Joel, 36, originally from Alpine, went through some tough times trying to stay in touch with his son. His ex-girlfriend made it a moving target, however, enough to drive Joel into drugs and depression. After getting clean, he relapsed and losing his car made it tough to get to work on time, so he lost his job. Now he lives for the moment, keeping track of his few possessions, moving them around when the police conduct sweeps downtown.
Read MoreDanila Hendrix, 57, and Darrell Eudell, 38, met on the street a year ago. Their dream is to buy and operate a hot dog cart, but city restrictions prove restrictive to them with no address and no way of setting up a port-a-potty and wash station nearby. She was trained at the Cordon Bleu cooking school and worked as a private chef in Scottsdale, AZ. He sold cars in his home state of Florida. They keep God and the beauty of the natural world in their conversation, trying to stay positive about their situation.
Read MoreDanny, 46, has been out of prison for just over a year. A skinhead from Santee, he served 14 years for selling drugs. Now he's finding an unsympathetic world, unwilling to give him a decent job or housing for himself, his girlfriend and her 14-year-old son as he tries to start over.
Read MoreNomad, 23, grew up between Kentucky and California, from abusive parents to grandparents, back to parents then a group home where his finished high school. After witnessing someone fatally caught in a woodchipper as a child, he developed paranoid schizophrenia and still suffers from it. He and his infant son weer kicked out of his father's home, then his mother took custody of the boy. Nomad doesn't trust anyone. Street people call him the philosopher because he writes poetry and tries to empathize with everyone.
Read MoreJoanne, 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 MoreSteven, 24, grew up in Fallbrook, never quite got along with a mother addicted to methadone, so he moved to Memphis to be near his father and work in construction. After his wife cheated on him, he left that world to return to San Diego, where he lasted just four days at his mother's place, and can't find a job. He and his girlfriend share a tent downtown and aren't sure what to do, now that she is pregnant.
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 MoreJeff Anderson, 58, a US Navy veteran, drifted across the country for years before arriving in San Diego a month ago, landing on the grass next to the USS Midway Museum. He hopes to start his own business selling information products, so he can remain independent, make his own money, not rely on anyone else. Once he gets his own housing, he wants to get a couple of dogs for company.
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 MoreDerek Kleeman, 21, left the bickering of a home life to fend for himself on the streets. He hates violence and quotes Bible verses about humility. He keeps a lizard in his tent for company.
Read MoreThe odds were stacked against Cristo. His parents left him to be raised by a grandmother. He worked odd jobs in TJ and San Diego, and has been beaten badly on the street, but still feels he is a walking miracle.
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.
Read MoreOnce an x-ray technician working for Scripps La Jolla, Bruce fell into a depression when his kids drifted away from him. He knows this is temporary, but struggles with the system of being on lists for housing and having his cell phones stolen all the time.
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