Yolanda (Full Episode) — FIRSTHAND: Homeless

please help us a spare change please anything is greatly appreciated any spare change please anything's greatly appreciated God bless you ma'am any Spirit change please anything is greatly appreciated I've been homeless almost 2 years now I would have never thought that I would be homeless but unfortunately I am any SP change please oh it's okay everyone don't have it God bless you have a wonderful day you know I walk with my sign and sometime people look at me like I'm just nothing no one and I feel that way a lot I just want to say thank you [Music] Lord thank you Lord I won't complain I do believe in God and I have faith that he's going to bring me out of this I want to know [Music] when I have one daughter four grandkids and I don't I feel L really bad because they have to see me like this I don't want to impose on my family right now my living quarters is in a tent where I am it's stuck down under so it's really kind of spooky I sleep when I can when I think I'm safe then I'll go to sleep so my sleeping hours are kind of they're they're raggedy some nights when I'm when I hear gunshots I get scared think maybe because by it being a tent it's cloth and bullets can come straight through it then there's all kind of people out here the people that be jogging running through sometime they walk pass and he just stand there on the gate you know and I'm like what I'm thinking to myself what are they thinking and put a lot of shopping carts up to the the gate so if somebody does come in I'll hear them yeah the police come by and they check on us have a good night security for Costco they check on us and we try to keep it clean as much as possible pick up the paper and the leaves and we sweep glass and we try to keep it clean he has Set Me Free CL you should get that other side that paper up from over there Clarence me and Clarence met in the projects I used to sell loose cigarettes and he would come and buy a cigarette and uh that's how we met I told them I'm too old to be somebody girlfriend I need to be somebody wife you know you saw me he does nothing but try to motivate me and protect me there's nothing I can't ask him to do that he won't do for me I love him I Tru love him I'm the boss you the boss babe I'm going let you have that one today y go after the other though he can't shake me I can't shake him better not even try see you when I get back or when you get back or whatever love [Music] you that was my old apartment right there on the third floor one of them I'm about a block away from where I was [Music] living well I've been in elect area over 30 plus years it's like home hello good morning my beautiful daughter good morning you still in bed huh okay what do you think you and the kids um Mike can come by maybe uh the first couple days in the week when we do laundry go to the laundry M you bring the kids how about that okay sweetheart right I love you all right byebye this was the last building I was in right there the top apartment was mine well the guy I was staying with there was our apartment up top before I became homeless I was a living aid for this guy his name was Stan May rest in peace I love that apartment my door stayed open to everybody when I cook I would cook a big big army meal because I fed everybody like one big happy family now everybody's like man tit black we hate you gone we miss you tit black good morning niece how are you they call me tit black go break it down aun you still got it I still got it I'm the Project's a sounds good yes it does I'm praying for you thank you it's hard out here yes it is it's very hard God bless you thank you love all right one of the young boys told me he was like you know you put a little of you in all of us ain't you black I was like really he was like yeah we got some of you in us cuz you always told us things we see you coming we have to put our cigarette behind our back or we have to stop cussing or fix our hats you know something and that makes me feel good I was always there for everybody now every time I see that building I want to cry I took care of Stelly about 10 years and he passed away and when he passed away housing's rule is if they pass away or they go to a nursing home you have two weeks to vacate the premises I had nowhere to go so I didn't tell them that he passed it was just a matter of time of them finding out they evicted me I looked out the window and I se the sheriff's car and I knew they was coming to put me out so I went right to the front door unlocked it and went back in the room and put my clothes on knock knock knock sharff partment come to the door I said it's open where you at almost done almost done where you at almost done oh my goodness almost done doing what come here let me see you come over here first see talk to you first let's talk to you they come in they see me I say I already know I have to leave for the vi okay ma'am yeah I know we don't pack we don't move nothing I know all right grab what I can grab and they going to lock it up that's what happens you talk to the landlord the manager outside when you come back retrieve your items okay okay so right now you get items like going out for the day okay like medication if you have any I do uh okay money cell phone charger your ID so like that okay okay okay where's your stuff at man and I start grabbing he said