St. Louis Homeless Documentary

there's a pipe run from here to the airport they offload airplane fuel here and then it's piped out to the airport and there's steady been a leak there for two years that I know of maybe three it's the third largest like since the largest aquifer in the world next to only the Amazon the Nile so anytime it's polluted it it's not a good thing this here is where they bring the jet fuel and yeah this is where they offload the fuel but the the leak you can see the pipe down there would go down here I'll show you that's where it's bubbling out of because like you said take not only do we fish out of it people swim in it Mark Twain piloted it hook I mean it's the mighty Mississippi and it's been steady flowing that way for several years I would say he that our mother the earth was pissed kind of [ __ ] like that oil things are fixing to change you know and I'm not exactly a Christian or an Indian but the waiting the wanting people they will inherit the earth the one reason beings if they know how to survive a lot of these poor folks that you're filming you know when the [ __ ] hits the fan they'll be able to survive most of not all of them but some of us say about [Music] we call it encampments and actually there's three down there there's spawning there's one of them dignity Harbor and then hotel is the most recent development down there we you know we kind of said don't file no harm not attempting to affect people although they are squatters and you know if individuals choose to do things that result in some public safety or some nuisance or some hazard to themselves or other people and the city is going to be forced into position to probably do something to rectify that I don't know what that would be but unfortunately there's I think excessive use of alcohol and drugs other things on some of the individuals there and that's a very volatile combination I mean as far as OGIS concern you know his attitude about the hotel I mean they were fine and all these other people show up they're doing things that they'd obviously not do my dignity harbor but it's making them all a little bit I told og the same thing I said this place is jeopardizing everybody down here because you can't selectively say okay you got to go you know but you can say I mean after it goes it all goes their behavior is jeopardizing what happens to do to the harbor [Music] last winter 30 below zero we were here we didn't have no evidence we had tents the worst of the worst things dirty stuff water dripping in our food we throw it away as we cook when we took in so many girls Khadem warm this winter that's gonna be it's gonna be a hole in our heart when they call us who they know calls to homeless at this camp they call it surly campers I can't understand but hey we're not all that but they think we are it's true I'm just trying to make it pushing him I can't call them they're all sick that's why my here building I'm back in Hill thought she's sick no he's sitting in that that's Bruce's old lady Al's Oh laser nice she's sick in there second that tent right there Gary sick you can hear him coughing right there grandpa counselor I'm old lady counselor the other ones are coming back all have cancer we're all done it's all dying Council we will be carried off these fields in body bags that's what we bout we mean it there's no need to be sad for us we've all have good jobs thanks for stuffing in your stocks turn then you come in here like we tell them we'll take anybody a girl would take a couple of people take but we don't take single man single men got this problem about going out drinking a little party I want to come back and honor women - no way playing it this is for we heard that's why our names of dignity are these one we're gonna keep their dignity and we're gonna hard-won in our cause we do not care how we have to down and we will if we have to but we're not the violent type should have to get there well we can go that route come on we're vets but we never have to we don't hurt people we walk them off make only when I like the other cats when I beat people up have a amulets and all that and all day what we're here for so on that's what we do [Music] when my wife died I hit the road sold every damn thing I own and I've been traveling around the United States for quite some time I got a few other camps that know me a grandpa the old man and one day I hit st. Louis and mean these guys we kind of hooked up and this all started this is all over come here all the way down right here this is all over we sell it by the rank in the corner rank is 16 inches wide full feet taller anything wrong the court is formed by followed by accorded Caesar Knope is probably about $450 that's a lot of wood if we don't we don't charge that much now everybody's seen dollar signs of what we got going on down here there's one person who's donating a lot of money a lot of materials and stuff that was wanted to contributing factor to us moving away from that corner yep one morning there's five one-ton vans coming down through the field and they stop down and drop everything I mean tons they drop so much stuff off we couldn't have used it in a year but we knew where there were several other camps at and instead of just hoarding