Homeless Voice; Violent Rhetoric

Politicians and community members often put Florida’s unhoused at risk by perpetuating harmful, and sometimes violent, rhetoric

The Homeless Voice is owned by the COSAC Foundation, a multi-faceted non-profit agency that feeds, shelters, and arranges access to social and medical services to every homeless person that enters its shelters. We aim to enable them to return to a self-reliant lifestyle, but for the small percentage of people incapable, we provide a caring and supportive environment for long-term residency.

Originally made by a team tasked to raise money from the streets for the shelter, the Homeless Voice was born from the knowledge that freedom of press was a way to raise awareness. We started as a flyer, then a 4-page newsprint, then finally becoming the voice of the homeless with the Homeless Voice newspaper and website in 1999.

In this newspaper we hope to present the problems that the homeless population faces day-to-day, the problems these people personally face, and the ways that laws can help and hinder them.

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People often put the unhoused at risk by perpetuating harmful and violent rhetoric.

By Robert Davis

Homelessness in Florida has increased again due to rent, hurricanes and the pandemic.

By Andrew Fraieli

Not everyone on the streets has someone to return to.

By Mary Stewart

To Live Outside: Kitty

Some on the streets of Palm Beach have escaped and found better lives.

By Mary Stewart

Social Security: a Blessing a Curse

A perilous gap exists between surviving and thriving.

By Mary Stewart

A Cycle of Courts and Homelessness

With little money, incessant fines compound and burden.

By Mary Stewart

And maybe a third or fourth.

By Mary Stewart

Homelessness and Families

Not everyone living on the streets has family they can return to. Some families have turned their backs on them.

By Mary Stewart

Many people have asked me over the years if I had any family that could help. I was telling the truth when I said no, but I was rarely believed. Someone said that I must have someone.

And I guess I do. I am married after all, but it's been a rocky relationship to say the least. My in-laws are too poor to help themselves, my brother maybe talks to me once a year at the most, my parents and grandmother are deceased, and I'm estranged from the rest of my family.

Sometimes people have even told me that my family probably misses me and are worried about me, or that if I got my life together they would likely welcome me back. Sadly, that isn't true in my case. My relatives abandoned me long before I ever became homeless or even took my first drink.

Many of my homeless friends have expressed fear or reservations when it came to reaching out to their families, often due to guilt or shame. Some have told me that they didn't want their relatives to see them as they were, but the few who were brave enough to reconcile were welcomed home with open arms.

Others have felt the pain of child loss.

Many homeless people, especially women, have had their children taken by the Florida Department of Children and Families. Sometimes because of abuse or neglect, but most women I know lost their kids due to substance abuse, mental illness, or financial difficulties.

I personally lost custody of my kids due to lack of stable housing and income, but I will admit that substance abuse and mental health were brought up as concerns. My oldest two were placed with a relative, and I gave my youngest two up for adoption. I feel it most during the holidays — the hardest part is being away from my children.

A few friends of mine, such as Jessica and Kitty, are part of their children's lives despite the loss of custody. My friend Sally once had me look up her oldest daughter on social media, and I will never forget the touching moment of a virtual mother-daughter reconciliation.

Sally has still refused to return to her hometown or ask her children for help. She wants them to view her as being strong and independent instead of worrying them or becoming a burden.

This attitude is common amongst homeless people

that I've spoken to over the years who have adult children. My friend Dilo has five grown children and numerous siblings, but he kept saying that he wasn't ready to go home because he didn't want his loved ones to see him at his worst.

Some of my other male friends are divorced and their parents are deceased, with their ex-wives having custody of any children. Most of these friends are behind on alimony and child support. My late friend Cowboy often spoke about his two grown sons, but expressed animosity towards his ex-partner. Occasionally, he talked about the possibility of one day going home, but always decided to stay in the Sunshine State.

My husband and I remained on the streets of Florida together for 10 years, all while knowing that we'd be welcomed back to South Carolina where his family lived. However, we didn't want to return without our oldest son and our driver’s licenses. That changed when the pandemic struck.

"My cousins picked my wife and I up from the airport, and we went to their house for a few hours. Word gets around fast here. Family members started to show up left and right. They must've heard that we were back," Allen recalls.

His great aunt gave us the keys to her now dilapidated house, giving us a place to stay, but transportation was harder though — no one ever had gas. In retrospect, Allen feels that his family was "just putting on a show and that they never cared much."

