Homeless Because His Parents Are Addicts
Summary
TLDRIn Westchester Park near LAX, a 21-year-old homeless man from New York shares his struggles with addiction in his family and the harsh realities of living on the streets. Despite his own challenges, he remains hopeful and actively helps others, including giving a phone to a fellow homeless person to access services. He emphasizes the need for community support and better resources to combat homelessness and expresses a desire for a more inclusive and supportive Los Angeles.
Takeaways
- 🏙️ Noah is a 21-year-old homeless man from New York, currently living in Westchester Park near LAX.
- 🗽 Originally from Buffalo, Noah has lived in Niagara Falls and has visited various places in New York State.
- 📻 Noah had the opportunity to visit a radio station in Binghamton, showing his interest in media and radio.
- 🛌 Noah has been homeless for about a year and has experienced sleeping in extreme cold weather without proper shelter.
- 🌡️ He finds the climate in Los Angeles more favorable compared to other places he has been homeless.
- 📱 Despite being homeless, Noah has managed to obtain a phone which he uses to help others, showcasing his resourcefulness and altruism.
- 🏡 Noah criticizes the lack of support for homeless people in LA, highlighting the city's focus on those who are already well-off.
- 👥 Noah emphasizes the importance of community and the need for everyone to work together to address the homeless issue.
- 💔 Noah's family struggles with drug addiction, which has contributed to his homelessness.
- 🤝 Noah believes in the potential of homeless individuals and wants to see more encouragement and resources for them to improve their situations.
- 🌟 Noah's three wishes are for a girlfriend, for his friends to find homes, and for his family to overcome addiction and homelessness.
Q & A
Where is Westchester Park located?
-Westchester Park is located near LAX in Los Angeles.
How old is Noah and what is his current living situation?
-Noah is 21 years old and he is homeless.
Where is Noah originally from?
-Noah was born in Buffalo, New York, but he lived in Niagara Falls for a very long time.
What is the significance of Binghamton in the conversation?
-Binghamton is significant because the cameraman is from there, and Noah has visited a radio station in Binghamton.
How long has Noah been homeless and sleeping outside?
-Noah has been homeless for about a year and sleeping outside since September.
What was Noah's experience sleeping in his car during cold weather?
-Noah slept in his car during 20-degree weather without heat, which he described as not very fun.
What does Noah consider himself to be despite being homeless?
-Noah considers himself the king of New York, even though he is currently in California.
What is Noah's opinion on the support system for homeless people in LA?
-Noah feels that LA is not very supportive or encouraging for homeless people, especially those from other places.
Why did Noah give his phone to another homeless person?
-Noah gave his phone to another homeless person because he can easily get another one with his EBT card, and he wants to help others get connected and access help.
What is the significance of having a phone according to Noah?
-Having a phone is significant because it allows homeless people to call for help, apply for benefits, and stay connected without relying on others.
What are Noah's three wishes?
-Noah's three wishes are: 1) To have a girlfriend, 2) For all his friends and people he knows in LA to get out of homelessness and find a home, and 3) For his family to overcome homelessness and addictions.
What is Noah's view on the role of social services in helping the homeless?
-Noah believes that social services should provide more support and resources to homeless people, and that they need to actually follow through on their promises of help.
Outlines
🏙️ Life as a Homeless New Yorker in LA
Noah, a 21-year-old homeless man from New York, discusses his current situation in Westchester Park near LAX. Originally from Buffalo and having lived in Niagara Falls, he has been homeless for about a year and in LA since September. He contrasts the harsh weather conditions he experienced while sleeping in his car in upstate New York with the relatively warmer climate of LA, where he now sleeps in a tent. Noah talks about his past, including visiting Binghamton and working at a radio station, and expresses his desire for a more inclusive LA that supports everyone, not just those who are already successful. He also addresses the lack of help from everyday people and the importance of community support in tackling the homeless issue.
🤝 Acts of Kindness Amidst Hardship
Noah shares his experience of helping others despite being homeless himself, such as giving away his phone to a homeless woman from Utah. He explains how he can obtain phones through his EBT card and the significance of having a phone for accessing help and services. Noah emphasizes the importance of self-reliance in obtaining help, as misinformation from others can be detrimental. He also discusses his aspirations for a better LA that is more welcoming to everyone and acknowledges the unique struggles and stories of homeless individuals he has met in Westchester Park.
👨👩👧👦 Family, Addiction, and Hopes for the Future
Noah talks about his family's struggle with drugs and alcohol, which led him to end up on the streets of LA. His parents are also homeless and dealing with addiction, and he expresses his desire to help them. He mentions his sister whom he wishes to protect from the harsh realities of homelessness. Noah shares his three wishes: to find love, to see his homeless friends improve their situation, and for his family to overcome addiction and homelessness. He hopes for a better future where everyone can find a place to call home and for his family to heal and become stronger.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡homeless
💡LAX
💡EBT card
💡Obama phone
💡DSS
💡Westchester Park
💡iHeartMedia
💡Binghamton
💡drugs
💡vulnerability list
💡three wishes
Highlights
Noah is a 21-year-old homeless man from New York currently living in Westchester Park near LAX.
