Change.

There is change coming very soon for this American Veteran. The last time he slept with a roof over his head was over 15 years ago. That was then. It was just this morning that he received word that he was approved for VA Assisted housing (Section 8 for Veterans), and though he says it is not the best area, it is a roof over his head and for that, he is grateful. He admits that the change will be an adjustment for him, though he is ready for a new chapter. He feels comfortable with his cot and his tent. He tells me that the camaraderie out on the streets among The Veterans is a strong one, and he enjoys the friends he continues to make. Help is never far away in this Band of Brothers. “There is a Trust and Brotherhood out here” he tells me. “There is nowhere that I go, that I do not know someone, or they me. And, he adds, “it’s not always from the streets…it might be AA or even the YMCA, where I shower. They only charge me a dollar to shower, and if I don’t have it, they seem to look the other way”.

“Money is not everything” he says. You know they say that money is the root of all evil…it changes people. Even though I’m homeless, I give. I always give, even if it’s a person I don’t even like or don’t even know. I don’t expect it back, but somehow, it always does…either way, you know”?

“I share what I have”.

15 Jan This entry was published on January 15, 2015 at 5:06 pm. It’s filed under Portraits, Uncategorized and tagged Attitude, Black and White, California, Food, Gratitude, Home, Homeless, Honest, Knowledge, Life, Los Angeles, Photography, Portrait, Service, Veteran. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.