Photo by Cecilie Bomstad on Unsplash The following poems were written on August 26th, 2026, by houseless and formerly houseless folks attending the Survival Poetry workshop. Poem prompt: Describe a time in your life when you were so cold or so hot you couldn’t breathe (describe details about the feeling in your bones/lungs/skin-and why...because you were houseless/outside/had no money for heat or air conditioner) Leroy How you survived-what did you tell yourself Brought back memories that hard knock three times ... my blood and ... 911 the same time. Then the shouting, “Where’s your niece + are you drunk?” My body was the North pole and a desert all at the same time. Gelly Balled up in a fetal position next to my dog to try and stay as warm as I could. Laying in a caved in tent with the wind blowing across my drenched skin. Clothes soaked seeming to keep the cold close to my chest Tears streaming from my eyes adding to my stress I .CAN. NOT. BREATHE!! Got caught in a storm Thought I was ready! I was wrong. Living outside for as long as I have I Believed I was prepared. But No! With wind whipping madly in all directions The rain falling of the sky like waterfalls And the earth soaking me up along with the water Help, help, help Please help! Paisley HOT HOW DID YOU SURVIVE? Endless summer when the sun is gone It’s sleeping but I’m wide awake choking On the night air Thick as molasses. Skin sticking to everything - Like my body wants to be a part of the street. This blanket is suffocating And my insides boil Into a low, constant rage ready to overflow. Any small match strike threatens to trigger inferno. I must fight my mind with any dark humor I can find. I am a lizard searching for relief Slinking down the pavement Looking for a place to hang my hammock And dream of home. Of swing by the waterside But the sweat on my tongue stings, Salt drips from my lips. In an endless desert Clinging for oasis. Maybe open all the windows Maybe stay inside 7 - Eleven pretending to think about buying The cold drinks as an excuse to stand in the fridge. May I switch places with the bags of melting ice For the night. Until the day breaks - But wait, Oh no, It’s even hotter. ANONYMOUS Surge protectors Sado masochists Are lovers With rubber Suits & holes For ... I tried To plug My Hand into one To get warn But my surging Lover Rejected me With an Electrical current Our love affair It started at a bus Stop When I was Sleeping Used the Bus shelter My bed Was the plastic My surging Lover

“Sweeps Survivors” is a Collaborative *WeSearch Project of POOR Magazine and Aetna Street Solidarity. These WeSearch findings were offered and gathered on Tovaangar/Tatavian Lands aka Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley in September/October 2026. So many deaths From the perp called swept Swept and swept and swept to death From East LA to West til we have nothing left No belongings, no homes, no tents, no cars, no phones They even swept our hope… excerpt from Swept to Death by tiny aka povertyskola WeSearch Questions 1) What is your homeless origin HISstory/HERstory? 2) What is your experience with sweeps? Joseph Everett I first became homeless when my mom was alive and my house got raised because of my stepdad at the time. We weren’t allowed to go back and we didn’t have much family. My tia let me and my mom stay for a bit until I guess she had enough. She then kicked us out in the middle of the night when we had nowhere to go. For a while we were okay until I started doing drugs. My brother let my mother stay with him but not me. Just recently my mother passed away so my brother started being silent. I stayed in a wash with good friends- they took everything and just cuz I stepped out I wasn’t allowed to go back in my spot to grab my personal items. Gera Got evicted for being 2 months late on rent that was constantly being raised. The type of sweep I faced was when my mom’s trailer home got towed during the pandemic. I was staying with her in Modesto at the time and we lost all our belongings. PQ My mom passed away & so I had nowhere to go, also I had problems with my girl. I was using drugs so I hit the streets I moved into the compound (Oxnard St by the 405 freeway). I was there for over a year then on July the police & the mayor came & put all of us on buses & put us in hotels they scattered and some were sent to Canoga, Sun Valley, North Hills & so we been housed at the Budget Inn hotel for a lil over a year waiting to be housed but now they aren’t housing us with just GR now we have to have a job to get housed that’s the new thing. I lost all of the personal stuff, clothes, personal items. They only let us carry 1 bag which was barely a couple items so we had to start all over. This also happened on Bessemer Street last month only this time they followed us to take everything. Hazel My mother, brother and I had to migrate from El Salvador where we had a house that was paid off. Came to LA and lived in a room or various living rooms. I don’t know if this is being houseless but to me it was scary as a child to not have stable housing. I didn’t personally but have helped my neighbors. It is heartbreaking. Wilbur “Gio” Valencia I had a job…I had car…I had a family…but covid pandemic hit us, at that time I had a relapse. I had 7 years clean…I relapsed and my job, my car, my family was gone. It’s been 4 years since I was forced out of my apartment. On one of the sweeps where we were on Haskell and the rail tracks they did a sweep, I lost clothes, personal items even my tent because they told us take only what you can carry. And I feel we were targeted because of Budweiser complaining of us the homeless. Angel Monteon I first became homeless when I had decided to move out here to LA from my old town. I came in hopes of a better opportunity. Yes I’ve dealt with a sweep and they took everything that I had even my clothes they even tried to take my backpack I even had on. Muteando Silencio The first time I became homeless is when my family was forced to leave our homeland Michocan, Mexico due to domestic violence. I came from a big family of 12 siblings, my parents are from Guerreo, Mexico, my father struggled with alcohol addiction, he was really violent when he was intoxicated he would beat up my mom in front of us, I was 6 years old, I remember running out the front door to seek for help to our neighbor Doña Goya. I remember feel broken the day we left Michocan. Paisley In 2020, I lived in an apartment off of student loan money and I didn’t lose my job managing facilities at a company working in advertising (unclogging toilets and getting yelled at by middle-aged British men for not getting them their lunch on time). But the office closed for COVID so I had time to think and realize how many more and more would not be able to afford rent. So, I stopped paying mine. I went on rent strike. By 2021, as the world forcibly “reopened,” I recognized I could not return to paying rent and was able to get a loan to get my RV home. I have dealt with countless sweeps. In those I have lost home. I have lost my favourite trench coat–that could keep you warm on the coldest night. I have lost friends and their memorials. I have lost stability in the aftermath of sweeps’ violence because the trauma doesn’t disappear when cops and sanitation do, it moves through us into each other: RV break-ins and breakdowns, fights breaking out around me. Also, my car got towed. Tiny “You have 5 minutes to leave… BEEEP BEEEEP” Not sure if I ever actually slept but they were here. Again. A strange collection of armed robots. Their weapons; shovels, trash cans, rakes, and guns. The cops didn't used to accompany this army but now they did. Ready with zip ties and shackles to arrest us. For sleeping. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEP The incessant and non-stop beeping was like a nail being slowly pounded into the side of my head. We couldn't figure out what to leave or bring. Mama had already lost her insulin and her walker yesterday in another sweep and I’m not sure what hoops we would have to go through to get those replaced. I lost my Aunti’s urn with her ashes and the only picture I had left of my brother , not to mention my school ID, and my last dry blanket. I’m numb from the loss. I guess that's their point, to destroy our spirits. I had one warm jacket and some underwear and my lotion. I could barely feel my hands in this cold anyway. I think I have one more plastic bag somewhere….Mama aint moving at all now. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP Why can’t I open this fuckin hefty bag? OMIGOD They can’t see me struggling, my broken fingertips can’t separate the opening - - the shiny black/brown plastic shimmers in the moonlit sky and slides through my moist fingers -what is it 4am? I need both hands for this but I can’t put down my other bag cause they will take it. It's got all the rest of mama’s medicine. *WeSearch is a concept created by @povertyskola at POOR Magazine to describe poor people-led research created in, from and by houseless and poor ComeUnities across occupied Turtle Island

This clip of Poor Peoples Radio podcast features a conversation with Jessica from the Berkeley Homeless Union, ally of houseless folks, Robbie Powelson, and former council member, Cheryl Davila, on the topic of the recent sweeps on Harrison Street in so-called Berkeley. The news media are spreading a false narrative that the deaths from leptospirosis were connected to the Harrison Street encampment when the deaths actually took place in an RV about an mile away. To see the whole episode click here. Poor Peoples Radio podcast is a media access project of Poor Magazine broadcast on PNN-KEXU 96.1fm - “the crossroads” - dedicated to providing media access to poor & houseless reporters from across Mama Earth, as well as stories of indigenous, poor/houseless/Black/Brown resistance to state terror and violence. PNN-KEXU 96.1fm is a low power station broadcasting from a humble studio built by houseless founders of POOR Magazine on the sacred land us houseless peoples call HOMEfulness. Tap the button above to visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Want notifications when we go live? Make sure to set your notifications to All, like in the picture above.

This clip of Poor Peoples Radio podcast features a conversation with Kay, who had a tiny home in West Oakland. The tiny home and one other were both destroyed by the city during the violent sweeps they carried out on Peralta and Fifth Streets. Kay's tiny home and one other, which was also destroyed, were built by students at Oakland School of the Art to provide housing to houseless mamas. Hear more of Kay's story by following the link below. To see the whole episode click here. Poor Peoples Radio podcast is a media access project of Poor Magazine broadcast on PNN-KEXU 96.1fm - “the crossroads” - dedicated to providing media access to poor & houseless reporters from across Mama Earth, as well as stories of indigenous, poor/houseless/Black/Brown resistance to state terror and violence. PNN-KEXU 96.1fm is a low power station broadcasting from a humble studio built by houseless founders of POOR Magazine on the sacred land us houseless peoples call HOMEfulness. Tap the button above to visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Want notifications when we go live? Make sure to set your notifications to All, like in the picture above.