it or don't away whatever we spread it out where it needed to go where we felt people could use it and that's what people started calling us to home and telling the homeless these other camps this especially this one down here I'm kind of worried about there's some real unsavory characters down people have done a lot of time with and I know what they're about and they just don't have any babies down how Bill's not a place out with anybody go yeah it kind of rough down there they got four or five drug dealers down the mouth heroin crack cocaine weed and whatever else you need but they don't see nothing wrong with it's like today I had the deal with the situation where some guy jumped another guy I had to call the angle since the cops showed up and all this and I was like huh now you see why I drink you know hopefully a real physical problem that concerns us all I don't know if you're aware of the fact that it's pretty significant fire down there started as I understand it by one individual propane blew up it caught three other tents on fire and all four of burned up so our preference would be that they not be there and that they accept the services and come in Doug Lee I'd like tonight it's gonna get close to zero that'd be like directing temperatures and given that they can't force people you know I'm to accept services but that's the way the world is my name is Ray rent link and I the vice president and assistant director of the New Life evangelistic Center and we continue to reach out helping the homeless the poor the disenfranchised finding creative solutions to the problems that people face through the love of Jesus Christ I know it is sometimes controversial I know that the city leaders probably would rather not have it there although they're kind of on a peaceful coexistence of the status right now I would say but they're pretty much on their own and it's still as a a community there it certainly meets a need because of all those people were to come into the shelters on any given night you know I don't think all the shelters and st. Louis would be able to accommodate them we got started at the Tucker tunnel the deadline I think was May 14th last year that we had to be out because they they have to the the bridge was falling down on the road over and we were down in the tunnel and it was starting to fall in and with this new bridge they're putting in and all that they wanted to fix that when the deadline came they really hadn't given us anywhere to go so we just came here and og and them were already here so I think that was probably part of it why we ended up here and once I mean in two days there were 80 of us down here they couldn't really stop us got the propane and don't take his own kid take the smokes away I'm like what are you talking about take that crap lighter away that's what that is like really and I'm like uh yeah the guy was high on crack when he said it stood on fire on fire because nobody stole his DVD player okay I didn't compromise everything was smokin all the news I said oh you're smoking the Fela claim [ __ ] you took a big blaster cracker went in and do gasoline all over his tent threw a match in it that's what he did it was his a man could burn his own stuff up right and he had two other tents right next door as longer other people that he burned down the fire yeah I'll play the fits on that keep it at home well yes yeah hi 27 years really for one first-degree robbery first degree burglary first we're assault I used to be a bad boy it seems like you've changed hold on I'm retired I'm not going back to prison I am NOT gonna steal a piece of bubblegum well we didn't want to start it all we want to do is just live and be left the hell alone all this that's happening now I mean I am they just happened don't regret it none whatsoever I'm glad you're doing I mean this is uh if you believe in God and everything this is what God is minutes to do one day I will probably give all this up and get back to it again but right now I can actually do more damage out here when I can't if I was involved in church [Music] this one's very playful and very ticklish on the belly we got Kiko right here this one's actually mine this is the one I'm keeping and he he attacks me no let me go I'm Kimberly Martinez in October of 2009 my husband got real abusive and did some stuff to me and I ended up in the hospital after they released me from the hospital I went to a group home which was severely abusive and neglectful and I came here to dignity harbor I feel 100% safe here I know there's a lot of stuff going on with my soon-to-be ex-husband trying to hunt me down trying to do stuff to me and everything else but I know for a fact that I'm gonna be here and I am 100% safe got tired of people not doing anything to keep the kitchen clean so one night we up to do this whoever the lowest man or wonder was on the dog board was the one picture doing the job but that only lasted for a second so that kind of faded out so we went over here to the calendar it's enough of us like on the 22nd I did it on the 23rd hope did it and we go on and on down the counter that way I can't get confused and everybody's got their own shot at cleaning the kitchen my name is al Taylor and right now I'm just out of