William DeShazer

Stories and Essays: The Forgotten

San Francisco Homelessness

Lee Hill, 35, of San Francisco, tries to sleep close to his possessions and his friends dog Kirby as the morning sun rises and other people begin their day. Hill was laid off one year previous from his job working with the disabled and has been homeless ever since.
   
Sam Rike, 54, has been in San Francisco since 1988 and is homeless. "Our great mayor, psshhh." said Rike. "He says one thing and does another."
   
William Gains, 51, of San Francisco, stares at an empty cup where he hopes to find change outside of a 7 Eleven in downtown San Francisco. Gains was opening the door for customers trying to get change for about two hours.
     
  
Carey D Wolfe, 49, of San Francisco, smokes crack from a pipe in what he calls "shit alley", an alley way off of New Montgomery Rd. "You have no friends when it comes to this (crack), but life is wonderful," said Wolfe. Wolfe has been homeless for about 10 years and has spent five off those years calling "shit alley" his home.
   
An elderly woman digs through a trash can in Chinatown early in the morning while all the stores are just opening.