no no no you can't get things make arrangement with housing and then uh we'll take we're going to talk to management they're work the rest out with you okay I didn't just grabb the bag it wasn't the things I needed my I had to my birth certificate was gone Social Security C state ID you got that's fine it's stay for right now my speaker come on why speak my sir they're not going to give me my things he said yes they will I said no they won't what they do is they going to take whatever they want out the apartment I they they do it all the time so I went to the house and then I asked them I said can I um come back and get some things that I need my birth certificate state ID things like that they told me no and I said could you tell me what day you're going to throw the things out the apartment so I can be there and recover some of my stuff it told me no you don't have [Music] to after that I was leaving the office they told me and as of today you can no longer be on the premises because if we see you here we're going to call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing they threw away my husband ashes they wouldn't let me get my Bible everything's just gone any Spirit change today ma'am bless your heart young lady thank you so much you have a beautiful day stay blessed my whole world just crumbled like London Bridge falling down and I had nowhere to go I knew I could have went to a shelter or something but I did that before many many years ago and things were stolen from me in the shelter they had bad bugs and plus they have a curfew so I'd rather stay in the tent than live in a shelter I'd rather be in my own home but one day 15 16 1935 thank you Jesus God bless it on a good day I might make 6 70 bucks a day on a bad day I might make 10 if I don't have a good day I dumpster Di the grocery stores like Jewels or Aldi they throw out the day before food expires or that day when the food expires they throw it out in the garbage you see family packs of chicken legs bacon hamburgers chicken breast I can adapt to most anything I have to survive I have to eat and one day I open up the Le and I'm going through the garbage and I looked over and something with big eyes was looking at me it was a raccoon in the garbage can scared the life out of me I was like okay you can to have this garbage can I'll go to another one I do worry about getting sick salm vanilla poison or anything knowing that the rodents and things being the garbage too you know tearing open stuff eating out of it and I might grab it and rinse it up wash it off I do worry about that but I do have faith that God is not going to let nothing he's not going to give me no more than I can bear he's not going to let nothing harm me so this enough for today one man's garbage is another man's treasure okay guys you can to have it now [Applause] [Music] I get some mice cuz if I don't get in the morning it'll be maggots over the meat it'll be no good you going eat this tonight in the morning and then probably tomorrow evening cuz I know to eat I Year too the people do come down some of the other homeless people they come by especially when they know I'm barbecuing they come out and get something to eat rest day tired and I'm tired ready to eat and you know what happens after you eat go [Music] asleep which my grandkids could have been here today start school tomorrow I'll get to see him soon I guess [Music] good morning yeah I'm on my way now I'm not going to make you by then I had an appointment at the clinic unfortunately I do have a sleeping disorder it's kind of hard for me to get up on time and make my appointments 4:45 is fine it's all day changed it until next week oh Jesus and I need these this prescription saves my life keeps me from doing things that's not good for me so now I have another appointment for Tuesday so I just got to try to stay on top of it what's the prescription what does it do it's a sasin it's a heroin blocker I've been clean for over a year now and I don't want to go back and if I don't have it I'm probably going to go back and I don't want to ever go back cuz it's going to kill me no right now I'm just kind of gloomy um I just I thank God that I'm alive cuz I could be gone but I'm here so I'll just take one day at a time I do know that every day is not the same and my time is coming [Music] I try to keep my faith in God because I know there's someone higher than me who wakes me up every day [Music] Hallelujah I join this church because there's a lot of praise and worship and I like that it lifts my spirit Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah and I know God has a plan and it was written before I was even born I know he has a plan I just want him to hurry up but I can't do that it's not my time it's in his time the Bible says look to the heels from which cometh your help all your help comes from the Lord amen because God answer prayers yes amen I pray for strength humbleness and [Music] housing being homeless keeps me stressed out a lot [Music] not a lot of Ms I take high blood pressure medicine at Broncho asthma bad back and that was due to the use of drugs came this close to popping a dis paralyzing me because it attacks your bone marrow hey hey hey I was on heroin for about 30 years Name Lord hey my mom us to say why do you like something it has you walking around here scratching and digging and walking