By Momii Palapaz “Look over there, no no over there, at the crowd of worn out looking, crouched and shabbily dressed. Don’t say people, it’s them”. Don't look right here and everywhere violence is applied with invasions to acquire mother earth. Last week The SF Chron front page photo showed mass interest in street sales of hygiene supplies, clothes, hardware, jewelry, and anything associated with survival. The photo is grossly high contrast, looks scary, dark of night. It’s a look over there at those dirty people selling goods from CVS, or a local grocery store, or from someone’s personal belongings. #4 Yelamu Homefulness Newsroom & Lunch Vendors selling hot food at 16th & Mission St. Belly of the Beast capitalism multiplies itself while their fingers are pointing at who is worthy of selling, buying and bargaining. In high finance, behind closed doors, trillionaires decide who to eliminate, accumulate, denigrate and profit from. Politicians make deals the same way, throughout a workday, benefiting a few and themselves. Then they encourage others to continue that corrupted practice. The unhoused community and poor transact for daily survival. What you see on the street is the reality of life that you are barred from witnessing in skyscrapers, deals and the hand shaking for the photo ops worldwide. When you sell yourself or your day to day needs, isn’t that a red flag for help? When you see people on the street laid out at 2PM, isn’t that a red flag for help? And when you read and watch the news on tv or hear on the radio, yet again a person's RV being stolen by the city, their own property, isn’t that a big red banner saying help? When the law calls the unhoused community criminals, aren't they shielding their own criminality? Because they are at the same time, doing what they are criticizing. They are simultaneously pointing their finger at the unhoused to distract you and suck you, the public, to join a band wagon of haters. It’s a flag waving hater nation, onward with their Christian soldiers with a war on the poor. At the Laney College Board mtg. I mentioned on radio KEXU 96.1 FM a few weeks ago, I noticed with disgust the procedure of moving around the agenda items. They do this all for a theatre power show. The front page news reports blistering complaints toward the unhoused, but when it comes to actually confronting the emergencies of life, it gets moved down the list of agenda items. It’s conscious and cruel. Pizza slice of liberated land on Yelamu, Mission and Cesar Chavez If you are disgusted with the scenes of people living on the streets, don’t look away, don’t shake your head and walk on, come to POOR MAGAZINE’s website, find out how you can leave fear behind, wrong notions, and find intelligent, committed unhoused and previously unhoused men, women, and children working with love and compassion. We have solutions that involve revolutionary care to fight despair and madness.

“Some people might refer to me and my poor magazine family as the cockroaches in any city, we are the poor and houseless people, the trash they want to sweep up, the cockroach movement of so-called california … “ said tiny, POOR Magazine. The story includes corrupt commisioners, police beatings, and mistreatment of the youth of India who are human, like myself, who are unemployed and are struggling badly with getting any help from their own government. They are protesting for change and transparency in their education system and to expose corruption. The youth rose up against the corruption leaks in 2024, but from that day onward so much has happened. That was the beginning of the cockroach protest that was held in Mumbai, India My opinion from what I read about the cockroach protest is that our so-called government also treats us like cockroaches – like tiny says we are the cockroach peoples here. From everything I read and how it connects with me, when it comes to protesting and dealing with police brutality, I feel the impact all the way from India to here.

09/28/26 Sean Grayson was sentenced to 20 years in prison for shooting Sonya Massey 3 times in her face on July 6, 2024 after she called 911 because of a possible intruder outside her home. Grayson, 32 years old allegedly was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer just one year before killing Sonya Massey. Charged with first degree murder but convicted of second degree murder after jurors found some sympathy after Grayson expressed in court that he was scared Sonya Massey would throw hot water on him. Sean Grayson had moved through several law enforcement agencies before he arrived at Sangamon County Sheriff's department. Why was he even able to work as a deputy after being diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer? Or was this another secret Pardon by Trump? How convenient for Sean Grayson to suddenly die in prison just months into his “20” year maximum sentence. Did he really die in Prison of cancer, or is he with Epstein and other killers on a secret island? Grayson was recently denied a request for early medical release under Illinois law for prisoners with terminal illnesses or serious medical conditions. In late August 2026, just days after he was denied this request for medical release, Grayson was pronounced dead “in custody”. Grayson's attorney refused to comment after announcing his death. The other deputy present the night of the murder, Dawson Farley, who responded to the call that night with Grayson, is still on duty after testifying at trial that he did not see Sonya Massey as a threat, and only pulled his gun out after he saw that Grayson drew his pistol. Justice for Sonya Massey! Gera, Kop watch Aztlan

ESPAÑOL DEBAJO Updated Stories: #4 YELAMU, September 18, 2026 EVICTION/DISPLACEMENT/GENTRIFICATION Stories Below write your story of eviction/gentrification/ displacement from your home/community/corner Written by Racil Hernandez V I am from Sandarado Well, I have 10 years living on the streets I live day to day I don’t have a job Thanks to god I have lived in my car For 9 years Staying close to places Where they give food Written by J.MS. I have been living in the streets since 2004. On occasion, people would throw water on me. They would throw away my carts. Eventually I bought a car. I was living in it for several years and eating at churches, until a truck came by and gave me a room. I live more peacefully now. Written by Santos Bustamante I am Santos Bustamante, my story is that I am living with addiction and need help. I can’t do this alone. Thank you. Written by Bianca My name is Bianca. I live in the Mission District. I am not unhoused, but I like that help is being provided to others; there are people who need housing, given that housing in San Francisco is very expensive. Right now, I have a place to live, but I appreciate all the information being shared. Written by Luis I once witnessed a family being evicted. I saw them carrying out the few pieces of furniture the family owned. I watched as the couple pleaded with the landlord for a few more days to pay what they owed, but they were given no chance at all and were put out on the street—the adults and the children alike—without a shred of mercy. Written by Kennedy Sanroman I used to live in a shelter. Thank God, I now have low-income housing; I am glad to hear that this project is being planned. I was evicted from my home because the landlord said he was going to sell the property. In 2020, I had to move into a shelter. However, I am not sure how much longer I will be able to live in my current place. Written by Jesus Recoder I am Mexican. I moved to Tijuana in 2004; I spent two months in San Diego, then went to Los Angeles and later to San Francisco. I faced some hardships upon arriving, but I am still in San Francisco and am in good health. Written by Casimiro González I was evicted by the landlord—the owner—so she could move her own family into the place where I was living; she just told me to vacate, and since I didn't have a job, I had to leave. Now I live with a brother because my sister—the one who I used to live with—died of cancer, and I’m really struggling. Written by Estela Hello. I came to San Francisco out of necessity—to work and get ahead—after being scammed back home in Guatemala. Nothing is the same here; the rent consumes me, worries me, and stresses me out. I feel like a burden to the person I’m staying with, so I do the housework and anything else I can just to feel a little better! I hope and trust in God that this situation will change at some point and that He will provide work to improve my circumstances—as well as the lives of my children, who are far away—so that one day we can be together again. Blessings. Written by Maria My name is Maria. I used to live in an apartment with my son and my grandchildren. We had to leave our home because of the landlord's actions; he demanded an extra $1,200 in rent, even though the apartment wasn't in good enough condition to justify the increase. Now, we don't live together. My son rents a room with a friend, and I am living in a small hotel. As for my grandchildren: one lives with his mother, and my granddaughter lives with a friend in a rented studio apartment—it is very expensive, and she cannot afford the rent. Our situation is very difficult, and I would appreciate your support. Thank you very much. Written by Guadalupe Huerta I have arrived in the city of San Francisco. Everything is fine during the day; the terrible part is finding a place to sleep at night. I sleep next to a Catholic church. The hardest part is enduring the freezing cold at night and the rain. During the day, I would walk around asking for help, but no one wanted to assist me. I gradually started recycling, making acquaintances—some good, some bad. People tried to take advantage of me; there are many bad people and many good people. I suffered a great deal. What I like about San Francisco is that it helps immigrants and protects us; I thank God and all of you for helping people in need—like me—who are immigrants. (No Name) I am happy with you all and with all whom I walk the streets with, even if they don’t know it. For the first time, I was happy to share. By Cirilo Nicolas More than five years ago, I was evicted from the shelter because back then you had to sign in every two days, and I missed the sign-in by just a few hours. I don't know if that rule about checking in every two days is still in place. By Teresa I’ve had many bad experiences; I was evicted from my home simply because I had a lot of children. I had signed a two-year lease when I had four kids, but then another child was born, and that was the reason they evicted me—they said there were too many of us for a two-bedroom place. I had to put my belongings in storage and move into a shelter. It was horrible, but there was nothing else I could do, and I didn't get my deposit back; this happens all the time. By Gonzalez M. Because of the new policies of Mr. Trump I was living for 9 years in the Tenderloin neighborhood One day a new case manager gave me a phone call asking me to go to his office and give him my personal info. It was not what he asked me. It was the way that person related (to me), he acted like if he were a police officer and I was scared, forcing me to visit the Homeless Coalition for advice. When this other person made a phone call to the case manager, he could not explain what he was asking me. That this new guy from the Homeless Coalition got hold of the big guy at the hotel, where he was living, explained what was happening. 