Title: All Too Human
Story:
According to a federal report released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Kentucky saw a nearly 10 percent increase in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness from 2023 to 2024. According to the 2024 Kentucky Housing Corporation “K-Count,” in Bowling Green, the seat of Warren County, just over 150 people live year-round without any form of long-term housing or a straightforward path to obtain it.

The individual experience of each person varies, but they all share a common struggle of survival in the streets.

Some are lone wolves, like Lester Martin. After waiting several months to receive a Section 8 housing voucher, Lester hoped to seize the opportunity to get off the streets for good. After a haircut and a free shave at the local barber college, along with some new pants and a donated pair of work shoes, he found a job at a local Rally’s working for a manager who agreed to give him a chance. He spent several weeks splitting his hours between the heat of a sizzling grill and the cold of his secluded park bench, away from police and others who might chase him from his makeshift home. But before he could save enough cash to pay the rent for an apartment, old vices derailed him, and he soon found himself out of a job. “When I drink that vodka, there's a whole other person that comes out," Lester said.

There are couples on the street as well, like Dustin Carpenter and Alicia Zantow. After Alicia was laid off in the COVID-19 pandemic, she and Dustin moved in with her folks. After Alicia’s mother had medical troubles and major surgery, Alicia and Dustin moved in with her sister. Then the siblings had a falling-out. They couch-surfed with friends, then found short-term rentals. Once the money dried up, they moved into a homeless shelter. After they were accused of breaking shelter rules, they both were kicked out. Now, with a small yellow shopping cart piled high with most everything they own, it

On the corner of Chestnut Street and East 6th Avenue downtown, Lester “flies a sign” asking for spare change. Though he said it can be a small source of income for a little food or drink, it’s unpredictable. “What I call day-to-day living,” he said. Sometimes, he might make anywhere from 30 to 100 dollars. That morning, he didn’t make a dime.

Clevie Garner lights up a hand-rolled cigarette on the way to an overnight stay at the Salvation Army on Main Street. Garner says he struggles with bipolar disorder and has been in and out of jail for much of his life. “I’ve always had an issue with authority—I like doin’ what I want,” he said. “I’ll do pretty good for about six months, and then I’ll make a mistake—either fightin’, my mouth, I push people away, I run from stuff, needless stuff.”

Margie "McGraw" Mesker, who is homeless, trades head-scratches for kisses from Panhead McGraw, her three-year-old pit-shepherd mix, outside the Lifeskills Wellness Connection in Bowling Green. Mesker is known simply as "McGraw" within the local homeless community due to her long-standing delusion that she is married to country music star Tim McGraw. "Panhead's sister belongs to Faith Hill," Mesker said. "But that's God's plan."

Alicia Zantow and her fiancé, Dustin Carpenter, pack up to leave their room at the Economy Inn along U.S. 31 Bypass West in Bowling Green, Ky. They used a recent tax-return check to pay for the room through the weekend after the winter warming shelter closed for the season. Alicia said that moving in and out of temporary homes can be extra stressful when they have nowhere else to go and when the forecast calls for rain. “I don’t like the look of them clouds,” she said.

After a quick trip to the park bathroom across the street, Alicia settles back into her temporary encampment with Dustin in an alley alongside the Lifeskills Wellness Connection. Come Monday, she said they will have to move again.

Bowling Green Room in the Inn director Dewayne Conner, left, prays with Lloyd Scott during an intake session at the Salvation Army Fellowship Hall on Main Avenue. Room in the Inn partners with a dozen or more local churches to provide temporary overnight warming shelters for the homeless throughout the cold season. Lloyd and Dewayne asked for God’s help in Lloyd’s battles with temptation. “I’ve been struggling, man,” he said. “I been moving toward the dark side.” He was later banned for the season after showing up at an intake intoxicated, leaving him to find a place to stay each night for himself. "Lord, I ask that you take this burden off of Lloyd," Dewayne said.

Crystal Penrose, left, and Cindy Bruce share a laugh after settling into their cots during an overnight warming shelter hosted by Room in the Inn at Hillvue Heights Church. Penrose says she met Bruce after asking her for a slice of pizza out on the street. “She’s real nice until you give her a reason not to be,” Penrose said.

JC’s Barber College owner Junius Carpenter, right, cuts Lester’s hair in preparation for his first day on the job at a Rally’s fast-food restaurant. Junius said they began offering student cuts for free after COVID to encourage folks to come in. “This is the only place I’m getting my hair cut anymore,” Lester said. “I feel a lot better now that I got all that off me.”

In a fresh shirt and ball cap, Lester wipes down the tables and benches outside Rally’s during his first day at work. He’s worn a similar uniform before, when he worked for a different Rally’s in another state. “They seem to like me,” he said.

Lester, and a friend who declined to be named, share a bottle of liquor during an evening on the street. A week later, Lester was arrested for public intoxication for drinking in a park. He lost his job at Rally’s soon after. "When I drink that vodka, there's a whole other person that comes out," he said. "That's why I try and stay away from it."

Alicia calls her mother inside the Lifeskills Wellness Connection. She vented about difficulties finding housing. “Even if we do find an apartment, they still want social security card, ID, all this stuff we didn’t have,” Alicia said. “We’re like, number 1,007 [in line] for Section 8.”

Alicia said one of the biggest difficulties about being homeless is managing and toting all their personal belongings everywhere they go. “Once you’re out here, it’s hard to get out of it,” Alicia said. “We have no car, no job, no place to stay. We have to have all of our stuff with us all the time.”

After packing their bags with clean laundry at a local laundromat, Dustin and Alicia get ready to head back to their sleeping spot for the evening. Alicia said much of their recent laundry came from finds while they were dumpster diving. “It’s fun,” Alicia said. “People throw away brand new shit.”

Lester heads home to a park bench in the early morning hours. Without a steady source of income, his Section 8 voucher is set to expire soon, and he may miss his window to get back on his feet. “Being by yourself a lot fucks with your head.”