But even though he was never close to them, he was welcomed back. There was no shame or judgment. His family even welcomed me and said that I'm part of the family.

My friend Tree never spoke of his family aside from ex-girlfriends and a stepdaughter. He had worked as a crane operator, and had far too much pride to even dream about asking his family for help. But they never forgot him.

His sister actually flew to Florida to search for him and finally reconnected with her long lost brother on her last day in town. Tree flew back to his hometown and accepted the help with housing and paying off his fines. He has now completely turned his life around.

Another formerly homeless friend of mine also returned to her hometown. I keep in touch with her on social media where she proudly shows off pictures of her grandchildren. She is now married to a loving man who doesn't judge her for her past.

I guess those well-meaning people had a point. Many homeless people do have families who love and miss them. However, some relationships can't be restored. Most of my family lives right here in Palm Beach County, but have refused to have anything to do with me due to my childhood emotional problems and a long-held grudge against my parents.

But for many homeless people, family reconciliation is possible, even life changing. I found out that my good friend Dilo, who has been quoted in the Homeless Voice before, has finally returned to his hometown and is now with his son. He's happy and doing well.

If you are homeless and there's even a slight possibility of being welcomed home, take that courageous step and reach out. You can find almost anyone on Facebook, so either go to the library or get on your phone and try to connect.

Every homeless person I've known who has done so now has their dream of a home and a family finally coming true.

Art by Andrew Fraieli

To Live Outside: Kitty

People are unhoused across Palm Beach County for many reasons. Some have lost jobs, some have lost family — but some have escaped too.

By Mary Stewart

Kitty was born and raised in Queens, New York. Her mother walked out on her and her sister when she was 3-years-old, leaving them to be raised by their father and grandmother.

"I had a great childhood. I even went to Catholic school. Everything was good. I was happy," Kitty said. She stayed in school until 11th grade, when she became pregnant with her oldest son. The pregnancy began her downward spiral towards addiction and homelessness.

"I loved my highschool boyfriend, but then he cheated on me and it broke my heart. He ended up marrying my sister,” Kitty remembers. “I retaliated by dating his best friend, but things were still good for a while until the domestic violence started."

Her new boyfriend took her to Philadelphia where he began to physically abuse her. She later returned to New York where she discovered that her grandmother died, and then started abusing drugs to cope. Her life continued to go in the wrong direction.

"I worked as a barmaid in the clubs for four years. I met many big-time drug lords and partied hard,” Kitty explained. “I was doing a lot of drugs at the time, but my son always came first before anything else."

Then one night, while tending the bar, she met the man that would become the father of her three youngest

children. “I never loved him,” only dating him for his money, she said. “He was a millionaire, and he spoiled me rotten — at first."

The couple moved to Florida where Kitty realized that she, once again, was in an abusive relationship. She was still using drugs, but says she was a good mother — her kids always came first. But when she tried to leave her abuser, he called child services and reported her drug use.

"I spent a year in jail,” Kitty said. “When I got out, I decided enough was enough. I walked right into the woods with all the homeless people and that's where I stayed. I finally felt free."

Kitty lived in the woods alone for four years after she was released from jail. She had no tent, only laying a blanket on the ground to go to sleep. She supported herself through panhandling and occasionally cleaning homes — never prostituting she adds — but admitting to stealing when she needed to.

"Once I was free from the abuse, the main reason why I kept doing drugs was because I would start missing my kids and feel guilty for leaving them when I was sober,” she added. “The drugs numbed my heartache."

Then she met her long-time boyfriend, Bigfoot. He was looking for company in a way she didn’t give out anymore, but she still agreed to hang out. Apparently,

she realized, Bigfoot had a sweet spot for her because he started to bring her clothes and food to help her out.

One day, she said she was hanging out near a canal that had alligators in it and was scared to death. Bigfoot happened to show up at just the right time to escort her down the canal to safety.

Kitty didn't feel right trying to get into a new relationship, not with living in the woods and getting high every day while Bigfoot had a beautiful apartment and a job. But the other homeless people encouraged her to give the relationship a shot as Bigfoot was willing and able to take care of her.

"He even brought money to my ex-husband to help care for my children,” she said. “I moved in with him and we've been together ever since, for 15 years now."

Unfortunately, her fairytale love story didn't end her homelessness. Bigfoot was an independent contractor and the couple moved around a lot, renting apartments or living in hotels or houses owned by clients. Each time they lost a place, they had to move back into the woods until they found somewhere else to go.

