Denver, CO- Kim Orr, 57, stands outside of the St. Francis day shelter in Denver, CO. She suffers from MS and often has to stop to catch her breath after walking longer distances. She has been homeless for just over a year after her husband left her practically stranded in an Aurora, CO hotel with only $20.
Denver, CO-Studying her bus ticket, Kim tries to figure out if she has enough time left on her transfer to get to the train station. She keeps different stacks of paper in different pockets in order to help her keep track of what is where. "You have to live out of pockets," she said. Kim suffered from a traumatic brain injury after a car accident when she was 16 and it has a serious impact on her memory, especially short-term.
Denver, CO-Kim has to take the lightrail to her doctors office in South Denver every month for a check up. It takes her about an hour to get to her doctors office in a journey that requires three types of transportation. She has to take a cab to the bus station to the light rail station and back onto a bus. Her MS makes it very difficult to get around Denver, especially when she has to travel outside of downtown.
Denver, CO-Kim smoked for 15 years and then quit for 11. She started smoking again her first night on the street.
Denver, CO-Due to Kim's MS, she needs her cane to walk. Sometimes she tries to go without the cane but "pays the price" and gets tired quickly.
Denver, CO-At least once a month, Kim tries to have a day of normalcy, where she will treat herself to lunch in a restaurant. She does it to remember what the mainstream is despite being homeless. "I want out of this really really bad," she said.
Denver, CO-Being on disability, Kim has access to the Access-a-Cab program where United Way pays for the first twelve dollars of any trip for a two dollar flat rate. Despite the trouble she has walking, Kim decided to walk to the pharmacist since it was such a nice day out.
Denver, CO-Tracy, another woman who frequents the St. Francis day shelter, helps Kim take off a backpack before going into the St. Francis day shelter to catch the shuttle to the women's shelter.
Denver, CO-On the phone with a cab company, Kim is finding out that it will be up to two hours before the cab can come and pick her up. Since it is most practical to take the cab program, she has no choice but to wait. The pad she has contains all the imperative information she needs, including numbers to her doctors office and the various modes of transportation she is so reliant upon.
Denver, CO-Kim exits the cab she called to take her downtown to a discount store in hopes of finding a new piece of luggage to replace the one she lost at the St. Francis day shelter. While Kim was sick at the hospital with bronchitis, her things were left unattended at St. Francis day shelter. Since she was not there to claim her items at the end of the day, the bag, all of her clothes and other possessions with them were thrown out, as that is the rule at the shelter.
Denver, CO-Kim stands overwhelmed looking at all the options of luggage available. Because of the brain damage, it is difficult for her to narrow down from the many choices.