After four years on the streets, Edward finally has keys to his own apartment
On June 8, 2015, Street Roots vendor Edward Allen moved into his new apartment with the help of Central City Concern’s BEST Team and Community Engagement Program.
“I think the best thing about it is feeling a sense of ‘I can do this,’ you know? It gives me hope. I was hopeless for a while, but Street Roots gave me that hope, and the thing is, the dream did come true and I did get keys. I would see people with their house keys and I would think it was far away, you know? But I got my keys.”
At Street Roots, we’ve known Edward for nearly two years as a vendor. We’ve seen him through ups and downs, engaged him every day as a member of the Street Roots family.
“Street Roots has helped me be a gentleman and a scholar,” Edward says. “When I was down and out, Street Roots made me feel like I was somebody, like I was a part of something. When I was in the cold, doing whatever I had to do, Street Roots was there for me. I could come get a cup of coffee, get a fresh pair of socks, but the staff was always tapping me on the shoulder to remind me to keep moving on, keep moving forward. I’m going to appreciate that forever.”
Moving into his new apartment after more than four years of homelessness has been a good transition for Edward.
“The adjustment has been very beautiful because of the simple fact that I can get up in the morning and not worry about where I’m going to go our how I’m going to do this. Now I really get to wake up on my own and I want to come to Street Roots in the morning so I can always check in like a job, pay attention to certain things. I don’t want to change my routines in the early mornings.”
Looking forward, Edward hopes to stay with Street Roots and continue to explore other avenues to find his voice through the paper.
“I’d like to get behind the writing part and dig into my soul and what I’ve been hiding from. Street Roots is an avenue for that. It’s a voice for the homeless, for those who don’t have a voice,” Edward says. “The people who do buy Street Roots, they genuinely really love it. You might pass a lot of people by, but when a person does come that really wants a Street Roots, they really, really, really want Street Roots because Street Roots has a lot to offer.
And it has done a lot for a lot of people in the past, he said.
“I’ve been doing Street Roots for two years now, and I’m so grateful. The response we get from the public, everybody doesn’t always feel the same way, but when they do, it’s a serious, caring thing. They understand what we go through, and it’s a beautiful thing. I wouldn’t give up Street Roots for the world!