But the repeated episodes of homelessness didn't faze Kitty. Her strong faith in something bigger than herself and a sense of purpose always kept her going.

"I loved living in the woods. It was so peaceful and God always seemed to put someone in my path that I could help. I feel like I was meant to be there,” she said. “It was beautiful: the birds, the trees, the animals. I was even able to help homeless cats."

Kitty and Bigfoot did occasionally have periods of stability. At one point, they lived in an efficiency apartment at a motel for six years. But most of the time they were back and forth between the woods and apartments.

“Once, the cops came and kicked us out,” she explained, referencing the woods. “Another time I was caring for two elderly men, and they died. Then the last time, the house we lived in was foreclosed on without notice, and we were stuck walking back to the woods with all our belongings and a bunch of cats.”

Bigfoot finally decided to build them a makeshift home in the woods. They had a tent set up with a mattress and box spring for a bedroom, and a living area built with plywood, metal rods, and mosquito net — complete with furnishings. Their biggest reason to boast was having a bathroom, even though they had no running water.

After living in their handmade house in the woods for four years, the couple found an RV to rent. Kitty says she loves having a shower, place to cook, and an actual bed. She also now has a relationship with her children and even babysits her grandson. But she will always cherish her memories of the woods.

"I know this sounds terrible but I loved living in the woods because of the sense of peace I had and my faith in God,” Kitty explained. “I feel like I was there for a reason: to help other people. Most of them wouldn't listen to a preacher but they'd listen to me because I could relate. We are all placed in situations for a purpose."

Kitty encourages homeless readers to keep their heads up and find a sense of purpose in the midst of their hardship.

"If you are still homeless, don't give up or lose hope,” she said. “There were many times when I was depressed and didn't want to leave the woods or even wash up but I know God had a purpose for my struggles and I feel good about having the chance to help others out there on the streets.”

Kitty feeding a racoon in her makeshift camp in West Palm Beach | Photo courtesy of Kitty

Social Security: a Blessing and a Curse

Extra funds can help someone survive, but finding a job to then thrive lowers benefits, creating a perilous gap.

By Mary Stewart

Many of my homeless friends think that my Social Security check is a blessing for me. While I'll definitely admit that it's easier to be homeless with a monthly check than to be out on the streets destitute, in some ways my Supplemental Security Income check can be hindering.

The Social Security Administration says that the SSI program helps homeless people with disabilities by providing a monthly source of income. And that's true. However, SSI and welfare benefits can also keep people trapped in homelessness and poverty. Not because they’re receiving checks, but because of the limitations built into that money.

My full monthly benefit is currently $943 before overpayment deductions. However, it's hard to find a one bedroom rental apartment for under $1400 per month in Palm Beach County. When I've brought up the subject of income based housing, caseworkers have looked at me like I have three heads. But how else can I possibly secure housing without a subsidy?

My other options are to go back to work or move in

with my husband. But both of those options would negatively impact my benefits. I've tried to work before and dealt with job loss and benefit reductions.

Many people fail to realize that SSI and Social Security Disability Insurance are two different programs. Workers pay into the SSDI program over time and are able to draw off of it in the event they become disabled. SSDI recipients are able to earn $1550 per month in wages without their benefits being affected according to the Social Security website.

But this isn't true for those who receive SSI. I'm only allowed to earn a mere $85 per month without my $943 check being cut. I do bring in more money overall by working part time and collecting a partial SSI check, but it still isn't enough to afford the cost of living.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, approximately 25-30% of homeless people in the United States are either physically or mentally disabled. I've known several disabled homeless people who receive SSI — others are obviously eligible but need help with the application process.

I've met very few homeless people on SSDI, though. Apparently, it's well worth it to work and pay into the program rather than accepting SSI benefits which are income based.

Most of my homeless friends who receive SSI have expressed reluctance or outright refusal to go to work due to how employment affects their benefits. It's not just about the checks being cut back. We all know that we'd make much more with a job. A lot of it is about the fear of failure.

What if we get a job and then realize that we can't handle it? If our benefits are reduced or completely stopped, we'd end up homeless with nothing and in an even worse situation than we are right now.

I went through that when I got hired at a local fast food restaurant. At first, the income increase was lovely. But I soon realized I couldn't handle the stress of the job, and my SSI check had already gone down to $300 because I had additional income. I was in the Rapid Rehousing program at the time too, and couldn't afford my rental subsidy after I left that job due to the benefit decrease. Then again, we may never overcome homelessness without a job. We simply don't bring in enough to afford rent. Even room rentals and halfway houses are now running $800 to $900 per month or more. Occasionally, one of my friends has lucked out and found a room for $500, but that's a rare occurrence nowadays.

