on july 1st, one of my photos from tent city made the front page of aphotoaday.org. the timing was interesting, as that was the first day many of the former residents of tent city ended up facing life back on the streets after the shelter at cal expo closed for the summer.i have been following one couple, jeannie and richard, from tent city to shelters to hotels, and hopefully to housing at some point. a few days before the end of the month, i went with them to the housing office to follow up on promises that had been made over the last several months. with only a few days before their options ran out, they were pretty emotional about being lead on for so long, only to be told their futures were still uncertain.
after hours of waiting, several couples were offered one-week motel vouchers in south sacramento. the next day, the kennels where jeannie and richard had been housing their dog overnight also closed for the summer. because the motel wouldn't allow them to keep their dog with them (and because of safety issues that jeannie had expressed to her boyfriend), they dipped into the small amount of money they had and paid for a different hotel for a week.
that's where it stands for now. we'll see over the next few weeks if housing ends up pulling through in the end, or if these two will end up back on the street again. each day is a new waiting game, each day a new barrier to overcome. and each day, i am constantly surprised at the capacity that people have for survival.
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