Noah has been homeless for about a year, having been outside since September.
Noah has experienced homelessness in various climates, including extremely cold weather without proper shelter.
He believes LA is difficult for homeless people due to a lack of support and resources.
Noah has been to various places in New York and considers himself the 'king of New York' despite now living in California.
Noah has a history with iHeartMedia radio station in Binghamton, showing his past engagement with media.
He has slept in a car in 20-degree weather without heat, illustrating the harsh conditions he's faced.
Noah currently sleeps in a tent, finding LA's climate warmer than other places he's been.
He discusses the importance of community among homeless individuals in Westchester Park.
Noah emphasizes the need for more support and resources for the homeless in LA.
He shares his experience of giving his phone to a homeless woman, showing his acts of kindness despite his situation.
Noah explains how he can obtain phones through his EBT card and the importance of phones for accessing help.
He talks about the challenges of being homeless and the need for self-reliance in finding help.
Noah wishes for a better LA that is more welcoming and supportive of everyone, not just those who are already successful.
He expresses his desire to see other homeless individuals succeed and get off the streets.
Noah discusses the fear and challenges of change for homeless individuals when it comes to housing and services.
He shares his three wishes: finding love, helping his friends and other homeless individuals find homes, and healing his family from addiction.
Noah's story highlights the struggles and aspirations of a young homeless man with dreams and a desire to help others.
Transcripts
- [Cameraman] Noah.
- Yeah.
- [Cameraman] We're in a park. Westchester, right?
- Yes, Westchester Park.
- [Cameraman] And it is near LAX.
- Right next to LAX, yes.
- [Cameraman] And you're homeless and you're 21.
- Yes, 21 years old, homeless. From New York.
- [Cameraman] Whereabouts in New York?
- Well, I was born in Buffalo,
but I lived in Niagara Falls for very long time.
- [Cameraman] Okay, got it. Got it.
I'm from Binghamton.
- Oh. Nice.
- [Cameraman] So that's why I asked.
- Yeah Binghamton is...
I have been Binghamton few times.
- [Cameraman] Yeah.
- So it's a smaller city but it's very nice there.
- [Cameraman] I hate it.
- Well, they had a very nice,
I got a chance to go to the radio station there.
- [Cameraman] Oh, really?
- Yeah, I got to go to the radio station,
iHeartMedia, at Binghamton.
- [Cameraman] Oh, wow.
- Mhm. So, yeah. I've gotten to do ...
I like to consider myself the king of New York
even though I'm in California now.
(cameraman laughs)
I've gotten to go to a lot of different places in New York.
I'm in LA now, but I've been
in New York City before
and all over upstate New York two years ago.
- [Cameraman] How long have you been sleeping outside?
- I've been outside since September.
Well, that's how long I've been in LA for,
but I've been homeless for about a year now.
But other the places, some places not so nice as,
not so warm as here.
Some places were cold.
- [Cameraman] Yeah.
But I slept in my, I have slept in my car.
I had a car at one point and I slept in my car.
20 degree weather, no heat in the car out.
That wasn't very fun. So.
- [Cameraman] Yeah.
And now you sleep in a tent.
- Yeah, a tent.
That could be cold too, but you know,
it's a lot warmer in LA than it is in other places.
- [Cameraman] Right.
But people still, I've been everywhere from Anchorage
to Tampa and, you know,
where people feel comfortable, that's where
they learn to survive.
- Right, right. There's a place for everybody.
LA is a very difficult place to live,
especially with the homeless problem.
There's not a lot of help
from normal everyday people, as well.
I want to make that known,
that, you know, a lot of people
you know, even right here in this park could care less
that there's homeless people struggling.
So, you know, it really takes all of us to come together
and fight this homeless problem because, you know,
the LA is a place catered very much
towards the people that are already kind of doing good and
and have everything they need and have been here
for most of their lives or all their lives.
And it's not really, I feel, I don't feel
like there's a lot of support and a lot of, you know,
encouragement for people that may have come here
from other places that want to get a piece of what LA is all
about and the culture here and the industries here.
You know, the film, the television, the radio, the media.
You know, there's a lot of jobs out here,
but it's not for everybody.
Came out here thinking I was going to be a superstar.
I was going to be a movie star as soon
as I stepped foot in LA, but it's not like that.
You know, it's, you got to get up to that point.
But I'm just hoping for a better LA,
an LA that's a little bit more welcoming for everybody.
Because everybody's different. Nobody's the same.