Palm Beach County Homeless Services offers that Rapid Rehousing program, which requires the person to go to work with the eventual goal of affording the full rental amount on their own. They also offer something called Permanent Supportive Housing for the disabled, but I was never given that option and don't know much about that program.

Although there is income based housing, that resource is typically offered to able-bodied, low- income single mothers, not disabled individuals like myself. In many other states, there's income based housing for the elderly, but in Florida, there are 55 and up retirement communities instead.

SSI recipients can still apply for Section 8, a federal affordable housing program, but only during the open window period. I made it on the list once but was bumped off of it because I never received the letter to update my information and confirm my continued interest in the program. This can be problematic for homeless applicants as we often lack a stable mailing address.

Our biggest concern is what if we get a job and then realize that we can't handle it?

If our checks are cut back or completely stopped, we'd end up homeless with nothing and in an even worse situation than we are right now.

I learned from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of a program called Section 811, which provides exceptions for disabled people to reside in lower cost retirement communities, but I’ve never been told about it by services providers, or been offered help to apply.

Of course, homeless SSI recipients can always move into assisted living facilities if their health conditions are severe enough to warrant that level of care, but the facility will take almost their whole check.

Most of us refuse to move to assisted living because we enjoy our independence and like having a little bit of money in our pockets, but then we end up resigning ourselves to a lifetime of homelessness as we don't bring in enough to afford our own place.

For myself, the only other option is moving back in with my husband. However, he recently started working at a fast food restaurant and we are legally married. Social Security has something called a marriage penalty, meaning if your spouse has any income, they'll count part of that money as yours and you could lose your SSI check and your Medicaid.

According to the Office of Policy within the Social Security Administration, their marriage penalty is discriminatory and unmarried couples fare better than married couples who receive 25% less benefits than if they were living together and not married. I could have a live-in partner who makes six figures and not lose my check, but having a husband who flips burgers would mean they cut my benefits.

Personally, I'm tired of being oppressed by the government. I'd typically choose love over an SSI check any day of the week. I'm a Catholic and believe that marriage is sacred and cohabitation goes against my beliefs and values.

But in my case, my husband and I have a long history of marital problems. I can't risk my benefits for a man who refuses to support me and kicks me out every other year leaving me living in a tent. I could lose everything by moving back into the house all because I said two words — I do.

Only 24% of SSI recipients are married compared to 57% of the general population, the Office of Policy states in its marriage penalty report. Obviously, there's a way around this discrepancy: don't get married.

The Office of Policy also mentions that the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, while not reliant on marital status, still has some forms of marriage discrimination. In Florida at least, two-parent families face higher work participation requirements than single-parent families

The maximum time someone can use TANF assistance in Florida is also limited to 48 months, with few exceptions. One of which is if one or both parents of a child receive SSI, then benefits for the child could continue until they are 18 according to Florida statute. My husband and I were once homeless with our son. We only got TANF for 18 months at the time, but shortly before our assistance ran out, the Florida Department of Children and Families got involved and placed our child with a relative. That relative now receives a check until our son turns 18, while Florida turned around and sued us for child support.

These discrepancies also affect those who are homeless on an SSI check. We earn $2 just for the government to turn around and take $1. In a way, SSI checks really do help the homeless survive, but they keep us stuck in a never ending cycle of poverty and homelessness.

By Robert Davis

Politicians and community members often put Florida’s unhoused at risk by perpetuating harmful, and sometimes violent, rhetoric

iolence against homeless people in Florida has reached epic proportions, and some advocates say the rhetoric spewed by public leaders and community members is making the issue worse.

Attacks against the unhoused are not new and they have been happening in greater frequency across the country at a time when homelessness is increasing, and the rising cost of living is threatening to put more people out onto the streets. Florida’s legislature added “homelessness” to a list of protected classes under the state’s hate crime statutes in 2010, four years after one of the state’s most memorable attacks against the homeless community.

In 2006, two teenagers were arrested for killing a homeless man with a baseball bat and viciously beating two others. Two years later, the duo were initially sentenced to life in prison but their sentence was reduced to 40 years in 2012 after the Supreme Court

ruled that courts cannot sentence minors to life in prison under the mandatory sentencing guidelines.

