the story of one man: Backpack bill
Backpack Bill is homeless and lives in a "hooch" along the Ohio River in Covington, Kentucky. His hooch is a homemade house that is built from scraps which he found along the riverbank and in dumpsters in the city. He has been homeless for several years. There are no homeless shelters for men in this city.
Bill plays with his two dogs, Shep and Goldie, outside of his hooch on the river bank. The dogs provide company and keep strangers from wandering into his camp. Many of the homeless along the river make friends with stray dogs.
Bill visits a camp down the river where a group of homeless live. Bill and Art look through Bill's backpack for some food which he picked up at one of the soup kitchens in town. Most of the homeless along the river are good friends and help each other out when they can.
Backpack Bill and Greg enjoy a warm winter afternoon in a U-Haul on a lot on Fourth Street. The owner of the lot allowed men to hang out in the U-Hauls until one of the trailers was set on fire. Some of the men slept in the trailers, like this one, before the fire.
Bill keeps in shape with a set of weights he found in a dumpster in Covington. Many of his possessions were discarded by others and found in trash cans and dumpsters.
Backpack Bill talks with Indian Sally, his girlfriend, outside of the Parish Kitchen in Covington. Sally is also homeless and sometimes stays with Bill at his camp along the river. Other times she sleeps on couches at friends' apartments in Covington. Some of the homeless have moved into apartments which are subsidized by the Federal government as Section 8 housing.
Backpack Bill and a friend enjoy a summer day swimming in the Ohio River. This boys' family became homeless after they were forced from their apartment in Covington. The family of four was wandering along the river when Bill met them. He invited them to stay with him at his camp until they could find a new apartment. They lived along the river with Bill for about two weeks.
Backpack Bill visits the local Burger King for coffee most mornings. He likes the free refills of coffee and the running water in the bathroom. Many of the homeless use the bathrooms of the fast food restaurants in the area.
The river bank can be a dangerous place. The cut on Bill's nose came as the result of a fight he had with another homeless man. The homeless sometimes fight when they have had too much to drink.

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