James is currently homeless, but on the way to housing within the next few weeks thanks to a nonprofit in Asheville, North Carolina called Homeward Bound.
I asked him why he is homeless and he took a breath of cool March air while sitting in the sunshine on a street corner and said, “I have made lots of mistakes in my life – I have no one to blame but myself.” He then explained how he has tried just about every drug known to man, other than shooting up heroin.
“I am laying everything with God – he can figure it out,” he said while looking at the sky. “The way I see it, I came here with nothing and I’ll leave here with nothing. Some people don’t understand that,” he told me.
With a relaxed look he told me, “I’m gonna be getting a place here soon and I can’t wait – I can pay for it myself with my disability check.”
Originally from Polk County, North Carolina, James moved to Asheville because it was a larger city that offers more services and help to those who are homeless. Polk County has a population of about 20,000 residents while Asheville has a population of 87,000.
As I walked away he stopped me to give me an address. "Mail me those pictures," he told me with a slight chuckle.