Barry has lived in a tunnel underneath Las Vegas for two months. The tunnels are massive storm drains running under the city. luckily, Barry has yet to experience a rainfall, but his bed and everything else are propped up several feet off the ground just in case.
It’s hard to say how many people live in the storm tunnels beneath the neon. In a way, it’s safer than living out in the extreme heat, yet in another, it’s like living in a weird science fiction movie. Dark, dirty and completely different than the ‘normal’ world. I’ve been to lots of places where homeless people live, and going into the tunnels was a very surreal experience.
Like many homeless people, Barry is caught in the madness of bureaucracy. Because he has been to prison many Nevada social services won’t help. And because he has only lived homeless for two months he is disqualified from others. Of course, finding work is near impossible.
That does not stop him from having dreams. He wants to go to a culinary arts school. He wants to better his life. He wants to get out of the dark tunnels.
Special thanks to Matthew O’Brien