2 months later they informed me that I have to vacate and here I am struggling to get a new place. By Carlos Rivera It was November and the winter was very harsh; I had no coats or blankets, but neighbors helped us by providing them. They helped me in this way—and my family, too (I have two sons and a daughter)—including with some money. We receive help from the winter shelter. Thank God. That is what I like about the city of San Francisco: it protects immigrants—like the many of us who live here. Thank God and this great city. ESPAÑOL ESPAÑOL Parte III #4 YELAMU, 18 de septiembre de 2026 Historias de desahucio/desplazamiento/gentrificación Escribe a continuación tu historia de desalojo/gentrificación/ desplazamiento de su hogar/comunidad/barrio Escrito Por Racil Hernandez V. Soy de sandarado Bueno tengo 10 años en la calle Vivo al dia no tengo trabajo Gracias a dios Ha vivido en mi carro Por 9 años Como en lugares Don de dan de comer Por J.M.S Estuve viviendo en la calle desde 2004, ocasiones me arrojaban agua. Me tiraban mis carrones. Compre un carro. Estuve viviendo varios años comiendo en las iglos, hasta que paso una camioneta y me dieron un cuarto. Vivo más tranquilo. Por Santos Bustamante Soy Santos Bustamante, mi historia es que ando en vicio y necesito ayuda. No puedo yo solo, gracias. Escrito Por Bianca Mi nombre es Bianca. Yo vivo en el barrio de la Mission. No estoy en la calle. Pero me gusta que ayuden a los demás, hay gente que necesita una vivienda. En San Francisco las viviendas son muy caras. En estos momentos, yo tengo donde vivir, pero me gusta toda la información que están donde. Escrito por Luis Yo una vez fui testigo de un desalojo de una familia. Vi cuando les sacaban los pocos muebles que tenían. Y cuando la señora y el señor le suplicaban al dueño de la casa que les dieran unos días más para pagar lo que le debían pero no les dieron chanza de nada y fueron sacados para la calle. Los señores y los niños sin misericordia. Escrito por Kennedy Sanroman Yo estuve viviendo en shelter. Gracias a dios. Ya tengo vivienda de bajos ingresos, me da gusto saber que están pensando llevar a cabo este proyecto. Yo fui desalojado de mi vivienda porque dijo el dueño de mi vivienda que vendería su propiedad. En el 2020 me tuve que ir a vivir al shelter. Pero igual donde vive no estoy seguro cuánto tiempo voy a poder vivir en ese lugar. Escrito por Casimiro Gonzalez Yo fui desalojado por la renterano la dueña para meter a su y yo a vivir donde yo vivía no mas me dijo que le des ocupado y yo no tenía trabajo me tuve que salir aoya vivo con un hermano porque mi hermana donde yo vivía murió de cáncer y yo ya ando batallando. Escrito por Jesús Recoder Yo soy Mexicano. Me traslade en Tijuana 2004 llegué en San Diego 2 mes y llegue en Los Angeles y después en San Francisco y según Enfrenté algunas dificultades al llegar, pero sigo en San Francisco y me encuentro bien de salud. Escrito por Estela Hola, llegué a San Francisco por necesidad de trabajo y salir adelante, después de una estafa que tuve en mi país Guatemala. Al llegar aquí nada es igual, el alquiler me consume me preocupa y me estresa me siento una carga para la persona con la que estoy recomendada, hago los oficios y todo con tal de sentirme un poco mejor! Espero y confío en Dios se puede cambiar esa situación en algún momento y que Dios provea de trabajo para mejorar mi situación, y la de mis hijos que están lejos y algún día poder estar juntos de nuevo. Bendiciones. Escrito por Maria Mi nombre es Maria. Viví en un apartamento con mi hijo y mis nietos. Tuvimos que desalojar el hogar por falta de información del dueño. Le pidió a mi hijo $1,200 mas de renta el apartamento no estaba en buenas condiciones como para pagar más ahora no vivimos juntos. Mi hijo renta un cuarto con un amigo, yo vivo en un hotelito. Mis nietos, uno de ellos vive con su mama, mi nieta vive con una amiga rentan un estudio es muy caro no le alcanza para la renta. Es muy difícil nuestra situación, me gustaría su apoyo. Muchas gracias. Escrito por Guadalupe Huerta He llegado a la ciudad de San Francisco. Todo está bien de día, lo terrible es encontrar donde dormír en la noche. Yo duermo al lado de una Iglesia Católica. Lo terrible es aguantar el frío en la noche helada y la lluvia. De día caminaba para pedir ayuda, nadie quería ayudar. Empecé a reciclar poco a poco, haciendo amistad algunos buenos algunos malos. Querían aprovecharse de mí, hay mucha gente mala y mucha gente buena. Sufrí mucho. Me gusta de esta ciudad de San Francisco que ayuda al inmigrante y nos protege, les doy las gracias a Dios ya ustedes por ayudar a las personas que la necesitan como yo, inmigrantes. (Sin Nombre) Estoy feliz con ustedes y con todos los que caminan junto conmigo en la calle sin saber. Por primera vez estuve gusto de compartir. Por Cirilo Nicolas Hace más de 5 años, a mi me desalojaron del shelter porque en aquellos tiempos se tenía que firmar cada dos días y no alcance a firmar solo por unas cuantas horas. No sé, si ahora todavía está esa regla de hacer el check in cada dos días. Por Teresa Yo tengo muchas malas experiencias, fui desalojada de mi vivienda solo por tener muchos hijos aunque yo había firmado papeles por 2 años. Cuando llegué, tenía 4 hijos y después nació mi otro hijo. Esa fue la razón de que me desalojaron de mi vivienda - dijeron que éramos muchos para una vivienda dos cuartos y tuve que poner mis cosas en un astoreca y ir me a vivir a un shelter. Fue muy horrible pero no podía hacer más y no me regresaron mi deposito asi pasa muy seguido. Por Gonzalez M Por las nuevas políticas del Sr. Trump Viví durante 9 años en el barrio Tenderloin. Un día, un nuevo gestor de casos me llamó para pedirme que fuera a su oficina y le diera mi información personal. No era lo que me pedía. Era la forma en que se dirigía a mí; actuaba como si fuera un policía y me asusté, lo que me obligó a acudir a la Coalición para Personas sin Hogar en busca de consejo. Cuando esta otra persona llamó al gestor de casos, este no pudo explicarme lo que me preguntaba. Que este nuevo tipo de la Coalición para Personas sin Hogar se pusiera en contacto con el jefe del hotel donde vivía y le explicara lo que estaba pasando. Dos meses después me informaron que tenía que desalojar y aquí estoy, luchando por encontrar un nuevo lugar. Por Carlos Rivera Era Noviembre invierno muy fuerte, no tenía abrigos ni cobijas y unos vecinos nos ayudaron proveyéndonos abrigos y cobijas. Temprano en la mañana a reciclar aluminio, y de esta manera me ayudaron. Y mi familia de dos hijos y hija. También con algo de dinero. Refugio de invierno nos ayudan. Gracias a Dios. Es lo que me gusta la ciudad de San Francisco que protege a los inmigrantes como muchos y vivimos aquí. Gracias a Dios y esta gran ciudad. Part I—#4 YELAMU, September 18, 2026— EVICTION/DISPLACEMENT/GENTRIFICATION Stories Below write your story of eviction/gentrification/ displacement from your home/community/corner Red Yes, on New Years Eve 2025, I was forced to move out of ParkMerced, out by State College. I was evicted because the woman I lived with assaulted me and almost killed me. Before that she tried to burn the room that I occupied while I was in it. So she had a restraining order not to come to the house and not to alter anything on the place, the locks specifically. Well she tried anyways, but something told me to keep a window open. So after that I changed the locks myself. I still lived there for about 5 yrs waiting to go to court. And when I did, they ..hundreds of thousands of dollars bill and then put it in my name. But I could not afford to pay the rent. So I had until 12/31/2025 to be out. With 3 days no car cause someone set it on fire, and no one who cared enough to help me or direct me the right directions. I feel really cared about when I come here. I don’t feel so alone. Tia Maria I've been evicted once, I was given 15 days to be out with my children, due to my alcohol and drug use. I was not the only person using, but due to the housing …they did not like. It's who can they find, and if you know the right people you didn’t get picked to random drug test. I got picked to random drug test not one time, but three times, as I passed the first two test. The third unfortunately I didn’t pass. So my kids and I moved to a motel, then my girlfriend's house. Still using I just ..I’m still fighting .. and Thank you for everything. Emilio My family looks down on me because I'm not fat. My family kicked me out while I was in college. It became very hard for me to stay in school while I was homeless. Noralyn M Perez Hello Family My name is Shortymac. I'm filipino …born in the Philippines and adopted and brought here to America and petitioned by my adopted father who served in the Army. I thought coming here to America was gonna make me the happiest human on this earth. Not realizing my life was about to go downhill because I came from an abusive situation to the next. That had me thinking I was born cursed, but I learned I am just a victim of my circumstances where eviction exist. The hardest part to cope with was being a single parent and a green card holder. I ran away from my abusive and sexual harassment family. I became homeless and adapted being in an abusive relationship, then