work trying to make it like everybody else I found out about dignity harbor I was actually staying at a hope filled at first and things weren't right down there she just became unsafe and I just came up here and I started talking to Bruce and Bruce welcomed me in that I just moved up here and I was welcomed they gave me everything that I possibly needed to survive and we've just been up here trying to get it you know probably chance to get out of here is for getting a job and up for me but I like it up here I've made a lot of good people and to me this is home right now it's Christmas nearby spirits are just nice and high it kind of makes you feel like home even though we stuck here in a homeless camp I'm happy right now you know our spirits are a lot different than a lot of people around here because we don't get to think about Christmas we still think that we got each other but a lot of people around on the count their spirits are gonna drop because how do you say all the publicity of Christmas is gonna leave and it's going to be back to the whole humdrum like way of life of just trying to exist without something to keep you pushing forward and that's what people don't understand it's not about bringing by a turkey or a pair of socks or you know saying Merry Christmas it's about being back out there in the rat race having a job home for me you know a way of life for America and that's all me and my wife one we want a job if I can get a job and just get up in the morning and eat breakfast come back and see my wife out to work I'm I have no idea what I think I don't give a [ __ ] about that camera grandpa there's a man's man he doesn't want to sit idle why everybody else does the work but grandpa's got bone cancer his digit is 65% he's not supposed to swing a mallet or sledgehammer but this damn fool keeps doing it anywhere they called me grandpa he knows Dave my real name my health condition is I have lung cancer brittle bone disease and I'm dying about disabled vet and this is where I choose to live I'll take you back can't hold out here Merry Christmas do you and listening to military when I seventeen years old and I was back when Vietnam was going heavy and strong I mean good god I didn't give a [ __ ] who you were as long as you pull a [ __ ] trigger here in Vietnam he fights a war unlike past war my daddy was a diesel mechanic and that's what I went into military to be by time I 17 I had a fifth degree black belt in martial arts and was I boxed for four years Golden Glove so when I went to dam military figured all this damn [ __ ] out and pretty dies with no [ __ ] boy I can pull a trigger well guess what decent mechanic part didn't work out so what they did was they made me airborne uh during first Airborne Ranger that wasn't bad him jumping out airplanes would more - [ __ ] first two or three times a little leg jump and I have a perfectly good airplane for some reason never understood that port they sent me to Vietnam and of course I was just a damn grunt you know jumping out damn airplanes and I have no idea what the hell they saw in me I don't I just doing what they tell me to do the next thing I knew you know rank was coming in and popping me up and before I knew it I was elite batter the baddest and by then I'd already got the attitude where I just didn't really give a [ __ ] if I'll ever died I've run a team of twelve counting myself and our sole purpose was to go in take people out that's what we did there's a lot of the divers yeah I mean my wife she was back home and didn't know if I was gonna come home in a body bag or a wheelchair or whatever when it came time for me to come home you got to figure by the time they actually wanted me to get the hell out of there I didn't been you know shot twice and it kept patching my ass up man they'd always eat time they say uh well what you want to do Sarge I'm gonna go home I'm gonna stay well I want to stay well third damn time around they didn't give me a choice that you're going home well me my eleven guys we went our last mission and they actually had to send the tune in to get me cuz I wasn't coming in I guess when I went to boot camp I came home from boot camp I had a 30-day leave when I came home being the eldest everybody's pushing me to get married like that well thing is it's kind of hard to do when you're gay but thing is you know my best friend I'd known since I don't know fifth grade or something we were best friends and her family's pushing her and so we decided to go ahead and do it married 38 years three kids had no regrets about that either like I said before I've been all over the United States I've been all over the freaking world but this is the one place that I can come home to and I am fully accepted for who I am I am NOT judge to look down yeah I'd be grandpa one day every grandma all the next day it doesn't matter I mean he'll I've got the nails to prove it and the thing is anybody walks in this damn camp and tries to put this old man down and he gotta worry about this old man you better worry about the rest of the camp I was here the whole time every 15 minutes I had to go down knock the ice off my tent that was a full-time job we had another guy that's him right there doodie storm was coming so he went to