Kindness has been Lavada Power’s guide through her struggle to provide stable housing for her family.
The pursuit of wisdom has comforted Allan Dudley through his varying stages of housing.
And for Carl Hayes, homelessness and holiness go hand in hand.
Homelessness is projected to climb in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2024 Point-in-Time Count. How those tens of thousands of people spend their days varies, but conversations with a few of them in Gainesville during recent weeks point to a desire on their part to participate in and give back to society, even if they don’t rent or own a home.
Hayes, 74, was born and raised in Alachua County. He can recall his youthful days in the streets of Gainesville, selling drugs and charming University of Florida students.
Hayes said that after serving time for a second-degree murder charge from the 1970s until he was released on probation in 2000, he decided he wanted to sell art, not dope.
“Painting is a psychological release for me,” Hayes said. “It gives me an opportunity to express myself. The things that I don’t say, I try to exhibit in my art. The gentle end of me, the secret parts of me, the passionate parts of me — that’s what I share in my art. Those are things when you’re raised in the streets you don’t expose of yourself because that makes you vulnerable.”
Most days, before or after completing online college coursework at the Alachua County Library, Hayes comes to his favorite spot on the corner of South Main Street and Southwest Fifth Avenue to paint and preach.
He views this time as his communion with God, where he can express his appreciation through his work.
Hayes’ corner is decorated with his art supplies and latest canvas completions. Most of his work consists of recreations of holy scenes like Jesus Christ’s crucifixion.
He became homeless two months ago following an argument with his former roommate. He claims he had the choice between a room or the truth, so he chose the truth as God would have wanted.
“My goals haven’t been altered, only my position in society,” he said.
Hayes' goals are to continue to be a disciple of Christ and encourage the local homeless community to follow suit.
“I needed to learn what it was to be homeless — to need something,” he said. “Homelessness has progressed so much. What point does it have to reach for society to go screaming and running?”
Homeless Americans are now in danger of losing resources under new Trump Administration policies. In January, the Alachua County Point-in-Time homeless census count was disrupted due to the federal freeze on grants.
The PIT count is an annual census that evaluates the population and needs of the homeless community. Through this, homeless populations in North Florida and elsewhere are provided with health, food, and job resources.
The results of the 2025 Alachua PIT Count have yet to be released.
With uncertain homeless resource funding, individuals like Hayes could face increased difficulty securing housing.
A 2024 study in an academic journal suggested that the general public tend to discriminate toward homeless people. The study, titled “A Scoping Review of the Experiences and Outcomes of Stigma and Discrimination towards Persons Experiencing Homelessness,” sought to evaluate the prevalence and danger of stigma surrounding homelessness.
The study states “discrimination and stigmatization of (homeless people) has also been identified as creating barriers to engagement in communal religious practice or activities that provide a sense of purpose.”
Hayes is a demonstration of how people experiencing homelessness must circumvent societal blockades. His work is made in hopes of showing that homeless people can have hobbies, passions and purpose.
Collecting for good
Brian, a homeless resident of Gainesville who declined to provide his last name, has also found his own way to reclaim the stigma of homelessness – through ethical dumpster diving.
“I love dumpster diving,” he said. “You find all kinds of treats in there.”
Brian is from Waldo and maintains contact with his mother, who still lives there. When he collects items of value from his dumpster diving excursions, he will load them into his cart and call his mom.
“I collect all the chemicals I can to try and keep them out of the landfills,” he said. “Whole bottles of Dawn and Tide, and I take it, and then my mama shares it at the community center in Waldo with everybody.”
Brian’s generosity can also be seen in Gainesville through his dog Wrangler the Mangler 2.
Wrangler the Mangler 2 was the runt of the litter from his dog who shared the same name. When Brian left home, Wrangler the Mangler 2 was all he brought with him.
Now, they spend their days walking through Gainesville enjoying each other's company while Brian dumpster dives and works on his upcoming book, “Odlaw Law” (Waldo backwards), a book investigating the ties between the church and city hall in Waldo.
Motherhood and homelessness
The 2024 study that was published in the journal known as Health & Social Care in the Community also analyzed the prevalence of stigma in social services for homeless individuals and found women with children have a particularly difficult time.
They reported “feeling stigmatized as ‘bad’ mothers or unknowledgeable about what is best for their children because they are without a home,” the study’s authors found.
In Gainesville, Lavada Powers says she strives to be the best mom she can.
A car parked outside of a fire station has become a temporary home for Powers and her husband with their 15-year-old son after they lost their housing about eight months ago.
Powers, 48, says she finds purpose through the connections she makes with people in similar circumstances after having to cope with unstable housing and the recent passing of her brother.
She claims she was once quick to fight because of the difficulty in her life but creating a family with those around her has provided motivation to be kind.
“I still choose kindness,” she said. “I always will.”
The pursuit of wisdom
Allan Dudley, 62, turned inward during his time living unhoused to evaluate his values and contribution to society.
Drug dealing was the main catalyst for his homelessness.
He said he came to understand being homeless was his fault, so he turned away from anger as he saw little point in being upset with what he caused.
Instead, he chooses to avoid drugs, outside of cigarettes, to maintain a level of clarity and humility to be a wise and faithful man.
“I want to be the one flower in the middle of an empty field,” Dudley said.
Dudley is currently transitioning into more stable housing and is determined to maintain the lessons he learned while living homeless.