got pregnant, no where to go, no where to run, and that’s when my life became hopeless and I thought my life was never gonna get better. And as soon as I got evicted my life keep going downhill without hope except drugs was my only solution, but now I have been saved and now I have hope because of Homefulness S.F. Poor magazine Alexander De Leon Our Room I was in this beautiful room with a huge ceiling. It was just my mom and I, always the two of us. As long as I can remember it was the two of us. I was so happy because after so long we had a roof …could call ours. No fear of someone walking in on us sleeping because it was their garage, and could come in and out whenever they wanted. No more feeling like food… been out too long, unwanted in someone’s home. No more feeling like an intruder. A home. Oh who is this? My sister? That’s awesome, I'm so happy. What did he say? My mom has to pay more so that her daughter can live with us? Oh, thankfully it’s not so much. Wait, what? He said she needs to go? But she’s a kid, just like me. Where will she go? My mom so brave, she said no one would separate them again. He said, my mom doesn’t have to go, only my sister. What? He said since she want to go now we must all leave? But our room, our ceiling. My stuff in boxes again, my life packed so quickly. Where? Oh, where? Will we go mom? Angelique M Cruz Good day Well when I first seen the subject I would write on, I was, “Oh no!” Then I realized, wait, “these stories are what make and break us, not divide or mesh us together.” In other words, to, "humble our definition of, “that’s not fair’. It was at a nice apt., in the late 90’s. I had lived in “Little Saigon.” It’s a really eclectic neighborhood, full of “life.” I received my eviction, with proper dates. They were upgrading and raising the rent. We were given a nice offer of quite a bit of money to leave, all I needed was the co-signers signature on the papers. Well faxing or email wouldn’t do. So, I thought, why don’t I sign the “papers.” It's my real mom’s signature. Well, I got caught, admitted it “right away.” They kept the money. “Where did it go?” (the offer or deposit) Before I knew it, there were three sheriffs, and the landlord at my door. (Of course I was given notice, but I still said, “what!”) I got my meager belongings ☹️told I can come back in a couple of days to get the rest of my belongings. The universal morals of the story.--------”Do Not ignore notices w/dates on them) —-Do not forge anyone’s name, please! Keep “your head up.” The process of getting a place will happen again! (soon) Thank you- Peace and love Hearts Angelique M Cruz, wiser2day4u@gmail.com Richard Olivas I never thought I would be evicted for a third time, but it happened. My landlord lying on my family with lies that you would think that the EDC and judge would see his lying but they did not, so now me and my family are now on the street once more. So a month ago, I saw no hope. I was waiting to die hoping that it would happen quickly, but I don’t have luck like that. But I came to Homefulness and who would have known I would …people and one beautiful lady we call Junebug who would give me hope again. She makes sure I’m doing things that help me, that give me hope that I will find a new place to live. This is a good place to be, to have a meal, to talk to someone who is willing to listen, to care about me, then in turn makes me care about myself and others. Life is hard enough nowadays, but with a place like this you can get a new hope on life. Tyler I was evicted from student housing due to Financial Aid being suspended, due to my grades not being up to par, and they won’t offer education aid for someone struggling with an education setback. Michael Silva I’ve been in S.F. around 8 yrs. Been on streets struggling on and off. Recently got housing, but I have a substance abuse problem. Don’t know how long I have it. Only time will tell. Only times will Tell. I was born in Sacramento. I had my own house, but went through a divorce and my life changed for the worst. Griseyanlo Month: Now years without my home, my kid’s.. I also lost my full time job of being a stay @ home mother. The worse part of it all. I don’t get to be a mother. I feel like there is no going back. Or no way back. I’ve lost hope & feel I’ll never be able to be the only thing I can do right. And being a mother. As a mother I am drug free, on time, and have a purpose to wake up & have a schedule. Now on the streets, time doesn’t matter and it is different out here. 1 year to you is a day to me. 200 ..days all into 1. I hope my time is not lost here. I pray I don’t die out here. I hope I can tuck in my children once more & I know my kids cry for the same! HOMEFULNESS ♥️ By: A person who used to Matter to 2 kids. Let me start by saying, me being evicted changed my life completely. I went from being a stay at home mother, 2 amazing children, to running the streets with nowhere to call home & unknowing my children who now reside with their father. I was wrongfully evicted during COVD 19. Due to the fact of asking my landlord to fix the slum conditions we lived in at the time of the separation with my “baby daddy”. I don’t know why my voice wasn’t heard, why a judge wouldn’t see the false documents my landlord made. Why I didn’t matter, if I need somewhere to rest my head with my children. Pete Alcala My first eviction was when I was…16teen, 1986. What a year. I was still in high school. I had long hair down to my ass and had some Levis jeans that were ripped all up. Leather jacket with all my favorite bands and me and my friends looked a bit motley so lanDlorDS DID not like us at all. We played loud satanic music and partys with bands playing. We were thrashing all around in the house making holes in the wall and are heads. So yo, we got evicted. Joshua Taylor My name is Joshua Taylor. I’m 37 years old and currently suffering from homelessness. Unfortunately, my decision making in life has led me to serving a significant amount of my adulthood incarcerated. From jails/prisons to court ordered treatment programs. This has also led me to be on probation or parole my entire adulthood. In 2015, I was living in Rohnert Park, CA in a nice 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse overlooking a golf course with my girlfriend. The complex we lived in was overseen by a H.O.A. (Home Owners Association). I was on parole at the time and working full time in the Glaziers union. Parole had a hard on for me and would come do house check ups on average 4 times a month, which is a lot more than normal. At times they would come in full force with about 10+ officers dressed in full tactical gear, in patty wagon. They would surround my house and use a battering ram to come knock down my door. This led to the H>O>A having a meeting upon my behalf and decided to make me move because of too much police activity. This led to me being on the streets. Ash I was evicted from my apartment in Sacramento after I was told I had owed money from a previous lease the year before. I supposedly owed money from the application for $45, but since I was also in case the rent that .. was supposed to be wavered. I returned to pay as I had to figure out..and ended up after not being able to pay for storage. Daryl Hall What happened to people living a purposeful life. Where people are not judged by the color of skin..but the color of your heart. I was on the verge of getting evicted and put in touch with resources where the people's hearts are the color of caring. Danny My name is Danny and I’ve been evicted 4 times. Twice in Florida, in Tampa and Saint Petersburg. I was evicted for partying too much and the neighbors complained all the time. In Saint Petersburg, me and my old lady broke up and so I couldn’t afford the rent anymore, so I stayed as long as I could. I’ve been evicted in L.A, in Venice Beach and I guess it wasn’t an eviction we were raided. So we were forced out. I’ve been evicted for not paying because I got really sick, and I had 2 open heart surgeries and I have plastic valves in my heart and I’ve been living in 24th and Utah for the last 20 years and the place was o.k at first. It has gotten so bad there. My roof leaks and there’s black mold and bathroom are fucking nasty as hell. There are mice that have been there so long I named them. J/K. But the place is nasty, so I need to sue before I get evicted again for not paying. I’m on S.S.I. I don’t have a problem not paying but it’s so nasty I stopped paying and the owner is a straight slumlord Thank U! #4 YELAMU, September 18, 2026—Part II EVICTION/DISPLACEMENT/GENTRIFICATION Stories Below write your story of eviction/gentrification/ displacement from your home/community/corner Sean Thomas My uncle moved out and left me the apartment we lived in. Then for the following 3 months I did nothing but try to support my heroin habit, and had friends and all kinds of random street people in and out of the apartment because of my addiction to shooting heroin. Because my care for nothing else this situation became out of control very quickly. Beacon Eviction In The East Bay So around March of 2023 I separated from my ex of 7 years. When all the dust settled, I decided to move from Oregon back to a place I felt where my soul belonged. The Town, a tru melting pot thriving with living culture fit enough for my alternative and radical mind. Plus, I had lived in the west for 5 years prior my son …even born there. Anyway…I found a place in my budget, communicated with the landlord for a little while, and he said all the right things. So I was sold. Gathered 3 months rent to pay in advance, signed the lease and made my journey down into a new spot. When I arrived I was met with a dilapidated building built in 1919, that at most had a fresh coat of paint poorly splashed on the interior walls. Since I’m not one to complain, I said, let's do it. Forward 3 months and 6K in rent and deposits, re-acclimation in solo life, enrolling in school and film to make it work, and lost but most important, the struggle to find work…I became 1 month behind, let's not forget I handed this landlord 6 thousand dollars upfront.. 