StoryCorps Griot: George Hill

From: StoryCorps
Series: StoryCorps
Length: 01:52

George Hill remembers being homeless. Hill has been off the streets for 10 years. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: StoryCorps Griot: George Hill
From: StoryCorps

Hillg_small After leaving the Marines, George Hill became addicted to drugs and alcohol. He soon found himself on the streets of Los Angeles, homeless for 12 years. But the kindness of another homeless man changed everything. "Out of all the people on skid row, he looked down at me and reached in his pocket and pulled out a dollar in change. It's all he had and he gave it to me and said, 'Here, man. I feel sorry for you.' And he shuffled away." With the money the man gave him, Hill took a bus to a hospital psych unit. Hill has now been off the streets for 10 years. He has a job with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is pursuing a degree in computer information systems at Cal State University.

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Piece Description

After leaving the Marines, George Hill became addicted to drugs and alcohol. He soon found himself on the streets of Los Angeles, homeless for 12 years. But the kindness of another homeless man changed everything. "Out of all the people on skid row, he looked down at me and reached in his pocket and pulled out a dollar in change. It's all he had and he gave it to me and said, 'Here, man. I feel sorry for you.' And he shuffled away." With the money the man gave him, Hill took a bus to a hospital psych unit. Hill has now been off the streets for 10 years. He has a job with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is pursuing a degree in computer information systems at Cal State University.

Broadcast History

NPR's Morning Edition February 22, 2008

Transcript

GH: I was homeless 12 years and I can't even begin to tell you the misery of rain. I don't even care how slight the rainfall is, it was misery beyond belief. And then sometimes you sleep during the day because it's warm enough to sleep and then at night you keep moving so you don't freeze. And I used to watch people get on the busses and I used to say, you know, those are normal people and you feel anything but normal.

One time I just happened to be sitting on this bag 'cause if you didn't carry your blankets or your jackets around in a bag they were gone. And here comes a homeless man so dirty it was just awful I mean his hands were like black with the exception of his knuckles and joints where the bone had kind of rubbed through the dirt. He had rags tied on his feet and his hair was matted in two big nasty dreads. And out of all the people in skid row he looked down at me and reached...
Read the full transcript