From Katrina to Dallas: My 16-Year Journey
By LARRY JACKSON
Special Contributor, Stewpot Writers’ Workshop
Larry Jackson smiles as he recounts his story. Photos by Jesse Hornbuckle.
My homeless journey was unexpected and a new experience. From the start of the journey in 2006 up until now, the fight has been to regain my normal life.
Before Hurricane Katrina hit my hometown of New Orleans, I was working as a longshoreman and living in a house. But when that storm came in with a vengeance into the southwest region of the city on August 2005, I experienced disaster on a wide scale for the first time.
The raw power of Mother Nature had landed, leaving behind a path of pain, suffering, and damage that many of us would have to endure. I was living a functional life with a bright future. I was a God-fearing, church-going person with faith as my foundation.
But when the storm hit, I lost my housing as it went underwater. The riverfront where I worked was closed, so I also lost my job. Thousands of others were left behind, too.
I briefly lived with my mother but then my recovery began when the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) relocated me to Denton, Texas. The 23rd Psalm was fresh on my heart. “Lead Lord, and I will follow,” was my guiding force. God was my pilot. My path back to normalcy, however, would take many twists and turns and stops.
The older parts of Denton with its courthouse and architecture reminded me of my birthplace of Natchez, Mississippi. I naturally liked the city, and, with the help of FEMA and a few groups, I was able to find housing, a job, and even a used truck. All seemed to be going well with the transition.
But living by myself in Denton, I longed for family and friends. I headed to Houston, where my sister and her family lived. Unfortunately, the family bond had been broken. Katrina had its effect on all of us. I couldn’t stay or live with them. The closeness of family was shattered because they too were scrambling to make a living. The trauma and pain was real in all our lives.
I turned to hustling on the streets and was on the homeless trail, until I got a job. Struggling to stay afloat, I went to FEMA and found my files were active. Through the agency, I obtained permanent supportive housing and enrolled in Houston Community College to become a diesel mechanic.
My time hustling, though, brought me face-to-face with the pain of the homeless community. I witnessed the dysfunction, drama, tears, and suffering of not having a place to live. The hardship of life was very real. Homelessness is a hard pill to swallow.
But God, the pilot, was now back in the plane. I had to leave all of that dysfunction behind. Atlanta, Georgia, was the next stop on my journey. I enrolled in one of Atlanta’s community colleges to finish my course in diesel mechanics. Street hustling and odd jobs paid for my room and board.
It was in Atlanta that I experienced the hard-core reality of homelessness, living on the streets and having to survive each day. I got hurt in Atlanta while I was working at a job so I had to head back to New Orleans. Unfortunately, my identity had been stolen while I was living in Denton. My personal information was compromised, compounding the complexities in my life.
Bill McKenzie (right) volunteers at The Stewpot and supports the writers’ workshop. McKenzie is the Senior Editorial Advisor at the Bush Institute.
I was heading in the wrong direction and wanted to quit, but my faith has taught me to pray and press on. My story sounded like one that I would reflect on in the Bible. Moses and Aaron had to lead and guide a dysfunctional family. In the end, their family became a great nation.
I am now back in Dallas. My case is in the hands of a group that is assisting me with finding housing.
I want to make a home here, with a new job, friends, and family. Seventeen years after Katrina, I want a new beginning.
Larry Jackson is a STREETZine vendor and a participant in The Stewpot’s Writers’ Workshop.