1 month and he filed for eviction. No sympathy, no grace period…Just pages and pages of legal jargon, with nothing said to help my cause. He had served over and over for the smallest of fixable mistakes, well in ..I stayed. I stayed until a year later the Alameda SO, came in brute force to force me, just me and a single rooms worth of stuff in a building in collapse definitely not up to code…For what? So the cycle of taking from the less fortunate could continue. Rent IS THEFT! is the moral of my story. I.D.Karwl Eviction I HATE to say you had alot to due with my ..choices and lazy mindset since you had a toll. In my life. gentrification has taken place keeping up low income peeps down and out. It’s time to take a stand and turn all the evictions into motivation to put a stop to gentrification. We all deserve a prosperous fruitful future. ID Karwl about us all & our futures Keep you head up & never look ↓ down Be the only way is ↑ sky’s the limit Jas Eviction-displacement-gentrification My family was forced to immigrate here to Frisco in the 80’s. Their first home was here in the Mission. All women, matriarchs trying to survive with their babies. They faced possible deportation, my mom while she was pregnant. They were put out & displaced form our home which now is one of the wealthiest parts of the city. It’s crazy when we once…Indigenous bodies. I don’t think people understand the lands we are on. Walking the same streets, over the years, a feeling less & less like home.. The cycle of colonization & gentrification continues, our bodies policed and disposed. When your home is no longer home. Eviction. Displacement. Gentrification. San Francisco. Antonio Wildflower Currently in a room, but I have had to rush out of previous housing. I lived in a different room than when I was with a partner. We split the rent but when she and I split up, I couldn’t handle the money for the rent alone. It was in the Mission. I lasted a few months until I was forced to move. I lost a bunch of my belongings, slept outside at different friends' houses or literally just walked all night sometimes and slept during the day. I still have an eviction on my name which makes it hard to get housing. I do not like my current house, but do not have a way to change it yet, but I’m thankful still. Josh Davis EVICTION Being evicted can create profound hardships for people and families. Losing a home brings financial stress from moving costs, deposits, storage, and temp housing. Eviction may disrupt employment, education & medical care. Emotional toll can include anxiety, shame, fear and uncertainty. Finding new housing is harder when landlords consider eviction records, income, or poor credit. Yet eviction does not define my self worth or future. Relatives, advocates, legal aid and housing programs can affect support, compassionate policies and community assistance help us regain stability and rebuild our lives. Jon (?) Six years ago my friends Pete, Sean, and Emilio were living in what we all assumed would be, what I believe we all considered to be, the closest thing to true freedom. We had all answered a craigslist ad for a dream opportunity. Each of us living aboard our own, according to the ad, “certified sea-worthy vessel”. At first, of course, it was just as one would imagine, aside from the danger of any real concerning level of inclement weather, as well as the calmest sea, with the biggest swells being the wake from periodic passes of large container ships as they approached the massive docks in Oakland. After all, part of what was such a let down was when we were notified that we had been conned into our living situation. Much to our surprise when the Coast Guard showed up and forced us all to abandon our houses all of the sudden one day. Edgar B Limos Eviction Homelessness in San Francisco. I was evicted from my apartment 12 years ago. I was jobless and could’t find a job for a govt 2 years. I got very sick. It was illness I caught. I was medically …I couldn’t work for the 2 years. I was unable to work in which made it so difficult in working. I could not meet the obligation in time in which rent. I could not pay which to fighting eviction. The time I was trying to pay …those rents not only the rent but other bills; utility and other bills. It took a few or many years trying to solve our problems until we finally came to negotiation. Salvador Navarrette I haven’t been evicted, but I’ve been put in a housing that isn’t safe cause too much drugs . So because I’m trying to live a sober life now that I’m 69 year’s old ,and I believe a home should be your sanctuary. All I want to b able to meet my grandkids and live the rest of my years in peace. Thank you, and I’m so glad I came today. I made contact with family. Ps. I love what you Folks’ “The Mack” My Eviction I was living in a house with roommates and everything was great. The landlord lived downstairs. Then one day the landlord came to me and said, "I have to leave”. I said, “For what?” They said for doing cocaine in the house. I could not believe it. What happened was one of my roommates whom I was intimate with got mad at me because I did not want to continue relations. She told the landlord that I was doing cocaine. The landlord said that they saw me doing coke, but that was impossible. She told them and got me kicked out. I had to leave. They gave me one day to get all my stuff out. I was young and did not know the rules, so I was forced to leave. I had to give most of my stuff away and lost several things and was homeless for five months after that. Nelson Gutierrez 2015 I was evicted from the hotel after a problem with a noisy neighbor. 16thSt + Treat St. I didn’t get legal help because of the “economical crisis” those organizations didn’t have ..of the government. So I was in the street in the winter season. Plus 15 years in the street living. Now I got room on Cesar Chavez and Valencia. Thanks to the People fighting homeless interests Johnny Mathews Eviction/Displacement/Gentrification Stories Workshop Almost 20 years ago me and my mother were displaced from my childhood home of 20+ years due to a lien put on the house. Due to a car accident me and my father were involved in. It looked like we had …or $..paper but didn’t ..to my dads mental disorder and then divorce. A lien got put on the house and … Melinda G To whom it belong to And to where I once lived To work so hard for many years to remain housed. To have as little as nothing but something more than before. …Seek love and protect to finally have 4 walls and roof and door with a key that I can finally call my own. To thrive beyond ..to seek life and still be forgotten. To understand that it is more to live than just dream. To be displaced from birth, where do I go from here. Now that I have, I have to carry and work for it at the reach of someone else's hands. Learn to carry life not material things. And to know all I have is what I carry in my heart and what's been instilled in me as a child from my big grandmother and grandfather. And as long as I’m here, they can take everything from me but they can’t take away my peace, nor can they steal away my faith. To worry about if I’m going to become homeless in the near future is the scariest thing because I’ve been in every shelter in SF prior to being housed 17 ½ years ago. Now the housing manager threatening to take my house but I know it one that ..and looks ..And through the most high he will always have the last say. So with that I must remain ..respectful and loving. Sometimes that all we have to live for another day. Ashley Pearce 2015. I was just freshly divorced, lost my job, and couldn’t pay rent anymore. So my landlord let me “let myself go”. That was the crumbly start to this life I’m living right now. I had nowhere to go, nowhere to take my stuff. I tried getting help. Housing list was insanely long. I never have had my own place since then. To really put it in a better picture losing my home was the start of all of my drug use, jail time, probation. The minute I think things can be okay, it always ends up blowing up in my face. I feel very lonely most of the time because of it, no matter how many times things partially look up. Then something else happens. The greatest blessing of all would be the landlord letting me”let myself go”. ESPAÑOL Parte I—#4 AMARILLO, 18 de septiembre de 2026— Historias de desahucio/desplazamiento/gentrificación Escribe a continuación tu historia de desalojo/gentrificación/ desplazamiento de su hogar/comunidad/barrio Rojo Sí, en la víspera de Año Nuevo de 2025 me vi obligado a mudarme de ParkMerced, cerca de State College. Me desalojaron porque la mujer con la que vivía me agredió y casi me mata. Antes de eso, intentó quemar la habitación que ocupaba mientras yo estaba dentro. Así que tenía una orden de alejamiento que le prohibía acercarse a la casa y modificar nada. Específicamente las cerraduras. Bueno, lo intentó de todas formas, pero algo me decía que dejara una ventana abierta. Así que después de eso, cambié las cerraduras yo mismo. Seguí viviendo allí unos 5 años esperando ir a juicio. Y cuando lo hice, me impusieron una factura de cientos de miles de dólares y la pusieron a mi nombre. Pero no podía pagar el alquiler. Así que tenía hasta el 31/12/2025 para irme. Con 3 días sin coche porque alguien le prendió fuego y nadie que se preocupara por mí terminó ayudándome o indicándome el camino correcto. Me siento realmente querido cuando vengo aquí. No me siento tan solo. Tía María Me desalojaron una vez... en mi... me dieron 15 días para irme con mis hijos. Debido a mi... de consumo de alcohol y drogas. No era la única persona que consumía, pero debido a la vivienda... no les gustaba... es quién puede encontrar y si conoces a las personas adecuadas no te eligen para la prueba de drogas aleatoria... Me eligieron para la prueba de drogas aleatoria no una vez, sino tres veces, ya que pasé las dos primeras pruebas. La tercera, desafortunadamente, no la pasé. Así que mis hijos y yo nos mudamos a un motel y luego a la casa de mi novia. Todavía consumo... sigo luchando... y gracias por todo... Emilio Mi familia me desprecia porque no soy gordo. Me echaron de casa cuando estaba en la universidad. Se me hizo muy difícil seguir estudiando estando sin hogar. Noralyn M. Pérez Hola familia Mi nombre es Shortymac, de ascendencia filipina… nací en Filipinas, fui adoptada y traída a Estados Unidos por petición de mi padre adoptivo, quien sirvió en el Ejército. Pensé que venir a Estados Unidos me haría la persona más feliz del mundo. No me di cuenta de que mi vida estaba a punto de irse al traste porque pasaba de una situación abusiva a