Richard 50, has been unhoused for about a year and a half. Before this, he lived in a large four-bedroom home and held a good job. His descent into homelessness followed a series of destabilizing events: a bad roommate situation that led to legal trouble, a health crisis (a stroke), and a family falling-out after an incident involving one of his kids. He fell into depression and began cycling through temporary stays with people who weren’t really friends, often being kicked out at night with nowhere to go.
Richard also opens up about his early life in gang-heavy South LA, where joining a gang was more about survival than choice. He moved to Colorado at age 10 to escape prison after a serious crime and turned his life around briefly—improving his grades and playing football—but lacked role models to stay on that path.
