhere to go you know she never did say that to me there are around 10 evictions just like this one every day in Richmond as a consequence of this fast-track justice budget hotels on the outskirts of the city have become a refuge for those who've been kicked out of their homes some people stay there for a very long time among them is David a 38 year old gardener david has lived in this motel since his eviction two years ago at the weekend the divorced father's children come to stay over in his one-room home which cost him 1300 it is our bedroom living room family room every room this is a little kitchen which I cooked her eggs last night and made hamburgers so I ain't cleaning the dishes you know we hung out played video games and bathroom you know got a shower but um that's about all during the week David shares this single room which has packed with household utensils and personal possessions with his new partner for two years here oh man I'm not cramped you know like obviously if you put two people in the same room for a long enough time it's theirs you're gonna bump heads and have arguments and stuff his girlfriend has a stable job in the insurance business they could buy a bigger and less expensive apartment yet they remain trapped in this tiny room because their past eviction continues to haunt them but at the time she was she was trying at first and then I'm what you get so beat down by going to places and stuff and them not they're not giving you a place because they're like oh you had an eviction it's you know shows that you didn't pay just like two months or something like that and it definitely was a detriment to it you know there was no way of getting anywhere it's almost unthinkable in many parts of the world but here landlords are able to access the past of bad tenants with a few simple clicks a systematic surveillance system that has been denounced by Martin vague bright a lawyer and defense attorney for tenants so this database is a public database I mean anyone can go on to this database and look at it and you can search by name so let's try a common common American name here we go Oh Mary Gillespie okay there we go and you can see five unlawful detainers let's see ten years ago this tenant had a series of late payments despite being small amounts in this case under $300 they can have grave consequences so if I'm a landlord I can look at that and say well that was 10 years ago but I think she's too much of a risk I don't want to rent to her if anything bad happens to you whether it's you know you get your hours cut back at work whether you break an ankle and you're off work for a month whether you got that car repair bill or that hospital bill or anything that just throws your budget off slightly you better catch up real quick or you're gonna have a judgment of possession against you and get addicted so the tenant really is living under the sword of damocles David is far from an isolated case six thousand three hundred people are evicted across the US every day in the city finding accommodation is the chief source of anxiety but there's a region where for some the main worry is simply being able to put food on the table welcome to rural America the Appalachian Mountains region that spans several states in the eastern part of the country [Music] Appalachia was once widely known for its coal production these days almost all of the mines are closed it's often said that the American dream got lost somewhere along the way here [Music] the Appalachia region with the predominantly white population is home to some of the poorest counties in the entire country [Music] during the summer at lunchtime this food truck travels up and down the disadvantaged areas of Roanoke Luz and Stacy are two volunteers who give out free meals to children they serve up to 200 meals a day and every time they arrive they're eagerly awaited on today's menu a sandwich a carton of milk and a Kiwi in this family both parents are unemployed they receive 1200 euros of welfare a month but as a family of five it's barely enough to live on well try to get in at least two to three but towards the end of the month when the stamps run low maybe I usually skip breakfast and lunch and yeah breakfast or lunch and then I eat dinner so that's yes being poor to the point of starving this reality is nothing new in the Appalachia region during his 1964 election campaign lyndon b johnson visited Appalachia and was horrified by the poverty he saw after his reelection he launched a master plan to put an end to poverty and now declares unconditional war on poverty in America one of his ideas was to create food stamps coupons given free of charge to the poor to this day the government distributes these food stamps to 40 million American people in this mobile home park in the heart of Appalachia the majority of families benefit from this food aid with the American flag hanging from the front steps this is the mobile home of 58 year-old Tsai Rainier Collins a former Marine serene E&O longer works following a long-term illness she receives a pension of 700 euros she faces a daily struggle to get by and her financial difficulties have gotten worse since she took in her niece Jennifer's an unemployed single mother who has three children to take care of Leah Lindsay and Jayden fortunately Jennifer receives food stamps every month on the first day according to how many kids you have and your income they put you know so much on there and I get every month on the first I'll get like six forty six hundred forty dollars just basically yes for food yeah five hundred and sixty euros a month to feed five people a tight budget before going shopping the two women check the balance on their card Sarah Nia and Jennifer can spend their food coupons in any supermarket like this discount store where they regularly go shopping once at the checkout the food stamp card works just like any other credit card and in this store in Appalachia they are by no means the only ones who use one how many people be with food stamps here probably have two it's a lot yeah yeah