And you know, some people really need that, you know,
that kind of encouragement and, you know,
everybody has a story.
Some of the nicest people I've met
are right here in Westchester park.
Everybody has a story of how they ended up here and,
you know, everyone is kind of unique
in their own special way, and it really takes
some strong people, some intelligent, kind people
to see how great these homeless people really are.
And know we deserve to be endorsed just like everybody else.
You know, we deserve to be able to take a shower.
Plug our phones in, you know.
I've seen so many people out here in this park that ...
We're right next to LAX airport.
Some people don't have phones.
People have nothing but the clothes on their back.
- [Cameraman] Well, you just gave
a homeless woman your phone.
Yes, yes.
She has said she has been in this park.
She's from Utah.
- [Cameraman] But you're homeless.
- Yeah, yeah. I just -
- [Cameraman] And you're giving
another homeless person a phone.
- Yeah. You know, some people can't,
you know, I can go get phones fairly easily,
you know, with my EBT card.
And some people don't even have their EBT card.
Some people don't have anything.
- [Cameraman] You can buy a phone with your EBT card?
- Well, they give you free ones for,
if you get your benefits, they give you a free Obama phone.
- [Cameraman] Yeah, yeah. There's ways of getting phones.
- I have a phone service on it now
so I don't need an Obama phone.
So when I get them, you know,
since I get them so easy with my stuff that I have,
I can just give them to somebody else.
And I'm hoping that, you know,
they can use that phone and get ahold
of DSS or whoever, get their ID, get their food stamps.
They can do it.
They can continue the cycle, give other people phones.
- [Cameraman] I've given phones to homeless people
and they've used it to get the help they need.
- Yeah, it's such a necessity.
If you have a phone, you can pretty much do anything.
You can call the caseworker.
You can call anywhere that you can get help.
You know what I'm saying?
If you don't have a phone,
you have to rely on somebody else.
And some people, you know, will mislead you
and they won't give you the right information.
I've had that happen to me a couple times.
Somebody will say, "Oh, write this number down.
Call this number."
I call that number. It's a dead line.
Nobody answers.
So, you know, you'll get misled.
Some people will mislead you.
So it's good for everybody to have their own phone
so they can stay connected in their own way.
And get the help they need.
Because it's a lot, it's partially,
you know, you can lead somebody in the right direction
and lead them to the help they need,
but they also need to want it.
You know what I'm saying?
Some homeless people have been
in this situation so long.
They haven't had any TLC, any love,
compassion from any other humans.
So they don't know how to -
- [Cameraman] What about you about you?
- Take it.
- [Cameraman] What about you?
Why, what are you going
to do to get out of here?
- Well, right now I just, you know,
it makes me feel good to be able
to help somebody out and give them a phone,
but also I just want to,
I'm homeless myself and I have, you know, offers
and resources to use to get me endorsed and stuff.
However, I really just want to see the people that have been
on the streets with me and people that have maybe
been struggling with it longer than I have.
Because I haven't been homeless forever.
I've had, you know, I've had a car, a job, money, you know.
I've had everything I wanted
at one point and then became homeless.
And I see people that have been like this
their whole lives.
Say, "Oh, this is what you need to do.
You need to do X, Y, and Z,
And then you'll be all set."
So for me, I just really want
to see everybody in a better place.
- [Cameraman] Well, there's also, there's a lot of fear.
Whenever, you know, life change, people don't understand.
I mean, even if it's, you know,
moving to a new job, a new apartment, a new home,
even going from your, because your life becomes this park.
- Right. Absolutely.
- [Cameraman] Then the homeless services
wants to take you out and put you
in some apartment that's not close to your friends.
- Right. Right.
And that's another thing, you know,
all of us in this park, you know, I split my time up here
in Westchester Park and another park, Echo Park.
Downtown Los Angeles, they're about to get swept.
So, you know, they were going
to sweep everybody out of here
when I first came here,
and now look at it.
We got a team of about how many people you think, Matt?
Maybe 10, 15, 20 of us in this park now.
Just not very,
just a small group of us.
You know what I'm saying?
We all care about each other deeply,
you know what I'm saying?
- [Cameraman] So how do we help you?
How do we, you're a young kid, Noah.
- What we need most is, you know, there's people -
- [Cameraman] You're smart.
- There's, we've got people over here
on the basketball court.
We got people on tennis courts.
You know, there's people zipping
by us and cars over there, over there, right behind me.
They have money.
You know what I'm saying?
All it takes is, you know, one small act
of kindness, you know, one person to open up their heart.
- [Cameraman] But how do we,
how does social services help Noah get out of homelessness?
- Well, they need to be supporting us more.
You know, I see too many
of these homeless programs out here that just
come take our information down, you know,
say they're going to get us housing and don't
do us any good, you know, beyond that.
You know, all this talk, talk, talk, talk.