However, the heightened legal pressure has not reduced incidents of violence against homeless people in Florida. The state recorded 261 violent incidents against homeless people in between 2000 and 2020, which was the second-most in the nation, according to a study from the National Coalition for the Homeless.

One incident the organization highlighted occurred in a Miami Publix where a security guard was filmed beating a homeless man for allegedly stealing a sandwich.

“No one is above the law and no one should act as judge, jury and executioner especially in a matter of a $5 chicken sandwich,” the organization said in a press release.

These attacks don’t happen in a vacuum. Instead, they are bred by these politicians who use “tough on crime” rhetoric to try and scare homeless people into accepting inadequate services and shelter placements.

Antagonists routinely justify their attacks by arguing that the unhoused make them feel unsafe, which is a line that some politicians like New York Mayor Eric Adams and San Francisco Mayor London Breed parrot publicly.

To advocates like Eric Tars, senior policy director for the National Homelessness Law Center, there is a clear connection between the dehumanizing rhetoric politicians use and violent acts committed against the unhoused.

“We called attention to the fact that Mayor Adams was using this dehumanizing and provocative rhetoric and aligning himself with folks who are actively trying to create the conditions whereby people can be rounded up, put into camps, arrested, and forced to endure various forms of state-sanctioned violence, as well as tacitly permitting individuals to use vigilante forms of violence against people experiencing homelessness,” Tars told Invisible People, referring to the death of Jordan Neely.

“Other influential leaders, like former President Donald Trump, are committing the same egregious offense,” Tars continued.

When those threats fail, oftentimes vigilantes take matters into their own hands under the guise of protecting their community.

Neely was a 30-year-old Black man who was choked to death by a former marine named Daniel Penny on the New York Subway in May 2023. Penny defended his actions by arguing that other riders felt unsafe in Neely’s presence, CBS4 New York reported.

The Miami Homeless Trust, which leads the MiamiDade County continuum of care, has played up the service-resistant narrative to oppose policies such as opening more public restrooms in the county.

“Bathrooms and showers do nothing but sustain homelessness. It keeps folks out on the streets. It does

Bathrooms and showers do nothing but sustain homelessness. It keeps folks out on the streets. It does nothing to end it.

nothing to end it,” Ron Book, the chairman of the Miami Homeless Trust, told the Miami New Times in 2020.

Arguments that suggest homeless people are service resistant rely on the assumption that homelessness is a personal or moral failing rather than a social or cultural failure. However, these arguments overlook the fact that most people who become homeless cite relationship issues like losing a loved one or a divorce as the main reason for their homelessness, not their religious or moral affiliations.

This rhetoric can also discourage unhoused people from accepting available shelter and services, according to Crisis, a U.K.-based homeless service nonprofit. For instance, Crisis says many people view homelessness through an individualistic lens that focus on personal or moral failings to explain an individual’s predicament.

Crisis added that advocates should be focusing on addressing the cultural shortcomings and policy gaps that make spells of homelessness last longer than it should in the first place. Some gaps that could be addressed include reducing barriers to enter supportive housing like having an identification or entering a substance abuse treatment program.

Breed implicitly invoked an individualistic framing of homelessness when she said in December about 60% of San Francisco’s unhoused who were contacted by local outreach workers refused services or shelter, The Messenger reported.

"This is why enforcing our laws is important. Our laws are for the health and safety of everyone," Breed said. "There are public safety challenges around encampments. There are threats of fire."

However, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California has accused San Francisco of using these arguments to justify using police to remove encampments when services and shelter are not available. This is prohibited under Martin v. Boise, a 2018 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit saying anti-camping ordinances cannot be enforced if there is not enough shelter beds for the unhoused.

Researchers at Colorado University’s Anschutz Medical School found that encampment cleanup operations, sometimes referred to as sweeps, could contribute up to 25% of the deaths of unhoused people who use drugs and are continuously displaced over a 10-year period.

“Yes, we have a serious homelessness problem in San Francisco. But forcing people who have no access to shelter to move from block to block is not the answer,” ACLU senior staff attorney John Do said in a press release.

Homelessness Rises to Greatest Height Since 2007

Rent, hurricanes, and the pandemic have led to a massive increase in homelessness across Florida and the country.

By Andrew Fraieli

In the face of rising rent costs, hurricane damages, and the ending of pandemic era funding, Florida has found itself once again sitting in the top three states for largest population of people experiencing homelessness as the country sees its highest since 2007.

