About Us

We're just two wise bums, trying to get by and help you survive the streets

Thank you for stopping by and checking out our little project that we have been planning and working on for quite some time now. You are probably on this page so you can learn a little bit more about us, how we got here, and why we crated this blog and are asking for your help!

Everything started over three years ago when I first met Lisa and fell in love at first sight. We were both at difficult points in our lives - I was struggling with my mental well-being and my career during COVID and Lisa was living in hotels at the time, so I thought we could benefit each other by having Lisa move in. It was on the terms of friendship at first (although I was secretly in love already) but quickly evolved into something deeper and very special. We haven't missed a beat and have been in love ever since those first days we spent together in that old Raleigh apartment.

We've always kind of felt like we have been working our way out of a tough financial situation since those first days together as we both made major career adjustments during the COVID lockdowns. I had gotten into Cyber Security and web development while Lisa had begun a whole new career path as an outreach worker for the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition. Things started to take a downturn for us when I lost my cbyer security job shortly before Thanksgiving of 2021 and then the rental assistance program we were a part of abruptly stopped in the Spring of 2022, causing us to be evicted from our first apartment and we quickly had to move into a new apartment that we really could never afford.

Tough Times on the Streets Begin

We lost our second apartment in January of 2023, even though I had gotten a web development project and earned enough money to pay off the past due rent we owed to our property managers - they just kept finding ways to raise the bill so they could push us out the door. We have struggled with being on the streets ever since the day we got evicted and have experienced more hardship than we ever knew possible. We've lost our two cats, our dog, had our Jeep stolen, lost all our personal possessions, struggled to find work, experienced hunger and sickness on the streets, and been treated poorly for being homeless. There really isn't anything we haven't experienced at this point in our 15 months on the streets.

Since Lisa lost her job in July of 2023, we have both really struggled to survive - we really get by on a day-to-day basis by panhandling, placing our personal survival on the hopes that the public will be kind enough to help us out. Luckily for us, we have been able to make it by due to the amazing kindness of the people in the Durham and Chapel Hill areas. We are so grateful for every one of you who have helped us out with a meal, a few bucks (sometimes a hundred!), and your kind prayers. The power of kindness has overpowered the verbal abuse and poor treatment we have received from others and it is what keeps us going each day as we strive to get better. We have been looking for work non-stop, but unfortunately many businesses don't want to hire you when you can't shower very often and when they see you out in public holding a sign.

The Why Behind This Blog

One of the purposes of creating this blog is to put effort into something tangible for people to see that we are trying to make our lives better and hopefully can earn your donations for something a little more meaningful than us just holding signs and asking for money. We hope that we can replace panhandling with this creative outlet and can afford to put a roof over our heads as we are really going through a difficult time right now with summer around the corner and our difficulty in finding gainful employment. Panhandling is dangerous, people harass us, and we feel more empowered by creating something that you can see and share with others. Think of your donation as a way to help us not get hit by cars and annoy you with our stupid cardboard signs.

The higher purpose of this blog however, is to show you that homeless people are capable of doing something more than just holding a sign. We want to show you that we could be your son or daughter and that we have real life experiences just like you. I don't think many people realize that they are one or two life events from being in a similar situation - I never thought that I could ever be homeless given my education, the family I grew up with, and work history, but I haven't been able to find a job for a couple years and it has seemed an impossible hill to climb out of. Anybody can hit rock bottom the way we have and we hope that our experience can be beneficial to you if you are currently homeless or have a loved one in your life that you don't know how to help out.

More About Homelessness

Homelessness is a bigger problem than just a person not having a place to live, not wanting to work, or being mentally unstable or addicted to drugs. It is a systemic issue that exists because we don't want to choose easy solutions to the problem. There are about 15.1 million abandoned homes in the United States and according to this estimate, approximately 653,104 homeless individuals on any given night in 2023. While it is important for people to be motivated to make their lives better and it might not seem fair to just give housing to one person, while others have to work for it, there is a much more simple solution to this widespread problem than we really even believe.

We don't believe you just have to give every person a new home, but we believe housing is a human right. Our current living situation is horrific - rats climb over our clothes, we are exposed to the elements, and we could be attacked at any time during the night when we sleep. So many others like us have to suffer every day because we choose to ignore the problem or approach it the wrong way - we often place the responsibility of taking care of the homeless in organizations that aren't efficient in using resources that are already scarce. There is stigma about homelessness that perpetuates the problem and we leave so many people alone to figure out how to survive on the streets on their own. We have much more to say about this topic and you can find what we have to say in our blog posts.

In Need of Help and Prayers

The last thing we'd like to share with you is our need for help - Lisa and I have been unable to find work and at times feel like hope is dwindling for us to get out of our situation. We want to stop panhandling and replace it with this creative outlet, but that requires your help. If you could share this blog with your own personal network of people, we would greatly appreciate it. If you have the financial capability to help us out by donating in whatever way is convenient for you, we are beyond grateful for you and your support. We want to make our lives better and help those who are struggling and your contribution allows us to transcend and tackle the problem of homelessness. We are working on a store where you can purchase things and offering membership tiers for special access to content and more in the near future.

Thank You For Checking Us Out

We appreciate you taking the time to hear our story and learn more about us and homelessness. Please reach out to us with any questions, comments, or suggestions for this project and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for all of the latest updates. Thank you for your support and god bless you all who continue to pray for us during these difficult times.