Date Nov 21st
Location：At the corner of BOA in Central Square, Cambridge.
Time: 2:30 PM
Weather: Sunny , 37F windy
Leaning against the wall, the afternoon sun warmed her as Nyemiah, a 47-year-old African American woman, held her smartphone close. She relied on free WiFi for call, data, or messaging services. Dressed in a dark green hoodie, she shielded her eyes from the direct sunlight. Clean and unassuming, she sat atop a red packaged bag which also served as her sleeping bag. With a small handbag by her side, she meticulously organized the money she collected from begging into her wallet. She explained that her husband instructed her to transfer money to him before he picked her up to leave for another city. When questioned about her lack of a bank account, she said that she would purchase gift cards to send them to her husband instead.
She used to take the subway to the airport, where she would spend the night. The staff understood her situation and let her ride the train for free.
Born in California, she graduated from a community college and once had an apartment in Las Vegas. In 2018, she moved to Boston and worked for a mortgage company until she lost her job in 2020 due to the pandemic, leaving her homeless.
After her mother’s death and due to her siblings’ prejudice against her ex-husband, she had no contact with her family for a long time. Despite her circumstances, she refuses to receive a tent or sleeping bag from our organization, as she has her own sleeping bag and is accustomed to spending nights at the airport.
Reluctant to seek shelter, she fears the uncleanliness and dangers associated with it—drug use, alcoholism, smoking, and sexual harassment. She dreads the possibility of being treated like a prisoner, based on her negative experiences in a Los Angeles shelter.
On November 21, 2023, just two days before Thanksgiving, she was relieved to learn that her husband would pick her up from Logan Airport to start a new life together. It was a positive turn for her, and one can only hope to never see her homeless on the streets again.