Hotel expected us to take care of his team when he got back his kid was laid down flat trying to get my face stayed here you knew the storm was coming you know you live in a team take you ass back to the hotel the thing about living in a tent is its well that's no big deal but the thing is after a while when a tent stays it for so long it gets the point where you walk and put your finger through it it's no longer a viable place to live we have a person mangle name old names or anything like that that's going that's helping us out and I'm he sheds like you're seeing right now for people living a lot better than a tent until they tell me I can't do no more I'll keep on doing [Music] damn big well thank god it's moving day I'll get the rest of the stuff out of the tent put it in the hut this would be our permanent home right now now when the wind blows I don't have to worry about it falling in on me and the wind blows I finally got a job it's a different career so I'm just gonna hope for the best but uh I should be starting it next week it's quite a change but I'm looking forward to the trackage that's a load off my mind I don't care if it aint number $200 a week but it's touring somewhere from scratch from zero to sixty yeah I like them so we really don't have a whole lot of time left you in dignity or I don't think so anyway good job I'll be working right up doing probably I mean I couldn't find an apartment closer I couldn't find one close man [ __ ] to actually be kind of miserable once I do have to move here and then had to find transportation back [Music] [Applause] [Music] remember had jobs we know what we're doing I'm people you give us chance for students a chance to second to me come to still poem it's got to change works gonna change first so I've got a lot of us to build nobility from it I can't walk and won't get and that's not being cocky I'll sit on the floodplain it's not as what we do maybe I may be like the front man everybody makes it all be that I'm more like the politician in the camp we don't steal nothing we don't Panhandle we bust our would sell we're anything we can to make a sufficient we're the most efficient camp in the city [Music] see last place but you guys y'all understand there's a lot of drugs coming around here and a lot of people talking like like a lot of different dog [ __ ] right like talking about right but there's a lot of people dense doing heroin cocaine doing all this [ __ ] and then they sit here and do the double top right just keep you just keeping mouth [ __ ] knows that keeping myself one thing led to another with him in Bruges and make sure you know he just said chic top in a way he left you know like in the middle of the night everybody wondered where he went to I can do a few for so long benefit so long I have something to say to you but I don't jump on the bike I talk to him peacefully I only called the memory about what they did I'm not tell him it's just time to go you don't jump on nobody it's wrong it's wrong it's not for you to judge it's what the guy but I don't need them here corrupting we're trying to build up our new by terror now just bruises they're bad that the family cousin that we tolerate we love but we don't invite the family reunions reality standpoint family we've all been to those family reunions we've all been dead you know oh good god here comes such and such and well let's be nice for right now and and then move on yeah boys missing don't know where your couch at Bordeaux like to have him back I wasn't here something happened message that we had a minion fun times we can't handle freezing rain I did what the family expected when my wife was laying on her deathbed she said honey you did what the family wanted you do now it's your turn to live your life and I Got News for you I am I live as a man and I live as a woman anything is my family here accepts it and I dare I'll tell you what I dare anybody to come in this camp and badmouth my ass cuz they won't only have me to deal with but they have the whole family to deal with hope and Bruce and Grandpa they all three got drunk [Music] and brews our grandpa said something sideways to Bruce and Bruce came at him when I came out of my tent Bruce is like honey I'd get back in your tanner go in the kitchen get warm I'm like dude it's gonna pee and I go in the kitchen and hope standing there with a butcher knife I'm gonna kill him I'm gonna kill him if he does anything - anything - if grandpa touches Bruce I'm killing grandpa no right now the guys are you know the people that's in this place and they're all good people I don't have a problem nobody nobody that's bothering me listen Evan told me that yet grandpa left he'll never be back he sold his ass real good night he left packed up lock stock and barrel and went to Colorado that didn't work out so he thought he could come back here I started not letting come back it also because I'll throw every war drink and they I mean Bruce is sitting out there yelling you peony airs wearing [ __ ] queer get the [ __ ] out of these camp lists at this set [ __ ] no phone Bruce was just babbling idiot my camps in the big best of the star has been rough on us we would everywhere we had to drop all the tents I can't take anybody else there's a lot