Hundreds of homeless veterans in San Diego will have beds and food over the holidays. The city opened a winter shelter for military vets today – and space is tight. KPBS Radio’s Andrew Phelps was there.
Driving down Sports Arena Boulevard, it’s easy to spot the homeless shelter. A long line of the worn and weary are waiting to check in for the winter. Kurt Hebert is one of them. When he gets inside, Hebert answers a string of personal questions to a complete stranger.
Mona Aguiñaga: Okay, any rashes, or are you itching anywhere?
Hebert: I’m itching to get to bed, that’s about it.
Aguiñaga: Um, have you ever felt that your life was not worth living?
Hebert: No.
Hebert says he’s an Air Force veteran, but he doesn’t have the right ID. If he can’t produce it in three days, Hebert will get kicked out. There are only 150 beds at the shelter Officials expect to serve about 500 military vets through April of next year. For KPBS, I’m Andrew Phelps.