sleep and bent over I don't know I used to ask God so much why do I like it cuz it definitely didn't like me so I had to stop just feel like you're by yourself you don't know what to do I was at home and I just start feeling real nauseous so I threw up and I was like Wow can't be sick but just in case so I do something dop I did it and then I start throwing up again I threw up for about 2 hours nothing but fluids just coming out no food no anything and I ate so when we call the Amal lams and I went to the hospital I couldn't stop vomic in there either and they admitted me and when they admitted me I guess I was talking about harming myself and things they discharged me from the hospital they took me directly to the psych w I stayed three days so they help me with the withdrawals vomiting sweating and then they sent me to their clinic and I've been on their Clinic ever since I do be afraid a lot of times when I get depressed you know I get afraid I know if I go back to her when it's going to kill me I'm going to die and there's too many things that God has planned for me in my my grandkids so I can't go back me down don't have enough but ask for [Music] me I can [Music] say thank you Lord thank you Lord thank you Lord thank you Lord you for me yeah [Applause] [Music] I'm over a year that I haven't used heroin you want me to get that bag this is my certificate certificate of achievement one year sobriety on this date the ninth date of June of the year 2023 it means a lot to me it means I'm on the right page it means that I can do anything if I just put my mind to it I thought I was going to be an addict I'm going to be an addict all my life just not um what do they call it just not an active addict so me and hero when I'm no longer friends anymore I got to give me a frame so I can just put it by by my front door I want everyone to see it when I get me an apartment when they going their way out they can't help but see the [Music] certificate he Min stre Night Ministry Yolanda morning morning I hear night ministri is here I raised right up because they lift up in spirit they help me with food sandwiches water face TOS bath cloths hygiene kits the necessity things that I need they're the one actually who got my tent Yolanda had asked me quite a few months ago a while back it was last winter I think she was asking you know how do I get a hold of one of those tents it's cold out there Yolanda has a lot of health problems and the winter can exaggerate that you can get frostbite hypothermia and they're somewhat protected here with the bridge but at the same time you don't want any human being to be out here in the winter good morning everyone I am working with her on housing her and clearance they want to stay in that area it's the come relatively wealthy so it's very difficult to find phot a housing there are you willing to stretch your circle a little bit anywhere anywhere now anywhere in the name of Jesus any okay all right we got socks I need socks I need sandwich you need glass my love yes all right the Night Ministry has helped me get my state ID again my birth certificate my social security card I have those things me there you go my put this in my bed often what I do is I work with the clients ahead of time on getting documents that's one of the first questions when they say I need housing I ask do you have a state ID do you have a social do you have a birth certificate how can I help you get that I'm pretty sure we don't have anything in there for them but just in case Clarence how you been I'm making it so let take my blood pressure medicine cuz he keep my blood pressure up oh no only the problem nothing yet but uh I just talked to Yolanda about maybe looking a little bit further outside of this area here yeah go southest to cuz that that's definitely going to help yeah I have told several people about the Night Ministry and everyone that I've told about them they have their apartments and I sometime I just cry and I be like Lord what's wrong with me getting mine I one told them to call let let's get the truck in maybe they have an income and I don't have an income can't work my doctor statements has I can't have prolonged standing prolonged sitting because it was daytime I guess I'll say that it was their season we all get a season heavenly father I come boldly to your throne father ask that you just send down your many blessings upon me your blessings of Hope Lord I ask that you just give me strength that you keep cing safe my mother my sisters my brother father God I ask you just bless everyone in the world Lord bless all The Unborn childrens with the Affliction of addiction bless all those that are helping us Bless The Night Ministry father God bless the homeless and give them shelter bless the hungry and feed them in the mighty name of Jesus I just thank you Lord for being who you are my rock my shield father God I just thank you for another day I just thank you for the blessings you besto on me to be able to walk and talk and be able to do things that I can do that some people can father God I can't say nothing but Hallelujah because it's the highest praise to you you're an awesome God and you're so worthy to be praised in Jesus name I give you all the honor and glory [Music] amen your message has been sent thank you for calling goodbye [Music] I don't want to live in my chin anymore if I have