When I met her, Carolyn had been living without a place to call home for about 10 years. She refused to stay in shelters on account of "shelter queens"--trouble makers who manipulate staff and blackmail other residents so they can get away with breaking shelter rules or hording shelter provisions. At the time this photograph was taken she had spent two years selling Street Spirit near The Cheese Board at Vine and Shattuck: "People know me here," she says, which is true. Every five minutes or so, a local passerby would stop to have a familiar chat with Carolyn and probably offer some change or a few dollars.
When this picture was taken Carolyn was in the process of applying for Supplemental Security Income Disability Benefits with the help of advocates at the East Bay Community Law Center. The application process often lasts more than a year. Rarely, or never is an initial application accepted, forcing applicants to make numerous appeals, multiple trips to the doctor and wade through a sizable amount of paperwork.