Austin Homeless Man Shares on Addiction, Prison, and Depression

If we are going to end homelessness, we must house everyone. We cannot pick who is worthy or unworthy of housing. HOUSING IS A HUMAN RIGHT, or it should be. I want you to like Martin, but I know some of you won’t get past parts of his story. Martin shares openly and honestly about addiction, depression, prison, and homelessness. Martin is homeless in Austin, Texas. His story is long. Martin rambles a little. He is a methamphetamine addict. Before you judge, I was a meth addict too. Meth and heroin are the perfect drugs to escape the pain of trauma and homelessness. I am sure many of you are thinking addiction is the cause of homelessness, and it can be; however, the vast majority of the 40 to 52 million people struggling with mental illness or substance use disorders don’t experience homelessness. I first met Martin three years ago. Martin agreed to an interview, but he started to get emotional and stopped. So, out of respect to Martin, I never posted the video. I didn’t know until