1. CAUSES OF OPPRESSION AGAINST THE POOR & HOMELESS
"The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.“
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

2. African-American, female, age 35
E P I S O D I C
My story is simple but you won’t like it. I had a job and made $9 an hour. But
1/3 of what I had went to childcare and half went to rent. The rest went to food
and bills. I got 5 kids. I got no other money. You can’t make it on that. I went
to school and learned to be a cook. I worked good restaurants and did what I
could. You just can’t have kids and make it on $9 an hour. When my child got
pneumonia, I had insurance but the copay was high and the hospital wanted
me to pay out $300 a month. I could not pay and they took me to court. Then
my car needed a new exhaust and that was $ I needed the car to get to
work. I fell behind on my rent and got kicked out. Ain’t no way I can do it. I
tried to pay my bills, but then something comes up and I’m flat.

3. Caucasian, male, age 49 C H R O N I C
I can hardly remember when I wasn’t homeless. Sometimes over the years I
got a room, but then I would leave. I got this mental illness. I can’t take my
medicine because it makes me sick. I been hearing voices since I was a
teenager. Most of the time I get messages that I shouldn’t be somewhere or I
should move on. So I go to a shelter and some case manager tries to give me
medication, but then I get sick again and leave and go live in a parked car or an
old bus or up there in the park. But I’m not unhappy. Sometimes the voices
are like my friends and they might be better friends than those out here. I think I
will always be homeless.

4. Caucasian, male, age 63 C H R O N I C
I worked for 35 years. I took early retirement and early social security. It didn’t
leave me with much to live on. I didn’t have any insurance after I retired and I
had to have a bypass. It took all of my savings and I still have to pay for the
hospital bill each month. I started drinking heavy after that. I was lonely too
because I didn’t have any kids and all my brothers are dead. With the drinking
and low cash, I lost my house 4 years ago. I live 6 months homeless and 6
months with a room. I try to make sure I’m only homeless in warm weather.

5. Systemic Causes of Poverty
WHY
are the poor,
poor?