otra. Eso me hizo pensar que había nacido maldita, pero aprendí que solo soy víctima de mis circunstancias, donde existe el desalojo. Lo más difícil de sobrellevar fue ser madre soltera y tener la tarjeta de residencia. Huí de mi familia abusiva y acosadora sexual. Me quedé sin hogar y me adapté a estar en una relación abusiva, luego quedé embarazada, sin ningún lugar a donde ir, sin ningún lugar a donde huir, y fue entonces cuando mi vida se volvió desesperanzada y pensé que nunca mejoraría. Y tan pronto como me desalojaron, mi vida… siguió yendo cuesta abajo sin esperanza, excepto las drogas, que eran mi única solución, pero ahora he sido salvada y ahora tengo esperanza gracias a Homefulness S.F. Poor magazine Alexander De Leon Nuestra habitación Estaba en esta hermosa habitación con un techo enorme. Éramos solo mi mamá y yo, siempre nosotras dos. Desde que tengo memoria, éramos nosotras dos. Estaba tan feliz porque después de tanto tiempo teníamos un techo... podíamos llamar nuestro. No había miedo de que alguien nos encontrara durmiendo porque era su garaje y podían entrar y salir cuando quisieran. Ya no me sentía como comida... fuera demasiado tiempo, no deseada en la casa de alguien. Ya no me sentía como una intrusa. Un hogar. Oh, ¿quién es esta? ¿Mi hermana? Eso es genial, estoy tan feliz. ¿Qué dijo? ¿Mi mamá tiene que pagar más para que su hija pueda vivir con nosotras? Oh, por suerte no es tanto. Espera, ¿qué? ¿Dijo que tiene que irse? Pero es una niña, igual que yo. ¿Adónde irá? Mi mamá tan valiente, dijo que nadie las separaría de nuevo. Dijo que mi mamá no tiene que irse, solo mi hermana. ¿Qué? ¿Dijo que ya que ella quiere irse ahora debemos irnos todos? Pero nuestra habitación, nuestro techo. Mis cosas en cajas otra vez, mi vida empaquetada tan rápido. ¿Dónde? Oh, ¿dónde? ¿Nos vamos, mamá? Angelique M Cruz Buen día Bueno, cuando vi por primera vez el tema sobre el que iba a escribir, pensé: "¡Oh, no!". Luego me di cuenta: "Espera, estas historias son las que nos construyen y nos destruyen, no las que nos dividen o nos unen". En otras palabras, para "humillar nuestra definición de 'eso no es justo'". Fue en un bonito apartamento, a finales de los 90. Yo había vivido en "Little Saigon". Es un barrio muy ecléctico, lleno de vida. Recibí mi notificación de desalojo con las fechas correspondientes. Estaban renovando el apartamento y subiendo el alquiler. Nos hicieron una buena oferta de una suma considerable para que nos fuéramos; solo necesitaba la firma del avalista en los papeles. Claro, enviar por fax o correo electrónico no servía. Así que pensé: ¿por qué no firmo yo los papeles? Es la firma de mi madre. Bueno, me pillaron y lo admití enseguida. Se quedaron con el dinero. "¿Dónde fue a parar?" (la oferta o el depósito). De repente, había tres alguaciles y el casero en mi puerta. (Por supuesto que me avisaron, pero aun así dije: "¡¿Qué?!") Recibí mis escasas pertenencias ☹️ y me dijeron que puedo volver en un par de días para recoger el resto de mis pertenencias. La moraleja universal de la historia.--------“No ignores los avisos con fecha”. —¡Por favor, no falsifiques el nombre de nadie! ¡Ánimo! El proceso para encontrar alojamiento volverá a repetirse (pronto). Gracias. Paz y amor. Angelique M Cruz, wiser2day4u@gmail.com Richard Olivas Nunca pensé que me desalojarían por tercera vez, pero sucedió. Mi casero le mintió a mi familia con mentiras que uno pensaría que la EDC y el juez se darían cuenta de sus mentiras, pero no lo hicieron, así que ahora mi familia y yo estamos enelDe nuevo en la calle. Hace un mes, no veía ninguna esperanza. Esperaba morir, deseando que ocurriera pronto, pero no tengo esa suerte. Pero llegué a Homefulness y quién lo hubiera dicho… gente y una hermosa mujer a la que llamamos Junebug, que me devolvería la esperanza. Ella se asegura de que haga cosas que me ayuden y me den esperanza de encontrar un nuevo lugar donde vivir. Este es un buen lugar para estar, para comer… hablar con alguien que esté dispuesto a escuchar, a preocuparse por mí, y que a su vez me haga preocuparme por mí mismo y por los demás. La vida ya es bastante difícil hoy en día, pero en un lugar como este puedes recuperar la esperanza. Tyler Me desalojaron de la residencia estudiantil en... debido a la suspensión de la ayuda financiera, ya que mis calificaciones no estaban a la altura y no ofrecen ayuda educativa a alguien que está pasando por un revés educativo. Michael Silva Llevo unos 8 años en San Francisco. He vivido en la calle, luchando por salir adelante intermitentemente. Hace poco conseguí una vivienda, pero tengo un problema de abuso de sustancias. No sé cuánto tiempo durará. Solo el tiempo lo dirá. Nací en Sacramento. Tenía mi propia casa, pero me divorcié y mi vida cambió para peor. Griseyanlo Mes: Ahora años sin mi hogar, sin mis hijos... También perdí mi trabajo de tiempo completo como madre que se queda en casa. La peor parte de todo. No puedo ser madre. Siento que no hay vuelta atrás. O no hay manera de volver. He perdido la esperanza y siento que nunca podré ser lo único que sé hacer bien. Y ser madre. Como madre, estoy libre de drogas, soy puntual y tengo un propósito para despertarme y tener una rutina. Ahora en las calles, el tiempo no importa y es diferente aquí afuera. Un año para ti es un día para mí. 200... días en uno solo. Espero que mi tiempo no se pierda aquí. Rezo para no morir aquí afuera. ¡Espero poder arropar a mis hijos una vez más y sé que mis hijos lloran por lo mismo! SENSACIÓN DE HOGAR♥️ Por: Una persona que solía importarle a 2 niños. Permítanme comenzar diciendo que mi desalojo cambió mi vida por completo. Pasé de ser una madre trabajadora con dos hijos maravillosos a vivir en la calle sin un lugar al que llamar hogar y sin saber de mis hijos, que ahora viven con su padre. Fui desalojada injustamente durante la COVID-19. Debido a que le pedí a mi casero que arreglara las condiciones deplorables en las que vivíamos al momento de la separación de mi expareja. Por mi culpa, no sé por qué, mi voz no fue escuchada, por qué un juez no quiso ver los documentos falsos que mi casero falsificó. Por qué no importó, si necesitaba un lugar donde descansar con mis hijos. ESTOS DÍAS SE CONVIERTEN EN… Pete Alcalá Mi primer desalojo fue cuando tenía... 16 años, en 1986. ¡Qué año! Todavía estaba en la preparatoria. Tenía el pelo largo hasta el trasero y unos jeans Levi's rotos. Una chaqueta de cuero con todos mis grupos favoritos y mis amigos y yo nos veíamos un poco raros, así que a los caseros no les caíamos nada bien. Poníamos música satánica a todo volumen y organizábamos fiestas con bandas tocando. Estábamos haciendo destrozos por toda la casa, haciendo agujeros en la pared y en nuestras cabezas. Así que, bueno, nos desalojaron. Joshua Taylor Mi nombre es Joshua Taylor. Tengo 37 años y actualmente me encuentro en situación de calle. Desafortunadamente, mis decisiones en la vida me han llevado a pasar una parte significativa de mi vida adulta encarcelado, desde cárceles hasta programas de tratamiento ordenados por el tribunal. Esto también me ha llevado a estar en libertad condicional o bajo palabra durante toda mi vida adulta. En 2015, vivía en Rohnert Park, California, en una bonita casa adosada de tres habitaciones y dos baños y medio con vistas a un campo de golf, junto a mi novia. El complejo donde vivíamos estaba administrado por una asociación de propietarios. En ese momento, estaba en libertad condicional y trabajaba a tiempo completo en el sindicato de vidrieros. Los agentes de libertad condicional me tenían en la mira y venían a realizar inspecciones domiciliarias un promedio de cuatro veces al mes, mucho más de lo normal. A veces, llegaban con más de diez agentes, vestidos con equipo táctico completo, en furgonetas policiales. Rodeaban mi casa y usaban un ariete para derribar la puerta. Esto llevó a que la asociación de propietarios (HOA) celebrara una reunión en mi nombre y decidiera obligarme a mudarme debido a la excesiva actividad policial. Esto me llevó a quedarme en la calle. Ceniza Me desalojaron de mi apartamento en Sacramento después de que me dijeron que debía dinero de un contrato de arrendamiento anterior del año anterior. Supuestamente debía dinero de la solicitud por... los $45 pero como también estaba en caso de que el alquiler que... se suponía que debía ser condonado. Regresé para pagar como... ...tuve que averiguar... y terminé después de no poder pagar el almacenamiento. Daryl Hall ¿Qué pasó con las personas que viven una vida con propósito? Donde a las personas no se las juzga por el color de la piel, sino por el color de su corazón. Estuve a punto de ser desalojado y quedarme sin recursos, en un lugar donde la gente tiene corazones bondadosos. Danny Mi nombre es Danny y me han desalojado 4 veces. Dos veces en Florida, en Tampa y San Petersburgo. Me desalojaron por ir de fiesta demasiado y los vecinos se quejaban todo el tiempo. En San Petersburgo, mi novia y yo rompimos y ya no podía pagar el alquiler, así que me quedé todo el tiempo que pude. Me han desalojado en Los Ángeles, en Venice Beach y supongo que no fue un desalojo, nos allanaron. Así que nos obligaron a irnos. Me han desalojado en el... por no pagar porque me puse muy enfermo y me operaron a corazón abierto dos veces y tengo válvulas de plástico en el corazón y he estado viviendo en la calle 24 y Utah durante los últimos 20 años y el lugar estaba bien. Al principio, se ha puesto muy mal allí. Mi techo tiene goteras y hay moho negro y el baño está asqueroso como el infierno. Hay ratones que han estado allí tanto tiempo que les puse nombre. Es broma, pero el lugar es horrible, así que necesito demandar antes de que me desalojen de nuevo por no pagar. Recibo la Seguridad Social. No tengo problema en no pagar, pero es tan desagradable que dejé de pagar y el dueño es un casero explotador. ¡Gracias! ESPAÑOL Parte II #4 YELAMU, 18 de septiembre de 2026 Historias de desahucio/desplazamiento/gentrificación Escribe a continuación tu historia de desalojo/gentrificación/ desplazamiento de su hogar/comunidad/barrio Sean Thomas Mi tío se mudó y me dejó el apartamento donde vivíamos. Durante los siguientes tres meses, no hice más que intentar mantener mi adicción a la heroína, y debido a mi adicción, entraban y salían del apartamento amigos y todo tipo de personas sin hogar. Como no me importaba nada más, la situación se descontroló muy rápidamente. Faro Desalojo