BERKELEY, Calif — Laughter in the crowd of people buying fuzzy peaches rises on a early Saturday morning. Children accompanying their parents sit down to sing along with a guitarist. This is a Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market.
But amidst all the chatter and laughter homeless people surround the 1947 Center St, where
the market takes place on Saturday, they are either participating in the market, sleeping on the benches in the nearby park, or walking around.
On average 972 homeless people sleep on the streets of Berkeley each night. Homelessness in Berkeley progressively got worse after the 1970’s, due to policy changes in the federal government and economic downturn.
Around 71 percent of the homeless population originally had stable jobs before becoming homeless. Homeless people gravitate toward San Francisco under the assumption that it has more benefits for them. Especially with the amount of shelters and markets provided.
The homeless population in San Francisco publishes Street Spirit, a newspaper that aims to shed light on struggles homeless people face in the Bay Area. Street Spirit has been around since 1997.
Arrous Lambert, a Street Spirit newspaper vendor, greets and enthusiastically encourages everyone that walks by to purchase the newspaper. Lambert started selling paper in order to financially support himself when he retired back in 1997.
Lambert has been selling papers at the farmers’ market since the paper’s inception in 1995.
“Not trying to get rich, not gonna get rich unless I win the lotto. I love talking to people,” Lambert said with a smile on his face.
Looking in from the outside, vegan oats vendor Nazim Elahi, is familiar with the homeless people that frequent the market. He is keen on helping them and thinks that market does a good job of being inclusive to people of all backgrounds.
“A lot of homeless people come and get full on free samples and some vendors donate to the homeless. As long as everyone is good the day goes well,” he said.
Deneise Jones is a homeless woman who is a mother of four. She went to high school at Berkeley High School across the street from Saturday’s event.
Her main source of income is selling papers at the farmers’ market.
“I’m an African American young women striving, selling, looking for food. Out every Saturday selling homeless papers to eat and sleep,” she said. “I have a lot of spirit a mother of four…it’s not easy.”
Her faith in God also helps keep her from hitting rock bottom mentally. “I’m one of those strong survivors,” she said, her smile is wide and beaming as she continues, “ If the man above me keeps me going, if I have faith in him, I’ll be alive.”
Since Jones is out at the farmer’s market every Saturday, she is familiar with most of the other homeless people who frequent it, as well as the vendors who have become her friends.
As she glances around the market full of bustling adults and children alike, she glances back with a smile. “Everyone is a day away from being homeless,” she says. “Anything can happen. Remember that.”