In Cincinnati, city government has been working diligently to move a downtown homeless camp while avoiding the underlying problem of homelessness. I met Christine Richardson when I saw a post she’d written about how much was involved in helping someone without a place to live get back on their feet. It was telling how difficult it could be to do something even as simple as getting an official ID that would be accepted by employers.
I asked her if I could talk with her and she suggested including a couple folks from the Lytle camp: Bison and Ryan Hart. They talked to me about their situations and how hard it can be to break the cycle of living on the streets.
How did you first find the Cincinnati camp?
Ryan: I was on my way out of state. I was moving to Savannah, GA, to stay with some people down there. I thought, “This is nice. I’m going to be in Savannah, Georgia, on the beach in the summertime.” I love the old Victorian homes and the older neighborhoods. There’s something about them that I’m drawn to.
Everyone was excited for me but they were scared that I was moving. If I didn’t feel it in my heart, I wouldn’t have done it.
What happened was … I’m not used to taking buses a lot. Being from a smaller town, we didn’t have a lot of buses. Usually we’d take a car or ride our bikes or walk. I made it to Cincinnati but I missed the bus out of town. So I said, “I’m just going to stay here or go back home.” So I stayed here. And I got to explore downtown. I’d never been downtown before. I’d just seen the big buildings and I thought, “I’ll look around downtown.” I ran into someone at the Taco Bell on East 6th Street. He was a homeless person and he was asking for a lighter. I didn’t have one but I wound up talking to him. You know … Just to be friendly. To try and make his day. He asked me if I had a place to stay. He asked me where I was staying. I said I didn’t know. I didn’t want to stay somewhere I wasn’t familiar with. He said they had a camp under the 3rd street tunnel that was pretty chill. So I stayed under the 3rd Street tunnel the first night. And we were there for about 2 months until the city moved the camp. Then we moved over near Lytle Place.
Bison: I’m from Detroit originally. I used to be a boxer and came down here to box. I used to box downtown at LaRosa’s gym. I didn’t make a lot but I made a decent check. But the boxing didn’t work out and I lost everything and wound up homeless downtown. I actually stayed on the other side of town at first. Under the yellow bridge. I used to sleep down there. Later I moved over to the first camp. I just found a spot and was living there. We had a 9-1-1 dispatcher. She was one of the original members of our tribe. We had welders. Engineers. A lot of people who used to work for the city. Normal people. Everybody that was down there wasn’t what everybody thought.
Christine: I saw a photo of the camps online and a request for help from a trusted friend. I sent over $600 in supplies to the camp immediately via Shipt and Amazon. I’m always busy with work and didn’t plan to visit, but I thought about it, and I’m not afraid of people, so I went down there after my supplies were delivered. I was impressed by the organization in Bison’s camp (he was the mayor) and with how Ryan worked the kitchen.
What was the toughest part of being at the camp?
Bison: It’s hard to get a job when no one wants to hire you cause you ain’t got nowhere to stay. That happened to me. I applied for a job and was honest with them and told them I was homeless. They didn’t hire me because I had no place to stay.
Christine: What I saw with my own eyes was very different from how local media portrayed the situation. I spent countless hours getting to know folks, and rallying friends to help too. Sure, there are some folks who don’t want help, but the overwhelming majority of people just need a mentor to help them sort out the logistics of their situation. They don’t have the support from family that lots of successful people had growing up. They need housing, obviously, and basic things that we all take for granted, like a birth certificate, SS card, and an ID so they can work.
For example, to get Ryan a State ID, we needed two acceptable documents/pieces of mail to offer as proof of address. I had to get Ryan an Ohio fishing license just to use as one proof of address.
Ryan: I wanted to work. I wanted to do something instead of having to go out and hustle for money. You know, like with a sign. We had our times and our moments but we all got along for the most part. We worked it out like a community would. It was a community.
My nickname was Sunshine. A lot of people just called me, Ryan. But if they didn’t, they called me Sunshine.
I was the cook. Everything was sanitized when I cooked and everybody loved my food. It wasn’t professional like a restaurant but we did it off a grill. People bought us food to cook with and charcoal. We made it through.
I got a job at Panera. Didn’t even get to start it. All they were waiting on was my documents. That’s what they told me. I couldn’t go to orientation because I didn’t have my documents.
They said, “When you get them secure, just call any day to come in for your orientation.” By the time I got my documents, however, my living situation had changed.
How did Christine help you?
Ryan: I had to make sure my documents came together. I had documents before but then I lost them in one of the moves. And then it’s kind of hard to get something you can’t afford or can’t get to. So this was what Christine helped me with.
Now, I look at where I’m working at Moerlein and I can’t believe it. I used to come by here all the time. I was down here for the fireworks. But when I see it, I think it’s too grand. Too grand for me. Now I’ve got the job here, it’s perfect. It really helps me out. I’ve usually got the night shift and that’s okay. I can sleep during the day. Some nights are rough but it’s worth it in the end when I know that money is saved up.
I love being here. It’s like a community. People get together, they drink, they hang out. I’m getting to know my co-workers. So … little by little.
Bison: Christine helped with a lot of support. Food, clothes, supplies. Just the simple necessities to help get me back on my feet.
The catch is … it’s not easy for Christine. But the people higher up, it’s easy for them. If she can spend all her time and all her effort, it could take them 10 minutes to cut a check and everyone’s happy. What’s the big deal? It’s just that simple.
I’ve got housing now. But I want better programs and a lot of other stuff to help everyone else. Stuff that we need still. Only a handful of people from the camp got housing. Only 6 to 8 of us got housing out of 50 or so people. That’s not a lot of people.
What would you do for others if you could?
Christine: I know what it feels like to struggle, so I will continue to help. I was married to a man who took my money and failed to pay our landlord. I have received an eviction notice on my own door, and if it hadn’t been for my dad, I would’ve been in the same situation as many of the people I met with. I paid my dad back when I could, but never forgot it. I watched him work sometimes 90 hours per week growing up, and my mom is the kindest woman you will ever meet. She had me working on church service projects since I was a toddler, and always for nothing in return. We’re all a product of our own environment, and I believe I’m a combo of both mom and dad. That’s why I help. If I had even more money, volunteers, and time, I would continue to “adopt” people like Ryan and Bison, get them the basics quickly and efficiently, and encourage their efforts to work until they become self-sufficient. That’s why I started a GoFundMe and have connected with likeminded people over Facebook.
Bison:
Right now, I’m trying to find people. I walk around town looking for people but it’s hard to find them since they broke up the camp. I myself don’t know where everybody’s living at. We could get people more help if we could find people.
Sometimes I think it’s my fault that the agencies can’t find people. But it’s not my fault. Don’t get mad at me because I spoke up. If they hadn’t broken up the camp, we’d be able to find people.
I’m trying to set an example. I’m trying to listen to set an example. To show that if I can listen, we should also be heard. I’ve done everything they’ve asked me to do. No problems. Why can’t they listen to us?
Make sure you put in your article that I’m still the Street Mayor. I’m not the former Street Mayor. If you say that, it makes it seem like my job is done and I’m past tense. I’m not done, we’re not done, and I’m not past tense.
Ryan: I know some of them still need help. If I had my own spot, like a big house, I would let a few that I got close to come live with me. Even some of the folks I just met. They’re like family. Like Bison. He’s like a big brother to me. We’re close.
If you’re interested in helping, please consider donating to the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition or directly via Christine’s GoFundMe page.