According to the newly released Annual Homelessness Assessment Report by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of unhoused people in the country went up by almost 80,000 people since the year before — a 12% increase — reaching about 653,000 people total. This broke down to about 60% being in either emergency shelter or transitional housing, and the other 40% being unsheltered, such as on the streets or living in their car.

Every year HUD collects data from local homeless services coordinating bodies called Continuums of Care, or CoCs, who go out one night in January to count how many people are living unsheltered, in what is called a Point-in-Time count. HUD then combines this with the known number of people in the shelter system across the country for a total number of people experiencing homelessness.

Many CoCs in 2021 did not report unsheltered homelessness due to pandemic concerns and restrictions, but the report highlights that the pandemic did directly influence a drop in sheltered homelessness between 2020 and 2021 with the numbers increasing again in 2022 as “pandemic era restrictions were lifted and eviction moratoria began to end.”

These same reasons are partially what led to Florida’s almost 20% increase in homelessness, or about 5,000 people, since last year.

The report states that several communities with historically low shelter-bed availability blamed the

expiration of pandemic-related funding for the increase in their unsheltered population. Others on the west coast said the effects of Hurricane Ian, which destroyed over 19,000 structures according to the state Office of Insurance Regulation, are still being felt and are noticeable in their statistics as it happened only months before the point-in-time count.

Housing costs are another issue that communities in central Florida specifically blamed, saying in the report that “evictions have become far more common leaving people with no place to go.” Rent costs and evictions have been talked about extensively in Orange County months before their homeless count as the county had rent control on their ballot.

The ballot initiative was made moot eventually by a Florida Senate bill that, among purposes, banned municipalities from enacting rent control.

Still other communities, like Miami, reported the over 200,000 migrants into the city over the last year as a reason for an increase in homelessness, “with few housing options and minimal support networks for the new arrivals,” according to the report.

Across the board, Florida holds 5% of the total unhoused population in the U.S., or 30,756 people, behind only New York with 16% and California with 28%. Florida also has some of the highest rates of unsheltered homelessness in the country per county, with Hendry, Hardee, and Highlands Counties sitting at 88% behind only Jackson, Tennessee with 91%.

More broadly across the country, Black people continued to be overrepresented for their national population, making up 37% of those experiencing homelessness but only 13% of the country. Transgender and other gender non-conforming people were similar, increasing by 31% over last year, or about 800 people.

...evictions have become far more common leaving people with no place to go.

Court Fees and the Cycle of Homelessness

The unhoused rarely have the money to pay fines, yet over and over they are ticketed, compounding problems.

By Mary Stewart

Iremember the first time that the police stopped and ticketed me for panhandling on the I-95 offramp in West Palm Beach. The officer advised me to pay the fine to keep my license in good standing.

I didn't take his advice. I figured that I couldn't even afford food and housing at that time, I certainly couldn't afford a car, and my stomach rumbled with hunger pains every day — my driver's license was the last thing on my mind.

Now I owe about $5,000 in unpaid panhandling tickets and court fees, which continue to be held against my license.

While in Florida, I always used the Palm Tran bus. It wasn't a big deal not having a car. Then, I moved back to rural South Carolina in 2020, and found that I had

no reliable transportation without a license. I struggled to find a ride to the grocery store and doctor's office, a job was out of the question, I even signed up with Vocational Rehabilitation but they said they couldn't place me on a job without a driver's license. I was stuck.

My estranged husband, Allen, is in the same boat. He currently lives at a relative's house in South Carolina after ten years of homelessness in Florida and can't find anyone to drive him to work or doctor's appointments. Neither of us have ever been pulled over or even had a speeding ticket. We simply owe money to Palm Beach County, Florida.

"Taking a man's license cripples him. I can't get around to do anything at all. I definitely can't hold down a job," Allen told me.

While license suspensions for unpaid court fees is a standard practice that impacts all Floridians — housed or unhoused — it disproportionately affects the homeless as we tend to accumulate tickets and court costs for minor offenses like panhandling, open containers and trespassing. We also have no way to pay those fines.

My initial rationale made sense at the time. I was naturally more concerned about my immediate needs than I was about driving a car. I also figured that being ticketed for pedestrian violations was cheaper and more morally sound than racking up court costs for shoplifting or other petty crimes.

My friend Tree felt the same way. He was a certified crane operator who had several prior charges for petty theft before becoming a homeless panhandler. He then realized that he'd rather ask for help than steal.

