Living in New York through the eyes of a homeless person: 'I never thought I would end up in a shelter'

Today, many homeless people in New York have been relocated from overcrowded, potentially dangerous shelters during the pandemic to hotels. This caused a lot of controversy among the public. Homeless people have flooded the Upper West Side, transforming the area into a "true Wild West." Many townspeople think about moving and blame the authorities for this situation. But what do the homeless themselves think about this? The edition told about it CBS New York.

One of the homeless New Yorkers shared his life story. He told how at one time he ended up in an orphanage. “I never thought I would end up in a homeless shelter,” said Sal Salomon.

He was 8 years old when he attended public school in Hell's Kitchen. Forty years later, he found himself on the street and then in a number of New York homeless shelters.

The time he spent in the Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx hideouts he compared to being in prison.

Salomon knows what he is talking about, since he managed to serve time for stealing a car. He went to prison at the age of 19. But then he changed his life priorities. “I got my high school diploma and went to college while I was in prison,” Salomon said.

Released at 24, he began to study music and sings to this day.

The culmination of his musical career was working on the song for the soundtrack for the Oscar-nominated film The Wrestler.

But then several of his relatives died - brothers, both parents and best friend. Depression destroyed his marriage and he ended up homeless. “I spent the night on benches and on trains, I didn't want to live at all,” Salomon recalls. "I ended up becoming one of those people you look at."

During the coronavirus pandemic, he was accommodated in a hotel near John F. Kennedy International Airport.

On the subject: 'Scene from the zombie movie': a camp for the homeless appears in Manhattan

Some townspeople are upset at being forced to live next to the homeless. They were accommodated in hotels in order to protect them from coronavirus infection in overcrowded city shelters.

Salomon said he understands the reasoning of such people. “Part of me agrees with them. Who wants madness before their doorstep? " - he noted. In his opinion, the funds that private companies receive should be directed to the work of qualified psychiatrists.

Salomon himself had already left the hotel for a week. He now lives with a relative in Hell's Kitchen.

His musical career develops, he receives more and more invitations to perform on stage.

Salomon would like people on the street to think before judging the homeless. Many of them are hungry, depressed, or depressed. “Depression is the first thing I encountered (when I was on the street - ed.),” Solomon admitted.

However, he defeated her and is now convinced that there is always hope for the best. Perhaps it was this attitude that helped him improve his life. In the near future, twice a week, visitors to one of the local bars of the Big Apple will wait for his performances.