En El Este Bahía Así que alrededor de marzo de 2023 me separé de mi ex después de 7 años. Cuando todo se calmó, decidí mudarme de Oregon de regreso a un lugar donde sentía que mi alma pertenecía. El pueblo, un verdadero crisol de culturas que prosperaba con una cultura viva lo suficientemente adecuada para mi mente alternativa y radical. Además, había vivido en el oeste durante 5 años antes de que mi hijo... incluso nació allí. En fin... encontré un lugar dentro de mi presupuesto, me comuniqué con el propietario un rato y me dijo todo lo correcto. Así que me convenció. Reuní 3 meses de alquiler para pagar por adelantado, firmé el contrato de arrendamiento y emprendí mi viaje a un nuevo lugar. Cuando llegué, me encontré con un edificio ruinoso de 1919, que a lo sumo tenía una capa fresca... de pintura mal aplicada en las paredes interiores. Como no soy de los que se quejan, dije hagámoslo. Tres meses y 6000 dólares en alquiler y depósito, readaptación. En mi vida en solitario, me matriculé en la escuela y en el cine para salir adelante, y, aunque me sentí perdido, la lucha por encontrar trabajo... Me atrasé un mes, y no olvidemos que le di a este casero 6 mil dólares por adelantado... Un mes después, me desalojó. Ni una pizca de compasión, ni un plazo de gracia... Solo páginas y páginas de jerga legal, sin nada que me ayudara en mi causa. Había servido una y otra vez por los errores más pequeños y subsanables, bueno... me quedé. Me quedé hasta que un año después, el oficial de policía de Alameda llegó por la fuerza para obligarme, solo a mí y a las pertenencias de una sola habitación en un edificio en ruinas que definitivamente no cumplía con las normas... ¿Para qué? Para que el ciclo de robar a los menos afortunados pudiera continuar. ¡El alquiler ES ROBO! Esa es la moraleja de mi historia. Identificación Karwl Desalojo Odio decir que tuviste mucho que ver con mis... elecciones y mi mente perezosa. Ya que tuviste un costo en mi vida de la gentrificación ha dejado a las personas de bajos ingresos en la miseria. Es hora de actuar y convertir los desalojos en motivación para detener la gentrificación. Todos merecemos un futuro próspero y lleno de oportunidades. ID Karwl habla sobre nosotros y nuestro futuro. Mantén la cabeza en alto y nunca mires↓abajo Sé la única manera es↑El cielo es el límite A ellos Desalojo-desplazamiento-gentrificación Mi familia se vio obligada a emigrar aquí a Frisco en los años 80. Su primer hogar fue aquí en Mission. Todas mujeres, matriarcas, tratando de sobrevivir con sus bebés. Se enfrentaron a una posible deportación, mi madre estando embarazada. Fueron expulsadas y desplazadas de nuestro hogar, que ahora es una de las zonas más ricas de la ciudad. Es una locura cuando una vez… Cuerpos indígenas. No creo que la gente entienda las tierras en las que estamos. Caminando por las mismas calles, a lo largo de los años, una sensación cada vez menos parecida a la de un hogar… El ciclo de colonización y gentrificación continúa, nuestros cuerpos controlados y desechados. Cuando tu hogar ya no es un hogar. Desalojo. Desplazamiento. Gentrificación. San Francisco. Flor silvestre de Antonio Actualmente vivo en una habitación, pero tuve que desalojar mi anterior vivienda a toda prisa. Vivía en una habitación diferente a la que tenía cuando compartía piso. Compartíamos el alquiler, pero cuando nos separamos, no podía pagarlo yo solo. Era en el barrio de Mission. Aguanté unos meses hasta que me vi obligado a mudarme. Perdí muchas de mis pertenencias, dormía en la calle en casa de amigos o, literalmente, caminaba toda la noche y dormía durante el día. Todavía tengo un desalojo pendiente, lo que dificulta encontrar vivienda. No me gusta mi casa actual, pero aún no tengo forma de cambiarla, aunque sigo agradecido. Josh Davis DESALOJO El desalojo puede generar graves dificultades para las personas y las familias. Perder el hogar conlleva estrés financiero debido a los gastos de mudanza, depósitos, almacenamiento y alojamiento temporal. El desalojo puede interrumpir el empleo, la educación y la atención médica. El impacto emocional puede incluir ansiedad, vergüenza, miedo e incertidumbre. Encontrar una nueva vivienda es más difícil cuando los propietarios toman en cuenta los antecedentes de desalojo, los ingresos o un mal historial crediticio. Sin embargo, el desalojo no define mi valía ni mi futuro. Los familiares, los defensores, la asistencia legal y los programas de vivienda pueden brindar apoyo, y las políticas compasivas y la ayuda comunitaria nos ayudan a recuperar la estabilidad y reconstruir nuestras vidas. Jon(?) Hace seis años, mis amigos Pete, Sean y Emilio vivían en lo que todos asumíamos que sería lo más parecido a la verdadera libertad. Habíamos respondido a un anuncio de Craigslist que prometía una oportunidad de ensueño. Cada uno de nosotros viviría a bordo de su propia embarcación, según el anuncio, "certificada como apta para navegar". Al principio, por supuesto, todo era como uno se lo imaginaba, salvo por el peligro de un clima realmente adverso y la calma absoluta del mar, con las mayores olas provocadas por la estela de los grandes buques portacontenedores que pasaban periódicamente al acercarse a los enormes muelles de Oakland. Sin embargo, parte de la decepción fue cuando nos avisaron de que nos habían engañado. Para nuestra sorpresa, la Guardia Costera apareció y nos obligó a abandonar nuestras casas repentinamente un día. Edgar B Limos Desalojo Personas sin hogar en San Francisco. Me desalojaron de mi apartamento hace 12 años. Estaba desempleado y no pude encontrar trabajo durante 2 años. Me enfermé gravemente. Fue una enfermedad que contraje. Estaba médicamente... no pude trabajar durante 2 años. No pude trabajar, lo que hizo que fuera muy difícil trabajar. No pude cumplir con la obligación a tiempo, lo que hizo que el alquiler. No pude pagar lo que me llevó a luchar contra el desalojo. El tiempo que estuve tratando de pagar... esos alquileres no solo el alquiler sino también otras facturas; servicios públicos y otras facturas. Nos tomó algunos o muchos años tratando de resolver nuestros problemas hasta que finalmente llegamos a la negociación. Salvador Navarrette No me han desalojado, pero me han puesto en una vivienda que no es segura debido al exceso de drogas. Así que, como estoy tratando de vivir una vida sobria ahora que tengo 69 años y creo que un hogar debe ser tu santuario, todo lo que quiero es poder conocer a mis nietos y vivir el resto de mis años en paz. Gracias y me alegro mucho de haber venido hoy. Me puse en contacto con mi familia. Posdata: Me encanta lo que ustedes, amigos. “El Mack” Mi desalojo Vivía en una casa con compañeros de piso y todo iba de maravilla. El casero vivía en la planta baja. Un día, el casero vino y me dijo: «Tengo que irme». Le pregunté: «¿Por qué?». Me respondió que por consumir cocaína en la casa. No podía creerlo. Lo que pasó fue que una de mis compañeras de piso, con quien tenía una relación íntima, se enfadó conmigo porque no quería seguir con ella. Le dijo al casero que yo consumía cocaína. El casero dijo que me habían visto consumiendo, pero que era imposible. Ella se lo contó y me echaron. Tuve que irme. Me dieron un día para sacar todas mis cosas. Era joven y no conocía las reglas, así que me obligaron a marcharme. Tuve que regalar casi todo y perdí varias cosas, y estuve sin hogar durante cinco meses. Nelson Gutierrez En 2015 me desalojaron del hotel... después de un problema con un vecino ruidoso. Calle 16 + Calle Treat. No recibí ayuda legal debido a la "crisis económica" que esas organizaciones no tenían... del gobierno. Así que estuve en la calle durante el invierno. Más de 15 años viviendo en la calle. Ahora tengo un lugar en Cesar Chavez y Valencia. Gracias a la gente que lucha por los intereses de las personas sin hogar. Johnny Mathews Taller sobre historias de desalojo, desplazamiento y gentrificación Hace casi 20 años, mi madre y yo fuimos desalojadas de la casa donde crecí, donde vivimos durante más de 20 años, debido a un gravamen sobre la propiedad. Esto se debió a un accidente automovilístico en el que mi padre y yo estuvimos involucrados. Parecía que teníamos… o dinero… pero no fue así… debido al trastorno mental de mi padre y luego al divorcio. Se impuso un gravamen sobre la casa y… Melinda G A quién pertenece Y al lugar donde una vez viví Trabajar tan duro durante tantos años para mantener un techo. Tener tan poco como nada, pero algo más que antes. Buscar amor y protección para finalmente tener cuatro paredes, un techo y una puerta con llave que por fin pueda llamar mía. Prosperar más allá de... buscar la vida y aun así ser olvidada. Entender que vivir es más que solo soñar. Desplazada desde el nacimiento, ¿a dónde voy desde aquí? Ahora que tengo, tengo que cargar y trabajar por ello al alcance de las manos de otra persona. ...Aprende a llevar la vida, no las cosas materiales. Y a saber que todo lo que tengo es lo que llevo en mi corazón y lo que me inculcaron de niño mi abuela y mi abuelo. Y mientras esté aquí, pueden quitarme todo, pero no pueden quitarme la paz ni robarme la fe. Lo que más me asusta es preocuparme por si me quedaré sin hogar en un futuro cercano, porque he estado en todos los albergues de San Francisco antes de tener una vivienda hace 17 años y medio. Ahora el administrador de la vivienda amenaza con quitarme la casa, pero sé que es una que... y mira... Y a través del Altísimo, Él siempre tendrá la última palabra. Así que con eso debo permanecer... respetuoso y amoroso. A veces, eso es todo lo que tenemos para vivir un día más. Ashley Pearce 2015. Me acababa de divorciar, perdí mi trabajo y ya no podía pagar el alquiler. Así que mi casero me dejó "dejarme llevar". Ese fue el comienzo desastroso de la vida que llevo ahora. No tenía a dónde ir, ni dónde llevar mis cosas. Intenté conseguir ayuda. La lista de espera para vivienda era larguísima. Nunca he tenido mi propio Desde entonces, no he estado en ningún sitio. Para que se entienda mejor, perder a mi chica fue el comienzo de todo mi consumo de drogas, mi tiempo en la cárcel y mi libertad condicional. En cuanto creo que las cosas pueden mejorar, siempre acaban explotándome en la cara. Me siento muy solo la mayor parte del tiempo por eso, sin importar cuántas veces las cosas mejoren un poco. Y entonces pasa algo más. La mayor bendición de todas sería que el casero me dejara "dejarme llevar".