But the donations still came at a hefty price. He needed his Commercial Driver’s License to work. The panhandling tickets and subsequent loss of his license kept him trapped in a cycle of homelessness for many years. Finally, his family agreed to help him pay everything off. He now runs his own business and is doing well.

This shows how something as simple as a driver's license can significantly change the life of a homeless person and make it possible for them to get back on their feet. Allen agrees that his license would open many doors for him as well.

"If I had my license, I could get to and from a warehouse or welding job every day,” he explained. “My brother works for a tow truck company. He could get me hired on if I was able to drive."

However, the loss of a driver's license means the loss of many opportunities that could improve the lives of those who are currently or formerly homeless. And if you're sleeping outside and begging for money, those opportunities are desperately needed.

It should also be noted that being homeless doesn't necessarily mean that you don’t have a car. Some unhoused people sleep in their cars, including my friends Jessica and Brett.

Since the cost of living increased, I have seen more and more people sleeping in parked cars at local plazas. For them, losing their license would mean losing their only source of shelter too.

Personally, my driver's license suspension is keeping

Photo illustration by Andrew Fraieli

me stuck in Florida and on the streets. I could return to South Carolina, but doing so would leave me without job options or even transportation to the doctor or grocery store.

Last year, I reached out to a nonprofit law firm, Chainless Change, for assistance with my license. They informed me that I'd have to pay off two cases, and another could be converted to community service. The remaining cases weren't being held against my license but could be in the future.

They also told me that I could only take care of my license in person at the Florida DMV. I'm on Supplemental Security Income, I don't even bring in enough money to pay for food and rent. The only way to make payments on the debt is to sleep outside.

While it's always advisable to heed the advice of an attorney or legal advocacy group, I took the initiative to conduct my own research. I discovered that proof of payment can be obtained online through Palm Beach County e-case view and that the DMV does offer the option of mailing in proof of payment and a money order for the reinstatement fee if you live out of state.

This comes as a huge relief to Allen who was planning to return to the streets of Palm Beach County to try to get his license back even though he has a home in South Carolina.

"Right now, I'm going for my disability but I'd rather work. I'm not even sure I can get my benefits without transportation. I had a doctor's appointment for Social Security last month, but I couldn't get there," he said. Many years ago, Florida judges would waive my court costs due to being on SSI, but not anymore. I now get charged fines just like anyone else. While it's understandable that panhandling is a traffic violation — hence the tickets — withholding a homeless person's license only further contributes to their hardship.

A few years ago, the ACLU and Southern Legal Counsel filed a lawsuit on behalf of a homeless man in Ocala whose license was suspended due to unpaid court fees on two ordinance violation cases. The judge ruled that licenses can only be suspended due to criminal acts, not ordinance violations. Almost 13,000 people have had their driver's licenses reinstated as a result of this case.

The constitutionality of panhandling tickets and court costs for charges that are unfairly levied against the homeless is also questionable. Palm Beach County rescinded their panhandling ordinance after it was challenged due to the vast majority of offenders being homeless and thus violating the Equal Protection Clause.

I was ticketed for panhandling on the highway offramp for being a pedestrian on a limited access facility. I doubt many people hang out on off-ramps besides road workers, stranded motorists and homeless people. It would be safe to make an educated guess that most people who violate that traffic law are also homeless. And yet, we are still being held responsible for paying those traffic tickets and court costs.

Ideally, court costs should be waived or community service should be ordered in lieu of fines for those who are struggling financially, including the homeless and those receiving government assistance.

Suspending a homeless person's license only makes it harder for them to get a job and a place to live. And without a job, how does the state expect the fines to ever be paid?

Second Chances

Sometimes those who are homeless need third and fourth chances

Istill remember the feelings of awe and joy and the sense of accomplishment that I felt after graduating Palm Beach State College, cum laude, while living in a tent. Though it was not long before I discovered that an associate degree does not get you much further career-wise than a GED.

So, I decided to re-enroll in college to finish my bachelor's degree. I applied to an English program at a university in Miami, but a judicial hold was placed on my account due to my criminal record.

I am not a hard-core ex-con, nor have I ever served a day in prison. However, I have a lengthy history of homelessness related infractions including trespassing, panhandling, and drinking beer in public. I also have a felony battery conviction that was the direct result of post-traumatic stress disorder and a medication interaction.