to I will but I don't want to no this is my home this is home sweet home I have lights through a a battery pack the futon they threw it out at Costco and I wouldn't got it me and my fiance we wouldn't got it and we let it out at night for the bed I would rather be on the couch instead of the floor because of the rats um the orange bucket is my toilet I have a seat that I put on top and I have to use the bathroom and if they use it I dump it out it's not much space but it's my space for now I don't have any water I did have my place and my daughter had hers I would take the kids to school pick them up from school help them with their homework prepared dinner and then I was in school at um Malcolm X College for my GD after school at night I come home do my homework by then it's time for the kids to have their bath getting them ready for school for the next day even though my daughter was not far from me I always want them with me yeah I want to leave from under this bridge that's all I want I need to leave from under this bridge it's going to be winter again it's going to get cold and I want to be out here in this cold again last year was so terrible I haven't been taking my psych meds um for about two months now and I need him walk around with a big old smile when on the inside I'm tore up just tired I'm really tired tired not to have just been want to give up say forget about it it's not even worth [Applause] [Music] it now sometime I walk and I'm I'm by the river so I walk to the river and I just look in the water and it looks so calm and quiet which is a silent killer and I know that [Music] too I love my grand kids so much if if I was to jump over in that River I wouldn't be able to see them no more so I have a choice either I want this silent killer to have me calm and just take me away or I want to fight this demon and get me some help hi Catherine this is Yanda I'm calling to see if I can I'm calling to see if I can um get the doctor to uh have me a bed ready for at the on the site floor for Saturday okay thanks so much [Music] bye-bye you gave me a pop okay give me water yep got my house shoes deodorant I got people watching you no women down here and I'm not here I love you be good I need to go I know it's best for me it won't get no better if I don't go I need the help I've been so depressed I need to be going having bad thoughts thinking about bad things and I don't like thinking the way I do cuz it's not of God [Music] thank you sir have a good day uhhuh you too and it's going to help me because I need my medication so it's all going to work out good [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] yeah they Ain got no child Welly you can run fast can't you I've been back about a week I was in St marage for 5 days I'm feeling a lot better I'm good I'm good I uh I can get up and concentrate without crying or feeling sad or feeling angry I'm just normal they go Fish by your feet you see that big old fish by your feet when I was in the hospital in the beginning I was sleep until I was able to feel better I didn't want to be around anyone so I would just you know stay in my room and after the the second day I start um communicating with other patients I got my hair braided I CL got to take me a couple of good showers oh I love that bye let's go let's go okay my two grandkids them are the one that keep me going because they're grandma grandma grandma this grandma that come on Grandma let's go ahead Grandma what are you doing Grandma come on Grandma you think about ice cream sunday they're seven and eight eight and nine eight and N eight and nine oh they're eight and nine years old they're big boys now they're very respectable they're polite they're kind and I think they miss me too you guys miss me yes all right God bless you see that's why I want you in that water yeah all right and I start feeling like I'm not me I'm going to find me some help somewhere I have grandkids that have to be here for I have a fiance that I have to marry right now all I can do is what I do best to survive get up in the morning brush my teeth wash my face get my sign grab my Walker go in a corner pan handle please have some change sir that with any spare change please any Spirit change ma'am God bless you have a good day it's hard it's not easy at all living on the streets I pray to God that I do get a place please help us some spread change please anything is appreciate God bless you ma'am it's fine it's any I just I want all the people that out here in this world who's homeless and this hungry to just trying to just hold on and have faith just hold on things going to get better I know they will please help us with spare change please please help us with spare change please God bless you have a wonderful day any spare change please anything is appreciated

Channel: WTTW

Views: 353,125

Keywords: firsthand show, firsthand wttw, first hand homeless, wttw first hand homeless, firsthand homeless, homelessness in america, homelessness, unhoused, documentaries 2024, documentary, documentary series, docuseries, chicago documentary, documentary 2024, firsthand shows, homelessness in america ted talk, full episode, tv shows - topic, real stories, full documentary, chicago homeless, wttw chicago, homeless living in car

Id: uV9vcLREoB4

Length: 33min 30sec (2010 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 19 2024