Formerly Homeless Couple Recall Nights in Cold
By: Michael Pickett
Updated: January 23, 2013
Temperatures are expected to drop across much of the Tri-State tonight. Most of us will probably stay inside where it's warm, but some don't have that luxury.
Tim and Tasha Ballow were homeless for more than two years. They stayed in a tent near railroad tracks just off of Columbia Street. There were nights when they were forced to burn the clothes off their backs.
"The night we slept in our tent with our thin blanket and guitar, we got down to burning our clothes and shoes, just for heat because we were so cold, we couldn't stand it," Sasha says.
She was also pregnant while she was homeless.
"With me being pregnant, it was really, really, risky subjecting myself to temperatures like that," she says.
But Tim and Tasha recently moved into a downtown apartment. Although they don't have electricity or heat, it's still better than where they were.
"It's 150% better because you're still shielded from the weather, cold. I mean, it's still cold here, but when you get in here, it feels like you've got the heat on," Sasha says.
The Ballows also say programs like Operation: White Flag, which places like United Caring Shelters use to get homeless to come in from extremely cold or hot weather, have helped them while they were living near the railroad tracks.
Tim and Tasha Ballow were homeless for more than two years. They stayed in a tent near railroad tracks just off of Columbia Street. There were nights when they were forced to burn the clothes off their backs.
"The night we slept in our tent with our thin blanket and guitar, we got down to burning our clothes and shoes, just for heat because we were so cold, we couldn't stand it," Sasha says.
She was also pregnant while she was homeless.
"With me being pregnant, it was really, really, risky subjecting myself to temperatures like that," she says.
But Tim and Tasha recently moved into a downtown apartment. Although they don't have electricity or heat, it's still better than where they were.
"It's 150% better because you're still shielded from the weather, cold. I mean, it's still cold here, but when you get in here, it feels like you've got the heat on," Sasha says.
The Ballows also say programs like Operation: White Flag, which places like United Caring Shelters use to get homeless to come in from extremely cold or hot weather, have helped them while they were living near the railroad tracks.
