‘They know that you’re homeless and they treat you differently for it’
This profile is part of the series, “The New Jersey 37,” which focuses on residents making up the 37 percent of households in state that cannot afford basic needs such as health care, housing, food, child care, and transportation.
Anthony Harris spent six years homeless and continues to struggle with home and food security every day of his life.
“You wouldn’t believe what it’s like being homeless in the United States, everything comes at you it’s no joke,” said Harris, 64, of New Brunswick.
He was born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1969, at 17 years old, Harris was drafted into the Army to serve in combat in the Vietnam War. After his tour, Harris returned stateside as a 21-year-old war veteran with Post-traumatic stress disorder and cardiovascular complications due to exposure to the chemical referred to as Agent Orange.
“Thunderstorms still scare me, I think I’m getting bombed and I run for the closet,” said Harris. He carries a double-wrapped plastic bag around with him at all times, containing 20 different prescription bottles to combat his PTSD, high blood sugar and heart problems. Harris’ mental and physical strains limits the range of jobs he was able to acquire post-military service.
Harris couldn’t keep a job for more than six months before being fired. He worked a variety of jobs mostly in the wage labor market, mainly blue-collar occupations such as a car mechanic, a custodial worker, and a food service worker.
The mental stress barred him from functioning in his high-intensity jobs. Plus, the cost of housing was cutting into most of his pay, adding to his stress.
“I couldn’t make money fast enough,” Harris recalled. “By the time I got a paycheck rent was due and I had to basically hand all my money back over to the landlord. I was constantly under stress,” said Harris.
Harris’ experience with the overwhelming cost of housing is common. Forty one percent of people living in New York City and 37 percent of people living in North Jersey spend more than 35 percent of their income on housing, classifying them as Extremely Low Income citizens, according to the Regional Plan Association.
A fresh start
When Harris was 44 years old, he decided to get a fresh start. He moved away from Brooklyn to New Brunswick, looking for a new atmosphere and a new job.
But no luck. He couldn’t find any work and housing was too expensive for him to afford. He was homeless within 14 months of arriving in New Brunswick. He would remain on the streets for the next six years of his life.
“You feel suicidal because nobody is helping you. Family looks at you differently. You feel suicidal and walk outside and it’s cold, you barely have any clothes, you’re broke,” said Harris.
Harris routinely had problematic encounters with police when he was homeless.
“One hundred percent the cops will harass you [when] they see that you’re homeless. They know that you’re homeless and they treat you differently for it,” said Harris.
To make any kind of income he could, Harris did gardening chores for a woman he called “Miss Lynn,” whom he had befriended while walking one day to find somewhere to sleep.
“That was an experience. I never did gardening; I’m from Brooklyn what do I know about gardening” he said as he laughed. “It wasn’t much money but it was an experience,” said Harris.
Hardship, but optimism
Harris found permanent housing through the United States Veterans Affairs, but his food income is unstable. Most of the income he receives from welfare is used to pay rent.
While his housing situation became more secure, though not ideal, the money Harris has left over is not enough for groceries or toiletries.
Harris is one of the one million New Jerseyans and 48 million of Americans who experience food insecurity. Feeding America defines food insecurity as the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
It’s not just people who are living below the poverty line who experience food insecurity. While 46 million people lived below the poverty line in 2014, 48 million people were food insecure, according to Feeding America.
Harris relies heavily on canned food drives and soup kitchens like Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick. He walks to Elijah’s Promise every fourth day for breakfast and dinner, always with his plastic bag of medication within an arms-reach away.
At Elijah’s Promise, Harris sat smiling around the remains of crumbled-up napkins and chicken bones on his plate.
“I appreciate the people around here in New Brunswick who give canned food, because when they do that it helps out a lot,” he said.
No matter what, Harris keeps his optimism high.
“Try and get yourself together. Don’t be a quitter. If you can help yourself, you can come back from anything,” said Harris.