of people out in the street that I can help right now so this is last Thanksgiving last Christmas last New Year's last spring will probably be here unless things change [Music] [Applause] [Applause] when it was real hard on us to help a lot of stuff what were you building all the money I'd made about rehab and I dumped into the scam the gas send the girls home that I do it because I have a 13 year old niece got raped be you tricking me no tribal cute we didn't really have a bunch of revivals up here for any charge they help those Christian folk my name is Kevin I work for a group called Xtreme faith it's a thing that we started about 10 years ago my buddies and I we've got 70 or 80 volunteers with us and we fed hundreds people it's pretty interesting they got they got a lot of people in our that live down here they just don't is sad you know they they can't get out on what they're doing and I tell you what and you guys you guys are pissing their pants and sleeping and wearing them all week and then take them off from bar and put a new pair on because of my dating pool and then all these church people come up and give them everything ten times more than what they need picking off bugs need to get off their ass and go work you know there's a hot [ __ ] babies one thing that we tried to shy away from is there's the groups that will just drop food hard to horn and drive away but the groups that just come down at hand sandwiches out once a month they're helping but they're they're also kind of hindering a little bit if you don't get to know these people how are you going to encourage them to take the next step so our main goal is relationship building that's gonna be how you how we change this it's not about heinous stuff out it's not about the money that we pour into it you can pour millions of dollars into it so I can change it you got to have somebody on the ground being their friend I know a few people down here and we hit a wood splitter down here I've asked quite a few people take the wood because I'd fill up a nursery you know I wouldn't have no other place to put it so I just bring it down here we might get in trouble city might start a message cry stores out here no place to go or no reason not what we want is what we need and keep going we want our jobs back in our houses the same thing you got a lot of y'all about the losing people in your family about to lose you don't hate on the man sleeping in the bus stop it might be when your oh just because there's economy everybody's going down I'm more June up side at all [Music] let's talk to Bill seadov who has vowed to close this Hooverville this summer bill you're the director of the city's Department of Human Services and this is a little tent village called Hope ville has been under your skin for a long time hasn't it yeah you know hopeful and the encampments on the riverfront have been something that has been a concern for a long time to the city it's all started of course with the tunnel being demolished that occurred in early party last year and we have continued to monitor the situation there and I guess you know with the escalation of the murder that occurred there a couple of days ago that has just added to our concern about that particular area yeah it's it's it's it's I think it's an embarrassment for the nation and embarrassment for the city I wasn't there started with the mayor started with the medal what I heard down there feel it was the cat fight one they intervened to try and stop the cat fight because the mayor will they supply to the drugs so they jumped on the one I was fighting with the mayor the guys down they intervened trying to break it up Adrienne's use one cultivate and Oh about 4:15 this morning the police get caught back up because they jumped on somebody else with her ex what they took the person that they jumped on with ax and throw him in the room when they took me up there is nothing he would lose method that's the end of them and I would heard it professionally the mean then possibly everybody may have to me we got to stay out of it just be safe ourselves you know we've been here for three years they didn't know we didn't know y'all were down here Kareem no problem now y'all everybody know we're down the second car but they gonna see who the main problem once this all said and done they supposed to be like a family community down but that's like the city of thieves there's no honor among thieves so if they gotta go their own burden of all the games that's they say well earth it let's just see how she goes cuz you go crazy I mean it's not easy yeah we're moving into a new apartment and this is the bedroom yeah it's afraid of it too lazy to thrill them right now so it's gonna have to wait then we got a break in the mattress and this is the bathroom good idea just basic simple rooms but it taller and a bear wrong do you like the kitchen this is the kitchen where we eat the heels from zero to being rich because that's how your own format makes you feel you know like the man said you can do anything you want but without real estate ain't no now we got on only thing that I can tell you from is from what I've seen and what I live it's all one big lie oh dear that I love as long as he thinks he's king of the