The SAD Reality Behind Homelessness

[Music] go home hey guys coming up on a year sobriety my life has gotten so much different and so much better since that video went viral um and I believe I'm truly blessed thank you for everyone that's supported my family I am living proof that there is a direct correlation between homelessness and substance used in the city you can build all the housing and get everybody off the street housed but if you're struggling with addiction or mental inness you're just housed with drug addiction and mental illness people say oh I lost my job and I became homeless but then you have to ask why did you lose your job I lost my job because I was going to work and shooting up in the bathroom on my lunch break and then going back and sitting on my desk and passing out from what I saw and the people that I encountered on the street it's about eight out of every 10 people that that are visible that we see every day out on the street living in tents Etc they're struggling with addiction a recent study agreed over 75% of unsheltered have a drug or alcohol addiction and a similar number also have a severe mental health disorder I was a child support officer for the City and County of San Francisco it was a very stressful job working with a lot of domestic violence victims I became homeless because of my addiction and I think a lot more people do become homeless because of addiction than what people think you know scientifically we know that addiction is a disease so my survival instincts got basically corrupted by these drugs I also needed drugs in the same kind of way that I needed food I would do anything to get them making up lies to get money from my family while I was out there and while I was on the Street Homeless even then I still thought I had some control over my life because alls I really wanted in my addiction was the drugs that's how powerful it is some people criticize me for some of the stuff that I say but you know what it can't just be all touchy feely out there because being on the street is not touchy feely cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles fail to realize the power of addiction and dangerously believe that addiction is a choice not a disease they condone this behavior and even help promote it [Music]