Image from 2012 Ebola outbreak in Uganda. Photo Credit: By U.S. Centers for Disease Control - This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #19940 Public Domain The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s public health institute, puts Ebola cases at 8,067 and deaths at 3,901. From those numbers we get a fatality rate of 48.4 percent and this right here makes everybody and anybody worry and stress that lives in every part of the world are at risk. The Ebola disease is caused by an infection with an orthoebola virus which is found primarily in sub Africa and that place has right now the worst outbreak in the country’s history. The place where all this is happening and the place where the disease is spreading rapidly is in Butembo. Butembo is in north Kivu province, which is a really bad hotspot where the Ebola outbreak is spreading. And people, from what I know, the time when all of this madness happened is September 23 2026. That's when doctors treated a patient who had Ebola which means its spreading around the world now as we speak. Ebola spreads through direct contact with body fluids of an infected person or through contaminated objects and surfaces. However, the measures that are meant to limit the spread, such as regular hand washing and social distancing, are not followed at the artisanal mining sites where work to extract gold is done by workers using basic hand tools like shovels and pans, with many of the mines making efforts to invade local authorities. I know now about Ebola from what I read. It's heart breaking to know this and I hope they come up with a cure for the people out there really quick, like yesterday. I thank God it's not spreading over here and I hope the best for everyone.

tiny (lisa) gray-garcia aka “PovertySkola” and co-founder of POOR Magazine was invited to speak at Beyt Tikkun's 2026 High Holiday (Yom Kippur) services. Beyt Tikkun says in their description of the event, "We believe that a Judaism Beyond Zionism calls us not to look elsewhere for belonging or liberation, but to root deeply where we are: cultivating presence, telling the truth, grieving what is broken, celebrating what is beautiful, and transforming our spiritual practice into action." In her talk, tiny weaves these ideas together, speaking about how liberation in Palestine is deeply connected to liberation on Turtle Island and the liberation of poor/houseless folks, too.

Press Contacts: Tiny Gray-Garcia (510) 435-7500 Adrian Diamond, Green Diamond Projects (661) 210-5764 Sabrina (704) 804-0908 Unhoused, formerly Houseless disabled youth, families, and elders from California have created a movie about their lives and their ancestors lost to the ongoing violence of homelessness, evictions, gentrification, poLice terror, and sweeps across the US. The Southern UnTour honors houseless ancestors from Atlanta, North & South Carolina and beyond. Movie Trailer HERE Crushing Wheelchairs Movie Southern UnTour Screenings Dates and Locations: From October 19-22 you can catch “Crushing Wheelchairs” in Atlanta GA, Columbia SC, Charlotte NC, and Durham NC! Monday Oct. 19: Morehouse College Shirley A. Massey Conference Center 5pm @morehousecollege 830 Westview Dr SW Atlanta, GA 30314 Tuesday Oct. 20: Babylon Kino 6:30pm @babylonkino 631 Harden Street, Suite I, Columbia, SC 29205 Wednesday Oct. 21: VisArt Video Theatre 6:30pm @visartvideo 3104 Eastway Dr, Charlotte, NC 28205 Thursday Oct. 22: Community Family Life & Recreation Center at Lyon Park 6pm 1309 Halley St, Durham, NC 27707 From Cornelius Taylor killed by a bulldozer in a sweep in Atlanta, to Abdul Wright who died on the streets of Charlotte, NC, and so many more unknown houseless residents who die every year across the US, Houseless and formerly houseless cultural workers from Oakland, Ca, who call themselves “povertyskolaz” bring the ground-breaking movie they have created about their lives and their communities' lives in poverty to four cities in the South beginning with MoreHouse College in Atlanta. Image of Cornelius Taylor - killed by a bulldozer in a sweep in Atlanta The powerful new movie depicts Six houseless residents of San Francisco, LA and Oakland live outside in tents, cardboard boxes & RVs, surviving together in community, interdependently, until each city deploys a giant machine and multiple poLice and state agencies that crush all of their belongings, tents, walkers, wheelchairs and more. The exciting new movie Crushing Wheelchairs, which incorporates magical realism, poetry, and myth in the stories of each of the characters, culminates in violent tragedy and hope rooted in decolonial self-determination. The production includes a cast of only houseless or formerly houseless and disabled actors who have been participants in a series of theatre and writing workshops led by formerly houseless screenwriter, povertyskola and poet Tiny (Lisa) Gray-Garcia aka @povertyskola. The film was produced in partnership with LA-based filmmaker, Adrian Diamond (Green Diamond Projects). "I had everything taken from me, things I will never be able to replace no matter how many hoops I went through—I could never get them back from CalTrans,” said Brokin Cloud. Houseless in Oakland for over fifteen years, Brokin Cloud is one of the over twenty co-creators, actors, and writers who have been meeting in a workshop led by the playwright, poet, actor and visionary PovertySkola also known as Tiny Gray-Garcia, who herself was a houseless child with her disabled mother for the majority of her childhood, and then again as a single mother with her son due to the violent gentrification of the Bay Area throughout the last decade. "I created this movie based on my life as a child and young adult who barely survived poverty and homelessness, criminalization, sweeps and incarceration. I created this movie based on my mama's life and the lives of countless fellow houseless youth, mamas, and elders who have barely survived and often died from the position of being without shelter in a system that values "private property" over people. Values the hoarding and acquiring of stolen resources and indigenous land over the safety of children and families and elders and disabled people, and actually views us as trash when we are outside—to be swept—or put to death," said writer and co-director tiny Gray-Garcia, formerly homeless, incarcerated, single mother, poet, co-founder with her mama Dee of POOR magazine, visionary of Homefulness and co-author of many publications including Criminal of Poverty - Growing Up Homeless in America and more. "This movie honors and pays tribute, prayer, and art to the stories and spirits of Cornelius Taylor, Abdul Wright, Steven Taylor, Tyrell Wilson, Luis Demetrio Góngora Pat, Luis Temaj, Laure McElroy, Anjileen “Green Eyes” Swan, Desiree Quintero, and Shannon Marie Bigley, and so many more, all who passed from the violence of sweeps, poLice terror, and hate of us poor people,” said Tiny. “This movie honors our lives as well—currently in struggle homeless poverty skolaz, in cities like ours where, in San Francisco we are being swept in the rain, or hosed down by individuals like art gallery owner Collier Gwin, or Oakland like the Wood Street Commons residents who were violently evicted from their longtime neighborhood in West Oakland in the middle of torrential rains.” Each screening of the movie includes Indigenous and all nations prayer for ancestors of homelessness, poLice terror and sweeps. As well, in all of the cities we are visiting, also besieged by violent sweeps, we are honored to be co-sponsored and in collaboration with Morehouse Sociology Department, Morehouse College and houseless sweeps and displacement survivors, mutual aid workers and advocates like the Community Land & Power, The Peoples Table, Food Not Bombs Charlotte, Durham Beyond Policing, Durham Community Fridges, Really, Really Free Market CLT and Reproductive Rights Coalition to name a few of the orgs signed into to support this powerful Untour. In addition to local organizers and houseless povertyskolaz, we will be featuring a discussion with sweeps and eviction survivors from POOR Magazine and their solution called Homefulness- a homeless peoples solution to homelessness that currently houses 24 houseless youth, adults and elders in rent-free forever housing and that survived the violent sweeps of their entire community and now work as advocates. The film has recently premiered to sold-out audiences in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles. Read reviews from the Movie HERE Watch the film's TRAILER here: Follow @poormagazine for Livestream coverage of events. www.PoorMagazine.org Abdul Wright- who died on the streets of Charlotte

Teddy Gant Jr and his wife, Vanessa By Cattrell When I was a kid, I didn't have a lot of time with my family and I always loved helping others, so this story really touched me. This is the story of Teddy Gant Jr, a male birth doula from Houston, Texas. When Teddy was 12, he learned from his mom that he almost died when she was giving birth. Because of this, he cared a lot about becoming a doula and a person that takes care of kids. From that young age onwards, he held a vision of wanting to help others by supporting the birthing process. Once working as a security guard, he fulfilled his dreams and became a certified doula. What he's doing now means a lot to me and to the world. His mission inspires me and I'm on a long mission, too: a positive one to help others.