Bloomington, IL
Homeless: 2005 – 2006
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I'm Kristal. I am a native of Bloomington, IL. I was born here, and spent most of my childhood here. I moved away for a while, but I have been back and a current resident of Bloomington for over ten years. I was homeless during my time away from town, it was a struggle for a while. I was homeless for one year while living in Denver, CO around 2005, as well as concurrently for a few months while living in Chicago, IL.
Were you ever in a situation where you didn’t have access to basic necessities; including oral hygiene products, deodorant, shampoo, body wash, or menstrual care items?
Yes. During my time period of over a year spent homeless I did not really have any access to basic necessities. I had a hard time finding a job, so I had no money to buy these items. I was basically shit out of luck a lot of the time. Menstrual care was the worst part though, as if I received products from anywhere, menstrual care wouldn't be included, as at that time it just wasn't a thing that would be given or provided.
Did you ever not know the next time you would be able to brush your teeth or take a shower?
Yes, I lived on the street for the most part, unless I could find a bed at a local shelter. I didn't have any friends in the cities I was living in at the time so it was just me relying on the kinds of others.
Did you ever frequent homeless shelters or churches, hoping they might be able to provide those hygiene necessities?
Yes, quite often. Unless homeless shelters, churches, etc. were advertising that they were giving out hygiene care products, I didn’t know where I would get them from next. I would usually try the Salvation Army and the like first, but they are donation based so they have very limited supplies. Churches were next, they would offer deodorant and a few other items, but for the most part I often resorted to stealing. I would often end up frequenting a big box store and stealing the items I was in need of.
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