mountain like he's better he picked us out for being suspicious and sneaky yeah he called us scandalous because he thought we stole his dog I kept trying until never touches up high on the hill am I gonna steal a homeless dog from a homeless shelter and stay at the homeless shelter myself it makes no sense at all you have to be on drugs or something to even think that way well nothing was secure there anymore either you never knew what was gonna happen next we have not yet seen a bunch of women static happened maybe one or two while we was 10 it's mixed couples that means to stay at the camp and that means that that discards all the truth that he says about the camera because it's not a bunch of understand at the camera and the biggest fly just that's dead is downright is that he cares about you is that he cares a lot of people he don't care about anybody but himself never did and never will as long as you can be down there splitting with a burning brush so he can get free money you know tax free you cannot help the homeless people and let you get to bought into it and you got some logical conclusion with how you gonna beat them out of their citizens that's what it's all about and that's I can't right there you will never get no more father thank you some like couldn't see ya blogs that's it and when he gets tired of you are you something that he don't like the next thing you know he's gonna wanna be trying to chew up I just got word this morning to my oldest son won by saw my grandmother I wanted to cry but I couldn't I wanted to be down but there's no way I can get there and get back so I just have to deal with it until I maybe make a way to get down there soon spend time with my family here we have the city taking the water supply for the mountains people so we're trying to force you out thirst you today but they're capable you see them laugh and they think it's real funny good good night that was the spicket the whole bill but of course and get one for me so we'll see how that goes it's an unfortunate state of affairs over the last two years I've been loving in this camp trying to help folks keep warm people that are living here some of them were hard times some long good times with their people and they need to be someplace they need to have water and you get respect I mean everything's very chaotic in the world right now at least we could do is take care of our people yet the city feels us it's necessary to move these people off this land there's still people I guess it's just par for the course when I came down and checked it out a couple of times realized I already knew a bunch of people that were down here and I agree with the movement the system's screwed up that's basically what I've been doing what I saw Tocqueville as was a kind of little protest in and of itself now there's lots of other people that are realizing how screwed up the system is and finally starting to step up I'm flower Deana former mayor of Holtville and now I'm with the Occupy st. Louis by the ex-mayor why'd you leave hopefully it was time for me to go well there's always been mobile camps of the town of folks who dingy harbors have been staying down there for a couple years now have been causing life trouble the city's want to run them out in which I don't think right these folks here camp in the park without permit going to being tolerated I think that they are I don't know where this camp is going there's a lot of rumors going around which is the same I mean there'd be rumors going around down there left and right but everybody's got to be gone by this time they're gonna do this they're gonna kick everybody out done it at it they're gonna get us an empty building and you could get every single person that's down there in those camps a house and it doesn't mean that it's gonna last and it doesn't compensate for all the other homeless people either that's just a fraction of people that are out on the streets I mean I think they want them going whatever it takes they just don't want them there I'm saying is a lot of we'll move but there's just going to move someplace else why I have a safe reasonably clean environment for them to cohabitate we're supposed to be your own doctor under steps or convinced infirm hospital or whatever all the way they need to be I know that nobody should be able to tell somebody walk the river nobody should be able to own the river you know the reason that forefathers design in this society and our Constitution that they might peaceable together is because they came from an over to tolerance system the same reason we had the right to devote the Free Press so that's what these people are doing a peaceful gathering they should be allowed to no doubt about it when baba daughter you can't bet on much but things will change and i just prayed it as a peaceful change in enlightenment and the people who will learn to create change the peace gandhi tried it Martin Luther and several Jesus it's not always an easy trail where is the best bet so I pray that it stays peaceful down there and these people aren't rousted either one in these places dignity harbor or this place so let's say about that Steve you're on chemo X I've been going down there with a group that works with the homeless every other