Joanne, 47, usually has a big smile and a hug for everyone on the street. Adopted as an infant, raised in a military family, serving eight years in the US Navy herself, she was hit by a drunk driver once back in civilian life. Battling medical and PTSD issues seemed far away when I saw her, the morning after she'd been assaulted by another person on the street.
Read MoreTanya, 44, was evicted from the room she was renting for two years, because the other tenants hadn't paid bills for months. She has health problems that make it hard for her to carry what few belongings she had after the sheriff's deputies impounded everything in the home. She's trying to stay away from the drug scene and an abusive relationship and not call on her adult children for help.
Read MoreMartha Gibson, 66, grew up in foster care group homes in East LA before having her first child at 14. She and her husband left the gang life at age 18, heading north. Of her 13 children, seven are still living. She doesn't want to be told what to do, so isn't living with any of them, deciding to tough it out on the streets instead.
Read MorePhyllis worked as a dental hygienist till she was laid off 9 years ago. She fled an abusive relationship and has been on the street ever since. She worries she is at the breaking point of going insane.
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