William

Featured Video Play Icon

I met William while out on the streets with Street Medicine Detroit, a student-run nonprofit that provides healthcare to homeless people in Detroit. The medical students and the nurse practitioner were talking to a homeless man at an exit ramp when William walked up pushing his shopping cart. William knew the medical team, saying hello with a big smile on his face as he approached.

I talked to William a little bit at the exit ramp. He told me he was in a hurry to get to his spot. William continued that if I walk down to meet him there, he would give me a more extended interview.

William has lived homeless in Detroit since July of 2009. A few years’s prior, he lost his house to foreclosure. William was one of the millions of people that were sold a bad mortgage that was impossible to pay back.

William says that each year he lives on the streets homeless his health keeps deteriorating. William has survived cancer twice. He suffers from COPD, a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs.


IP 19 Logo Icon crop

Invisible People

           

We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Until then, we strive to be the most trusted source for homelessness news, education and advocacy.

Related Topics




Get the Invisible People newsletter


RECENT STORIES

12 Years Homeless: St. Louis' 'Old Timer' Story Will Break Your Heart

Demetrius

homeless woman grants pass

Cathy

disabled homeless man in Grants Pass

Chad

Elderly homeless woman in Grants Pass, Oregon

Brenda


RECENT ARTICLES

hurricane helene eviction moratorium

Advocates Call for Eviction Moratorium in North Carolina Following Hurricane Helene

Atlanta Diversion Programs

From Handcuffs to Housing: The Rise of Diversion Programs in Tackling Homelessness

Eric Adams NYC sued for encampment sweeps

Homeless New Yorkers Sue Adams Administration to Stop the Sweeps

UK Criminalizing homelessness

Criminalizing Homelessness: The UK’s Alarming Response to Record-High Rough Sleeping

Get the Invisible People newsletter