week and not everybody that's down there are drug addicts there are a lot of people there carpenters and stuff that are out of work and they've got no place to go they lost their home I mean it's like with any group if you get a hundred people you're going to get something that are bad let me ask you this bill Steve as well-intentioned is he helping or hurting the situation I agree with the moment there are some you know bad apples and that group down there but I think you know we can do better in terms of serving individuals who have those kind of needs you know we have mental illness we have co-occurring disorders addiction there's many things that afflict the individuals that are involved in these encampments and you know we really are embarking on an effort now to try to find something better alternative clearly the model of the city is permanent supportive housing we have done that with some success in terms of adding additional units here in the city and that has reduced our homeless population by about thirty percent don't know how much longer would be here of city official promises and when we build our buildings to make them renewable removable and they give us two months to move it well they nearly told us yet the girls are going to be lost stuff to move if they do have to move they let me shelter stuff and we got so much stuff to do so that's all I know for now and hope things change for the best said over the worse Oh G has been the father that I had never had Loretta has been the mom that I miss I wouldn't trade them in for the world at all they're they're my family they really are they're good people good hearted people and I love them dearly this like I said this is my home this will always be my home and I wouldn't trade it in for the world lost matter than showing a brighter supposes show just mattered my shoulder weight trying to wait on them to show up yeah they were supposed to be here at 1:00 o'clock eleven o'clock and they're not here if you're not here and they show up then all of a sudden it's your fault exactly exactly and I got you know I just got this job I took off in art but soon to get on the list I hope they don't assume since you're homeless that you got nothing else to do great and that's not crazy that's not right no punctuality says a lot exactly Felicia it makes your intent look better exactly I'm assuming according to her she says they have in place apartment places like that are already set that's what they told us yeah well the city is uh tonight to giving us our eviction notice for the camps and st. Louis probably 70 people everybody is apprehensive about what the city is going to do for us because they've done this before and of course ninety percent of the people are still here alright we go ahead and get started we will begin a systematic process of assisting people to relocate from this area we will start with Dignity Harbor and then we'll move to help fill and then Sparta and the other encampment the goal is to assist everyone in getting housing and we will do an assessment of each individual and we will work with each individual to help determine their needs we've done this before but this is basically our final process for relocation that's all I'm saying cuz they got all that money allocated to them they're living off of it and we get squat we get nothing there driving around in their fancy rides they come down here and they blow smoke up our butt tell us all we're gonna give you a house we're gonna do all this whoo when you receive squat a bus pass and then they take it back to that's how much they care why should they care they're getting their little salary offer us the head of that place wouldn't he would shake my hand act like he didn't even know I existed oh you don't know I was gonna beat him down it's the truth brother we're taking us out of a situation where we're safe and put us in a situation where we are extremely vulnerable I don't appreciate that at all the city just came and gave me opportunity to be placed in housing so right now I'm currently waiting for house I've been waiting for this moment a long time but I think this is gonna be the new beginning and hopefully everything works out for everyone in a housing situation I've been out here for four years now I haven't had any proper outlook on life because I was being looked down on because I kept pushing and pushing and pushing and helping out others by me helping others out some came through and helped me out now I'm able to get my apartment and I'm happy about that to help is the only way to do things not look for nothing in return because it'll come back to you and a bigger reward then you actually would expect besides my two sons my three daughters along with my fiance and my pet cat I'm one of the heaviest man just touch on one thing they came down here what was it October of last year started this all up and they did put some hot and put some people in the housing and stuff like that it's like football you fumble every once in awhile but you picked the ball up that's what they did they fumble they might have fumble just a little bit but they kept on picking the ball up and picking it up and keep on striving forward and forward for us the relief start doing something