thank you Donald Trump plans to cut down on the amount of food stamp recipients critics say that risks making an already vulnerable Society even poorer [Music] but ironically here they voted 80% in favor of Trump and their support for him continues seemingly unabated to earn a little extra cash Serena does household chores for her neighbours for a few dollars she also cuts James's hair he works in a mine and is a loyal Trump follower I am yeah I do support Trump why because you've done everything he said he'd that you know Trump is willing to help other countries but his country comes first that's not I haven't been a long time Donald Trump is a billionaire Donald Trump keeps his family everywhere he goes his children his wife were everywhere with you that tells you a lot about a person that unwavering support can be difficult to understand for outsiders because since Trump's election everyday life for individuals in Appalachia has not improved poverty is pervasive here and has led to some strange developments in the middle of the night in this small town dozens of cars enter a show ground sold out ok I suggest that you be back here about three or four o'clock well it kind of drips you out cuz it makes you think you it's like it's everybody's lined up like you're going to a concert and you get learns to keep you keep your daughter stuff it you know what these people are gathering for here on mass is simply to see a doctor because every year here for a weekend a nonprofit organization arranges free consultations oh there's the huge name a lot of their families in this area are the working-class families they're struggling to choose between paying for medicine that can save their life or you know groceries for the week so it's it's a shame to have to do it this way but you got to take care of your people and these are our people and this is the way we take care of our people even though the health care system improved under previous President Barack Obama twenty-eight million Americans remain without any insurance coverage Saira Nia has arrived with her family her niece Jennifer and her three children they all need to see the dentist medical fees and the US are the most expensive in the world and unaffordable for a large section of the population so staying up all night seems like a small price to pay yeah it's not easy but you have to do it absolutely the alternative is not a good thing so have to the family arrived the night before because here the rule is first-come first-served at six o'clock in the morning the doors open the organizers call our patients by their number 127 somebody sound asleep in the car 128 so next time we'll call in groups of twenty again alright once inside the patients find themselves in a full-scale field hospital images reminiscent of a humanitarian disaster and yet this is modern-day America here people are treated in turn by a host of volunteers nurses family doctors but also specialists who are able to treat more complicated illnesses [Music] the most remarkable part takes place in this Sports Hall transformed into a gigantic dental care facility all day long 60 dentists scale drill fill and remove teeth she surveys the scene sigh Renia is overcome with emotion it's beautiful all the people volunteering so many people getting help that need it before my sister passed away she had all her teeth taken out and she didn't have any teeth to replace him with and she was younger than I am now and she was my older sister so I think about what she went through with health issues because of her teeth they're important she'll be seen to by a young student soon to complete his medical degree before treating Sri Nia he's had time to familiarize himself with the job he will spend a quarter of an hour removing Serena's tooth his sixteenth of the day but there's no time to take a breather here Cyrenian now proceeds to the locker rooms a dental prosthesis studio like the rest of the temporary facility it's run by volunteers and funded by donations don't play him it just relax lives relax first patients have dental impressions made in this room and next door a new set of teeth is created in less than two hours Sri Nia can look forward to showing off her new smile [Music] [Laughter] and know that I can smell and build it yes if the family had paid for all this treatment it would have cost them over $3,000 fortunately in the United States there are people personally taking action to help those in need on the other side of the country a man has embarked upon a mission to combat the poverty that has plagued the sidewalks of his city a place usually associated with the rich and famous rather than the down-and-out this is Los Angeles Los Angeles in Hollywood 38 year-old Elvis is appalled at how conditions in LA have continued to deteriorate in recent years it's not a third world country it's one of the richest countries in the world it's almost like a movie prop they don't it's hard to fathom that like every single day this is how people live Los Angeles the sprawling City of Angels and the glamorous heart of Hollywood cinema and yet today it is the homeless capital of America here in the last few years the number of people without a home has increased from 33,000 to 59 thousand in the shadows of the city skyline is the dark side of the Californian Dream when I was a kid and lived here it was nothing like it is now I left for almost two decades and I came back a few years ago and it just it just blows my mind it's just going to increase because every month the cost of everything keeps going up there's no regulation so in apartment owners and landlords can raise the money you know the rent whenever they like but nobody's paychecks are getting bigger outraged by the growing distance all of us gave up his job as a sales assistant he lives on the salary of his partner Leah who works at a university in this way Elvis can devote all his time to helping those less fortunate a little further from downtown a woman has moved in beneath this bridge Elvis and Leah regularly pay her a visit [Applause] kami has