Since the eighteenth century, the emergence of homelessness has been growing little by little in the United States, especially after the Great Depression. The number of people living on the streets of the big cities increased considerably. What could motivate a person to live in such a degraded situation? Maybe they had no choice, no one to turn to. The causes are many: being discharged from jail, divorce, sexual abuse, mental health issues, addiction, the lack of affordable housing, the loss of a job and many others.

Today, more than five hundred thousand homeless people live depending on charity from the more fortunate, from churches and from private non profit organizations across the country.

Life is not easy for anyone. We all have our ups and downs, and no matter what your social condition is, life is a great challenge for everyone.

We took some time to have an interesting conversation with one of the homeless people living around the Penn Station area of Newark, so we could get an idea of what it is like to live without the comforts of a home sweet home.

Question: Can you tell me your name
Answer: Willian Carkland.

Question: Do you give me permission to share this conversation with others
Answer: Yes.

Question: Can I ask you anything, or should I avoid any particular subject
Answer: Social studies is something I probably do not want you to ask. Anything else is fine.

Question: Where did you grow up
Answer: Here in Newark.

Question: How about your family
Answer: I have a big family.

Question: And do you keep in touch with them
Answer: Yes, I just called my sister the other day.

Question: Has anyone in your family ever asked you to live with them
Answer: Yes, but I like to take care of myself and be independent and do my own thing. They know me, and because they know me, they understand I am not used to having anyone take care of me. I took care of my mom my whole life.

Question: Do you still have your mom
Answer: My mom has passed now.

Question: Did you go to school or to high school
Answer: Yes. Regretfully, only a couple of days of high school. I had to take care of my mom, but I did go to school.

Question: When you were young, did you have any dreams or plans for your future
Answer: I wanted to be a DJ. That is what I used to do when I was younger. I love music.

Question: What happened that caused you to become homeless
Answer: I got hurt at my job. After that, the insurance company told me to hold back from work for a while until I healed.

Question: What kind of job did you do
Answer: I used to make parts for airplanes in a factory in Pennsylvania. Then I came back home, and here I am. But life is going to get better. It is not all bad.

Question: What type of accident did you have that made you lose your job
Answer: I injured my muscles, and I tore my ligaments.

Question: How long have you been on the streets
Answer: Eight years.

Question: What is the hardest part about being homeless
Answer: Laying out in the streets is hard. You want to go to sleep, but so much is happening in the world. And if you were at home, in the comfort of a bed, it would be different. That is the hard part.

Question: During all those years on the streets, did you ever have any job opportunities or anyone trying to help you
Answer: No.

Question: If you could go back in time, would you change anything in your life
Answer: No.

Question: What was the worst experience you had while living on the streets
Answer: Being arrested for nothing. If you are running around doing things, I understand why you might get arrested. But when you get arrested for doing nothing, just because you are homeless, where does that come from.

Question: How do you spend your days and nights
Answer: I sleep and I eat. You go through a process of doing what you need to do and prioritizing your life to get back on track. Other than that, you sleep and eat.

Question: Do you ever have problems with other homeless people
Answer: No. They are basically your friends because they are homeless too. Even if they are from a distance, I still see them as friends.

Question: What is the most generous thing someone has done for you on the streets
Answer: Somebody gave me a blanket. It was cold that day. I went outside, it was the beginning of March, and it was cold.

Question: What is one thing you would like people to know about being homeless
Answer: It is peaceful until people start bothering you because they need something from you and you do not want to give. Homeless people go through that a lot. You have nothing and you do not need to do anything for anyone because you are homeless, so some people try to take advantage of that. But I stay away from those kinds of people.

Question: If you had the chance today to change your situation, to get a job and a place to call home, would you take it
Answer: Yes. I would have changed yesterday, but I woke up too late. Just kidding. It is always a pleasure to have some kind of income no matter what is going on in your life.

Question: If you had the opportunity to work any kind of job, would you take it
Answer: Yes, because it is a step toward getting where you need and want to go.

Question: Is the street your place to call home
Answer: Yes. When I go home, that is where I go. I say that I will see you later, then I go to the other side of the bridge.

Question: What message would you give to the new generation
Answer: Learn what you can, accept what you learn, take what you love and apply it to your life. There is nothing wrong with holding on to knowledge, because in the long run you will need it.

Question: How about faith, do you have any
Answer: Yes. I have faith that I will make it through whatever God needs me to.

Question: And what about Jesus
Answer: He is there, within that faith. I see Him there.

Question: Any regrets
Answer: No. Waking up is a blessing.