“So, this is the house that Greenville Housing Authority gave us one year when we were struggling. Yeah, I lived in Fieldcrest with my aunt. I was struggling. I was seven years old in this house. So much happened, so much love was shared, so much faith was given. And I thought that it gave a sense of community. so I just walked around the house, remembering my friends, they’re still in the community, how we were always in the yard in the grass in the backyard. And how much we were always… just seeing flashbacks from my past. That's all, just taking pictures of my house. Flashbacks from my friends and family and things that.”
“So this is a shower representing self-care, daily self-care and motivation. this is community, and it's our choice to take a shower. We're not at home, and to have that self-care motivates me to keep on hoping and praying and dreaming about my future. Yeah, it's the highlight of my morning routine. That’s at Place of Hope.”
COMMUNITY
“So this buggy shows irony, because looking at it, you'd be like, oh, that's so sad, but with me and my explanation, there's joy. You know, she could be standing next to that buggy with no hopes, no future. but I know where she is, and she's somewhere where her future is brighter! She's got a bed. She's got food. She didn't even have to go to the kitchen, she didn't have to push that buggy anymore.”
“Yeah. It's kind of messy, but that’s where me and my dog stay.
We've been… I've been there about a year. A friend of mine, she's got a house now, but she was down there by herself, her… and I went down there with her after that, and I've been down there since. So that's where I stay at.”
“People should understand that homelessness is just a form of growth. And to show oneself its worth and strength from within. Being homeless, it's not just the term homeless, it's growth.”
“There are our community laundries. New washer and dryer. It is so meaningful that i can come to a place of hope and get my clothes washed because the laundromat is so expensive. It means a lot to get my things cleaned.”
“QT – it’s the major Mecca for most of the homeless.
I went inside and tried to get one of them to come out.
I was trying to take part of Paris Mountain, but I didn't get the top of Paris Mountain. That feeling of beauty and freedom, of being outside. Yeah.”
“You know, they're mostly volunteers, changes from week to week, but…
There's a few consistent people in there, you know, so… they are part of my community. Yeah.
There are folks that you can count on. Also coming on Saturday mornings, there are people that you know you’ll see when you get breakfast there.
Actually, a couple out here that volunteer, I like the guy.
I don't want to say they're my best friends, but, they're some of the closest things I have to a friend, you know?”
“What they are going to do is start cutting down the trees. getting ready, you know, widening space. Making it larger. Because this is going to be a new part of the community.”
“The starting point? Yeah.
Major part of my day, so… You know, so it's… it's… interpersonal connections.
So… so, part of my humanity. Place of hope. Really it speaks for itself. I say the community is place of hope because we're not here to be alone, you know, and… You know, like, woe to he that falls when he is alone, there's no one to help him. But in the community, you have that support. It's a place of hope. You know, we… we have hard times, and we need to vent. You know, sometimes, you know, we just need somebody, not just to say anything, just listen. And that's what I see as community. I've really seen a lot of hope. Hope in community.”
“This building has been part of the community since I've been here. They just did this about three to five years ago as well. Community. Let me see, if I put down anything else. Yeah. Community looks as if it's meant for the future. It has so many future effects, generations inside of it to bring forth our new generation to come. And then community is something of both categories. Community is everywhere you go. And that being said, it couldn't be missed at any point in life. Like when you travel, that's community, like the hotels you choose, your log cabins, your private vacation homes, that's community. Once you step outside, you know, that's community. So I think community is might as well say future. Then when you step out of your home, or depending on where you, wherever you are, hotel, you know, stuff of that sort.”
“That’s all I have to sleep with, is that sheet right there. That’s all. And it ain’t doing nothing for me. You see, that's my bed. Where me and my dog sleep - on that bed.”