Many years later, this is still inhibiting me from reaching my goals in life. For a long time I could not even rent an apartment due to my criminal record and low credit score. This kept me out on the streets. Every semester, I would receive my financial aid disbursement checks and embark on an apartment hunt only to be repeatedly turned down by landlords due to my criminal record. Eventually, I gave up on finding a place to live and just hooked up my homeless camp.

The Rapid Rehousing program finally located a landlord who was willing to rent to me, but I need a good paying job to keep up with the cost of living. I need to further my education to achieve that, but that does not seem to be in the cards for me. Instead, my employment prospects are limited to fast-food jobs, and even Burger King wanted to know if I was ever convicted of a crime.

Many of my homeless friends have run into the same barriers.

Nowadays, anyone can find out anything they want to know about a person through a simple Google search, and if you have any type of blemishes in your past you will have a tough time accomplishing your goals or even meeting your most basic needs in the future.

You may have heard the saying that if you commit a crime you do the time, but some people inadvertently receive a life sentence of homelessness and poverty due to mistakes that they have made in the past.

This is not limited to criminal history alone. Often, the mistake is simply a foreclosed home, a repossessed car, falling behind on alimony and child support payments, unpaid tickets, credit card debt, or a DUI. While I have rarely heard anyone claim these things to be the sole cause of their homelessness, these mistakes — which so many people make — commonly contribute to people being stuck on the street.

America may be the land of opportunity, but it is not necessarily the land of second chances. I am friends with a homeless couple who could not be placed in an apartment due to a recent eviction. Not only was being evicted the cause of their current homeless episode, but it is also the primary reason that they have been unable to find another place to live. Another homeless couple faced the same struggle because one of them had four felony convictions and the other had a foreclosure on their credit report.

for a mere $20 per day. Then, one day, he was not sent out to work and decided to try to panhandle instead. Once he realized that he could make enough to live on as a beggar, he never stepped foot inside the labor pool again. Now, I am not saying that a parent should not support their children or that child support should not garnish wages, but obviously a man needs to be left more to live on than $20.

In Florida, you can lose your license for unpaid court costs and panhandling tickets — which are classified as pedestrian violations. I had a particularly good friend who was a certified crane operator who lost both his Commercial Driver’s License and his standard driver’s license due to court fines. As a result, he also lost his truck. This is what led him to panhandle for many years. Eventually, he reconnected with his family, and they helped him pay off his outstanding fines. Last I heard he is now running his own business and doing well.

Sometimes a second chance and some financial assistance is all a person needs to make a change in their life. Of course, money is the obvious solution to poor credit, back-logged child support, and a suspended license. But other times, there is no amount of money that can erase your past.

In the mind of the state of Florida, certain arrests can be expunged from your record if you pay a hefty fee, but you cannot have convictions expunged. Also, you need to pay off all outstanding fines to have your civil rights restored or be granted a full pardon. And homeless people do not have that kind of money.

I have never heard of someone being able to remove an eviction or foreclosure from their credit report, though. There are some wounds that only time can heal. In the meantime, people who have made mistakes continue to suffer the consequences, even if it was truly that: a mistake. There are many reasons as to why a person could fall behind on their rent, mortgage, credit card payments, or even child support, including job loss, illness, death of a loved one, or a pandemic.

I include credit card debt on this list because so many landlords now check a person’s credit score and history before agreeing to rent to them. While this is smart, it only further inhibits the homeless from finding a place to live. Many of my chronically homeless friends do not have much of a credit history at all.

Chronic homelessness can make it impossible to show a stable work or rental history. Once you have been homeless and panhandled for many years, you are no longer able to display any stability in your life. Some of my friends have bounced from job to job and never lasted long at any place of employment. Eventually, that can place a damper on job prospects.

Second chances are hard to come by, and some homeless people need third, fourth, and fifth chances. But when and if that chance manifests itself, a person’s entire life can change. I personally know a man who is living proof of this. At one time, he lived out on the streets of Boca Raton with me and was in and out of prison. Now, he has a gorgeous apartment and a fulltime job.

As for me, I doubt I will be able to finish my degree, and I am unsure of my ability to hold down restaurant jobs with my emotional and physical disabilities.

By Mary Stewart

Few people have compassion for deadbeat dads, but sometimes falling too far behind on child support payments can lead a man to homelessness and panhandling. One friend of mine was working day labor, but child support was taking his entire paycheck except

We are all human, and we are going to make mistakes, but we should not have to pay the price for the rest of our lives. And nobody should ever have to sleep outside or go without a job, food, or education simply for being an imperfect human.

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