SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — Recent storms have totally soaked San Diego. But for those living on the streets, the conditions have been unbearable.
“I’ve never been homeless before and I didn’t know what to do,” says Matthew Henrickson.
Henrickson shared with 10News he has faced homelessness now for seven months.
“You learn real fast what to do… you need to know where to use the bathroom, where you can get food at,” he says.
Desperate to find shelter as another storm hit San Diego this week, he says that he spent Tuesday night in the only dry spot he could find: an abandoned apartment.
“Sleeping on the cement every night… it’s taken a big toll on my body. I’ve been in the hospital. I've been hospitalized multiple times — I had pneumonia,” he said. “It was so cold… I shared a blanket with a 64-year-old man. We were just trying to stay warm. It was miserable.”
With weather like this, he says every night is about survival.
“That’s what I tell people, I’m just surviving, I’m not living," Henrickson says.
Henrickson is currently working with Uptown Community Center, a North Park nonprofit, to explore solutions when it comes to permanent housing.
In the meantime, Henrickson is volunteering his time to help others at Uptown.
The center offers people who are homeless resources like food, clothing, toiletries, mailboxes and hot showers during daytime hours.
Uptown Community Center says they are in need of more canned proteins, winter clothing items and tarps.
You can learn more about donating and volunteering on their website.
