Q&A with Steve Hohs

Steve is a former software engineer who was laid off five years ago and has been homeless ever since.

What does a day in your life look like?

“The brutal truth is I get up, do all the stuff I need to do — clean up and get clothes, take showers, get breakfast — which takes me about three to four hours. If I have to get any paperwork done with the government, that takes another four to five hours. Your whole day is running around, doing what you have to do to survive. You have no car. Imagine walking or taking the bus to every place you go. What takes you 10 minutes could take me a whole day.”

Where do you see yourself in the future?

“I don’t really worry too much about the future because once you’re over 55 or 60, you’re already telling yourself that your time is up. I might have five years, I might have 10 years. I don’t think I have much more than that so right now, I’m going to try to enjoy the ride the best I can.”

Any advice for high schoolers?

“I want everybody your age to know that they should be careful of what they do because you can end up in a place like this faster than you think.”