been living here for five years in a small tent that she shares with another woman they're desperately vulnerable to the dangers of the street and have already been assaulted several times they just tore it right open and now now she doesn't even have a door when she sleeps out here at night there's also no lights and you know especially as a woman that's pretty damn scary even if a guy walk right in do whatever they want to help these people Elvis wants to do more than just bring them bottles of water his main project is hidden away in the yard of this church he came up with the idea to build small wooden houses for the homeless they're very small but inside Elvis and Leah have thought of every last thing to improve the daily lives of these people window arms yes so what does it mean so if someone tries to open the window the alarm will go off this right here allows people to sleep when people sleep they can think they can do better they feel better they want better the house is also equipped with a fire alarm a light and a phone charger all of which are powered by a solar panel each cabin costs the equivalent of a thousand euros financed by donations collected online but Elvises well-meaning initiative is illegal the mayor of Los Angeles has banned him from installing his cabins on the sidewalks of the city Elvis will carry on regardless this morning his delivering one of them to a homeless couple who very much need it hey I'm Elvis nice to meet you I'm brownie Christa is the 32 year old and is three months pregnant she lives on the curb of the sidewalk with her partner Andre for four years now the couple have been sleeping in this tiny cart that is a health hazard on wheels I could say you can everything all these little different walks management mostly not being able to have good hygiene Elvis can't hang around the trick is to get this get this done and off before the cops show up the tiny house weighs 400 kilograms but his project does not make everyone happy why don't you go back in your house and enjoy the air conditioning a neighbor expresses her discontent she's against this why she she doesn't want it in front of her house she's calling the police and so we need to hurry along and we'll pray that they are allowed to keep their house this is how it goes in Los Angeles yeah please God looked at both of you congratulations a few days after filming the police threatened to destroy the cabin unless Elvis removed it he and the couple managed to move it on to privately owned land in the end the disgruntled neighbor got her way but we find people elsewhere trying to challenge the ostracization of homeless people in rather inventive ways our next stop is Texas and the conservative City of Waco it has around 50 churches serving its 120,000 residents here once a month a religious community organizes a curious program people come from all over the United States to take part [Music] you know wasn't weapon for you what what do you know we're gonna be for 24 hours these high school students are going to live eat and sleep in a role-playing scenario much like 20 or so other participants all from middle class backgrounds each of them has paid 60 euros to participate Janet Darrell came up with the idea 25 years ago with her husband a pastor the remarkable simulation project has so far had 30,000 participants the goal is to create compassionate care for humanity and poverty everybody can get the American Dream but when you're trapped in poverty and the cycles of poverty Janet Terrell says in order to truly experience the life of a homeless person you have to start by looking like them in this second-hand store participants are encouraged to dress in appropriate clothes jeans but I think that Skeeter's off of my ankles so that I'm happy about that right now it doesn't seem like too much of a challenge but things are going to get more complicated with the second-stage sleeping out in the open will be it not in the streets but in a secured fenced off yard 53 year old martyr however is slightly concerned I'm scared of bugs she thought long and hard before signing up it was her husband who convinced her to take part he doesn't look like real on this situation right right yes yes it doesn't smell like poop it doesn't smell like urine there's a rat running everywhere yeah no this is definitely luxury homelessness yeah a fact that is a comfort nonetheless although it won't be a very long night at 6 o'clock the next day janitor L gives everyone a wake-up call and they don't look particularly well-rested it's not real unless situation in their safe they're saving them being on the street but this is not as safe as being in the home with their family so it just gives them a little bit more reality of what living in the environment does on your body so by tonight it takes about 24 hours to really start getting the idea that this this could be really rough for the next stage of the program the participants are sent to downtown Waco their task today is to find something to eat from their own and without any money [Music] you can smell the food so should should I ask this guy cannot beg for silly people at restaurant like in many other cities in the US begging is a punishable offense it's also forbidden to rummage through garbage bins oh there's no food in there there's city property and reclaiming anything at all from them is considered stealing in order to survive the homeless and Wako are therefore forced to break the law our two participants are not going to find anything to eat and after two hours of walking the streets in 40 degrees heat marta feels faint she calls her husband to pick her up but I feel like I feel like I'm too weak well we're gonna shoot like I'm too old and fat and I can't do it you've learned something about yourself and what it would like what would be like to be homeless at your age yeah and be hard is the us truly ready to face up to poverty while the president claims America has never been so great forty million of tramps fellow citizens are still caught in the clutches of poverty [Music] you