for us so we need we need to get off the streets and do what they want us to do our goal is to in chronic homelessness and if we can show the people that fund us at the federal level that st. Louis is doing an amazing job of ending chronic homelessness then we can have more resources to help people not just in the city but in the region and that's what we've been working on past maybe six months helping the region and chronic homelessness we'll see what happens if they're actually going to uphold today what they're gonna hold up to their word and finding people residents and other resources that so what will happen with the transition in place is we will help you immediately get into housing a case manager will work with you as you seek housing and then the assistance will gradually step down I'll squeeze in somewhere just kidding get big darling I I want to make this a positive transition and I know it so give me a little upsetting but we want to make it smooth as possible and we got everybody nice right now I'm gonna watch this stuff to one of them coming back because as soon as they know that everybody's vacated there's gonna be a probably quite a few raccoons coming to account you see that's the nature that he loses most of them rap clones not all do you know where oh jeez living now at all the people that got tired and OD or I think it was a combination of page it was probably I you know i i'm not exactly sure but there was definitely a shift in energy what exactly transpired I can't say cuz I wasn't here for the duration of it but the fact is og was here for three years maybe maybe more built this base and in then the scales tip and I guess he felt need to leave I think that they can wipe this and these camps out and there'll be another camp someplace else I think you're doing in a nice way I think they have channeled some federal money you know they're putting them in a place as opposed to bulldozing like they did in the past [Music] well you know it's been a very positive effect on all of us they're all trying to help us make this transition as easy as possible they gave us our monthly bus passes so that we can go look requirements I mean a what more could almost worse a sport and I'll tell you one thing it's a blessing it's a bus they're paying the rent for a whole year but if you get a job then you pay a percentage of your rent up until that year and that's one man it's like I said I don't need a handout I need a hand up you know that's all I needed it's already I was upset at first no because all I signed up last September and I guess I slipped through the cracks or something I don't know but they've more than made up well he had an sometime dignity Harbor we lured up a family you know we looked out for each other see it wasn't that you were supposed to stay there forever you know that's that was the whole idea it was a place for you to get off the streets pitch your tent or whatever and be in a safe place instead of being out there alone you know it was a place for you to find food branch Hill and held really when you cross over that instead of going back all right that's all I got to say we said you know as long as people didn't do anything that caused any in any danger to either themselves and to others that we kind of look the other way but unfortunately then it didn't turn out that way [Music] a whole model that we're now utilizing is called housing first and that's to get people into permanent housing with support services as quickly as we possibly can only use emergencies shelters for emergencies it's always gonna be that need but you don't want it as a standard way of life I mean anybody with any common sense knows that this is not a good thing when you've got people stabbed to death you got the kind of violence that we've had down here this is not a good thing and it is not a humane way to house people we are not going to have this ever done again because this is proven to be a complete disaster for the people that have attempted to live here so we're doing we're going the extra mile we're taking the extra step we're going as far as we possibly can to help people and do this in a very deliberative and very sensible way and in a sensitive way as well I love all of you guys everybody they just throwed out our home but you know what I know I trust I believe that I'm still gonna have my family we're just gotta find a new home that's what I got I am tragically happy is the best way to put it yes this sucks but I know everybody's gonna be okay in the end [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Mike the Eye

Views: 374,401

Keywords: Documentary, Chronic, Homeless, St. Louis, Injustice, Inequality, Mystery, Poverty, recession, depression, hoovervilles, Trump, economy, occupy wall street, Drugs, murder, mystery, Coronavirus, Impact, China Virus, Covid, Murder, Christmas, Charity, Jesus, Church, Donations, Food Bank, Volunteer, Good Will, Veteran, Homeless Veteran, Stabbing, Hooverville, The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth, Last week tonight, John Oliver, Homelessness, MAGA, 2024, Immigration, boarder crisis, great replacement, channel 5

Id: OzgCKaRYXG0

Length: 57min 50sec (3470 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 01 2020