Homeless In Hell-Dorthea and Clarence

Please note that this article is not written by me, however is published to this site with the authors consent. All comments will be directly forwarded to the author.

Dorthea is 53 years old and was born and raised in Denver, where she met Clarence. He is 56. They met and married "in a church". They celebrate 35 years of marriage. "We love each other and all the hard times just make us closer" .

They have been homeless together for about three years now, living in a tent at the "point". When asked why they don't stay at the shelter, "We have dogs, and giving them up is like selling our children". They do not allow pets at the shelter.

Moving from Denver due to gang violence and having young children, They bought and owned a home in the country. Clarence broke both of his legs and could no longer work. A couple of years later they felt as though their only option was to sell their home to cover the medical costs.

They admit to not knowing how to save their money, saying the left over money from the sell of their home was used to travel. When the money was all but gone, they realized they had no real home to come back to. They lived out of their Van for about a year until it broke down in Denver.

They don't mind much living at the "point" "Its an adventure"! The water keeps their food cold enough to not spoil for a few days in the winter, besides the fact that it's cold. In the summer its nice near the water. Dry ice then lets them store their food in the cooler.

Dorthea; who is also in bad health, will work when she can at Labor Ready but doesn't mind "flying a sign" . Clarence is usually the one to hold that sign. It says, "Why lie I could use some beer" They say they don't drink much, but people kind of expect that "all homeless are drunks" and it works.

Their daughter (Tiffany) is also homeless and opts to live at the shelter instead of the point. She has employment but is not able to make enough to cover the high cost of housing here in the Grand Valley. They have another daughter in Florida, and a son in prison.

I love how Dorthea is always smiling and her face is full of emotion. She recently colored her hair "to look younger" she says. Although she looks very different, her face is easily recognized because of the many life and laugh lines. Clarence her loving and supportive husband is always at her side.

All comments welcome