Channel: DW Documentary

Views: 16,007,134

Rating: 4.5418034 out of 5

Keywords: Documentary, Documentaries, documentaries, DW documentary, DW documentary 2019, full documentary, documentary 2019, DW, homelessness, inequality, wealth, USA, poverty, food cards, social reporting, injustice, working poor, poverty in USA

Id: JHDkALRz5Rk

Length: 42min 26sec (2546 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 27 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/pruplegti]

working homeless, to have a job but live in a car. I can't ever get my head around this.

[u/JDaws23]

I live in San Diego as well. Price of living here is absolutely insane. As it is in most places in California. I had to live in my car once (for about 4 months) when I was 19 or so. Definitely not fun sleeping in a 2003, 2 door Honda Civic ex coupe. I remember having to turn on my car every so often throughout the night to run the heater because I was so damn cold. And that was with a jacket and beanie and a blanket on.... in San Diego! It was over the fall-winter though, but still....

Plus, I remember on several occasions being woken up and harassed for sleeping in my car as they searched in vain, looking for any excuse to arrest me. I was literally told that if I sleep in my car, I had to drive down the freeway (a good 45 minutes to an hour away) to the closest rest stop to sleep. As if I had the money for gas to afford all of that driving.

Thankfully, they recently enacted laws here that allows it in a lot more places than they used to. I was working in a warehouse at the time and I would take a “bird bath”. The cemetery where my brother was laid to rest is really pretty and usually pretty sparsely populated. The bathrooms are also able to be locked and it was overall a nice bathroom. I would use the sinks in there and handle business. I wish they would’ve had an area like the one in the video back when I needed it.

Edit: I’m doing pretty good now though. I’ll be 30 in January and I have my own business, a bigger vehicle ( just in case, I figured I could at least comfortably sleep in my truck if it came down to that ever again) and I’m living in a rented house by myself and with my 2 dogs. After those 4 months or so I was able to move in with my mom on a temporary basis while I got on my feet again (thankfully). It’s most definitely a big learning experience and I think that time helped push me to grow a lot.

[u/darqmommy]

Three simple reasons why poor people go hungry while also getting obesity diseases:

1. Chaotic lives working multiple jobs means that they consume more convenience meals which are processed.

2. Multigenerational bad housing means that many poor Americans have no place to cook. The skills for cooking simply and living frugally have been lost due to chaotic lives (see above) and people living out of cars have nowhere to cook anyway. Poverty isnt done in a cozy cabin with family and a garden plot anymore. It's in the city now.

3. Poor urban dwellers cannot get to decent grocery stores out in the suburbs. Their lack of fresh food is an epidemic and an outrage. People who subsist on convenience store items like hot dogs and packaged foods are fat but also undernourished. It's documented.

[u/SigmaB]

The US has like infinite money to go to wars and put people in jail, also there are amazing smart people that can build rockets that send shit to orbit and then land back down perfectly, but poverty is too hard/expensive to fix?

[u/upwardsandforward]

This is heartbreaking. I grew up very poor and remember the despair I felt knowing that food was not a given, and worried if I'd turn out like the adults I saw all around me. I feel for these people.

[u/thegurlearl]

I make "good money" in a blue collar job, great benefits and it's still tight. I only have a mortgage/utilities, my vehicles are paid off, support 2 dogs and no debt. This is Central California and I have no fuckin clue how friends survive with rent, kids, car & credit card debt making $15-18/hr.

[u/aBoyandHisVacuum]

This is a little bit of side track. But it's depressingly real the amount of friends I have under and around 30 who still don't work..never went to college and live by a thread. But of course on the other hand I know PHds who quit their jobs and paint cause they just can't socialize. So I struggle with this as what are the incredible amount of factors that lead to this.... Education, mental health, basic skills training. I don't know

[u/Bear_duke]

The title is misleading. “Twice as many as it was fifty years ago”. The population size is nearly twice as many people compared to 50 years ago so yes there are nearly twice as many humans. So the group in poverty nearly doubled in size because every group nearly doubled in size. Sources : https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/154286/50YearTrends.pdf and https://www.multpl.com/united-states-population/table/by-year

[u/gears19925]

Half a century isn't quick when a lifetime is considered 25 years.... The last half century lead by the golden spoon generation has seen opportunity for lower and middleclass plummet while corporations get everything they want. Our politicians are for purchase by the highest bidder and voter apathy and suppression have paved the way for the most corrupt politicians the country has ever had. Why would anyone want to vote when your choices are a liar corporate shill or a nicer lying corporate shill.

At least this time we have two candidates worth voting for in the primary and an understanding that we are on an edge. Falling to the right means suffering and death at the hands of corporatist shills and fascists. Falling to the left gives us a chance at a future where people aren't intentionally made to suffer and die for the profits of a few.