"Oh, we're going to get you indoors."
This and that. Give us time.
- [Cameraman] Well, you're young, you're healthy.
You're probably, we're just talking
to somebody about the vulnerability list.
You're probably low on any list, but without housing
it's hard to, you know, take a shower to go look for work.
- Yeah. Yeah.
That's my thing.
I gave my GR my food stamps.
I'm getting, you know,
growing myself and taking care of myself and hopefully
within a little while, I'll be able to get a job.
You know what I'm saying?
But I'm farther along in this process
than what most other people are.
You know, I have my documents to work.
Some people don't have anything.
This is, I gave somebody a phone.
That's all they have.
That's their lifeline right now.
They don't have anything else, you know?
So that that's just step one.
And then, you know, hopefully a couple of months from now,
then that person will be able to get a job
and get the things they need.
So they don't, because a lot of people, when you're homeless
they get down so bad they get
all their stuff stolen from them.
They wouldn't have nothing but the clothes on their back.
And then you don't got anyone.
You don't got people just out here helping us out
and you know, saying, "Oh, you're homeless.
You're stuck. You need some help."
No, it's kind of like you kind of have to,
you know, ask around and get the help you need,
because it doesn't just always come to you.
You know?
But I just hope that the homeless people eventually,
you know, will get the help they need, get the stuff
they need to get off the streets.
And then in the meantime, we have people
that are doing the housing and those programs also,
whoever else, you know, start actually
doing their jobs and giving us resources.
Because we have street watch out here.
They help us.
But they're volunteers, right?
We got organization nonprofits that are supposedly
getting money per homeless person
to help us with services and they don't do anything.
So we really need,
it's a problem that we all have to tackle together
and give each person the best, give each homeless person
the best opportunity that they can
because each homeless person is unique.
I'm not going to have the same needs
as somebody else that's homeless, you know.
Everyone has specific needs.
- [Cameraman] Yeah.
- So we really need-
- [Cameraman] Now you were telling me the reason you ended
up on the streets was it's hard to live with your parents.
- Yeah. My parents really, you know,
coming out to Los Angeles, they ...
They like to get into the drugs.
You know, my mom likes to do like black tar heroin.
- [Cameraman] I'm sorry.
- Yeah. It's all right.
My father, you know, he gets, I believe he gets more
into the crystal meth and things like that.
So there is drug use in my family.
The rest of my family, they like to drink.
A lot of people in this park like to drink.
I don't drink very much.
But I just want to see the people that really, you know,
you know, I'm doing it for my parents.
- [Cameraman] No, I get it. I get it.
- You know, helping my parents.
You know, being on the street
and struggling with them to know that I care about them.
You know what I'm saying?
And I've come out.
I've been in LA about half the time
that my parents have been.
They've been out here, six months.
They were out here about six months homeless
before I came out here.
And I've already accomplished a lot
since I've gotten out here, you know what I'm saying?
And my parents, you know,
they are accomplishing things,
but, you know, again, they're, you know.
They go out and they'll make their money every single day
part of it goes towards their drugs
and then part of it might go towards their housing.
But, you know, I just have another sister who I care deeply
about who I want to, who I don't want to have to come
out to California and see this homeless problem.
I want her to be able to be on set when she, you know,
if she ever decides to start her life out here
in California, because we're all originally from New York.
- [Cameraman] Right.
So if you had three wishes, what would they be?
- My three wishes.
Well, I would like a girlfriend.
(Noah laughs)
It's hard to tell you.
It's hard to get some love when you're on the street.
You know, you don't, you don't get no love.
And it's hard, you know,
because I'm really on my own sometimes.
And I really can't do much, but suck it up
and just deal with it until I'm in a better situation.
You know, I wish for all my friends here
in the park and all the people I've gotten to know
out here in LA, because I'm new to all of this
and all of these people, I just pray for each and every one
of them that they will get in a better situation.
They will get out of homelessness.
They will find their home.
Because we're all homeless.
We just don't have a home, but everyone has a home
somewhere out there in the world.
But, you know, just wait until they find that place
that they can lay their head down and say,
"Yep, this is my home."
So everybody would get there sooner.
My other wish is just for my family.
You know, that, you know my family can overcome homelessness
because we're all technically homeless
and overcome our addictions.
That we can be a better family.
You know what I'm saying?
Since we've been a very, we're a very broken family
and we need, you know, yeah, we need the healing.
And part of it is having a home.
You know what I'm saying?
If I'm on the streets or something
and it starts to go, it's hard to, you know, say,
"Okay, I'm on the streets.
Then I need to go find my parents for help."
They're on the streets, too.
They need to be able to have a place to stay
so that way we can all help each other out in that way.
So.
- [Cameraman] Well, thank you very much for talking to me.
- You're welcome.
(upbeat music)
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