Interviews by Asia Fields, Nicole Santa Cruz, Ruth Talbot and Maya Miller; design and development by Ruth Talbot; illustration by Matt Rota
A record number of Americans are living outside. Cities have responded by removing encampments from public spaces, a practice commonly referred to as “sweeps.” In the process, workers often take people’s belongings — including important documents, survival gear and irreplaceable mementos.
Over and over, people across the country told ProPublica they were devastated by such losses. We gave them notecards so they could explain in their own words how the sweeps have affected them.
Here are some of their stories.
Click on any notecard to read full text
Teresa Stratton, 61
Portland, Oregon
Teresa Stratton, 61
Portland, Oregon
What They Wrote:
My husbands ashes
I made me feel alone scared, empty. Now I wonder where he is and if he’s all still in his urn and if he’s OK and I hope he’s not in the dump
Adam Mora
Riverside, California
Adam Mora
Riverside, California
What They Wrote:
My perscrption glasses were takin
Have been getting head akes.
My CD players. Phones. Personal paperwork. Had no time replacing it. Also jewelry was taken. Food. Clothes.
This has affected me.
Becuase they just come and throw our stuff away. And they just dont care. Like it was nothing to them.
Thank you.
Mario Van Rossen, 49
Los Angeles, California
Mario Van Rossen, 49
Los Angeles, California
What They Wrote:
My tools, cause I use them to make a living, not to mention some of those tools were given to me by my father, and they made me feel close to my Dad that is now gone cause he passed away. But what really sucks is I used them to make a living so I could eat and buy what I need.
Kyra Gonzales
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Kyra Gonzales
Albuquerque, New Mexico
What They Wrote:
Updated pictures of my daughter and the only number to reach her at. I’ve been coping by not continuing my housing. I have nothing to get off the streets to.
Elijah Harris, 38
Los Angeles, California
Elijah Harris, 38
Los Angeles, California
What They Wrote:
- Birth certificate
- Passport
- UPS/storage keys
- Money
- I’D/SSC
Set my progress to saving for a place back months.
Stephenie, 45
Portland, Oregon
Stephenie, 45
Portland, Oregon
What They Wrote:
My purse was taken ... it had everything I needed to survive in it. Not having these things made my life so much harder & made my depression way worse.
Jeremy Foreman
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jeremy Foreman
Albuquerque, New Mexico
What They Wrote:
My sence of self + the will to keep trying to better my self + get off these streets. So the most devastating object I lost was Jeremy Foreman.
Mary Yahner, 59
Phoenix, Arizona
Mary Yahner, 59
Phoenix, Arizona
What They Wrote:
I had my kid’s baby shoes w/ me since we became homeless. It was all I had left of them {they are w/ family}. The police/city took them w/ the rest of our stuff. It broke my heart … I still cry my eyes out when I think of it. :( It just reminds you that you have no power/control left.
Brandon Lyons, 29
Riverside, California
Brandon Lyons, 29
Riverside, California
What They Wrote:
They took my baby pictures and my moms obituaries that was in my duffel bag. They also took my leather motorcycle vest worth 300$+ and my whole tent setup.
Damian Voorhees, 48
New York, New York
Damian Voorhees, 48
New York, New York
What They Wrote:
Birth certificate & Social Security card. Haven’t been able to attain a ID & haven't had ID over the last 1 1/2 years.
My parents wedding photos.
Last item I had of theirs.
A New York City official said the Department of Sanitation only removes belongings when no one present claims them or a person states the items are no longer needed.
Ismael Arias
Los Angeles, California
Ismael Arias
Los Angeles, California
What They Wrote:
Having a steady income & having nothing was very do to take in for the time being. Stuff from my tool’s to collecttables baseball cards to coins
Lindsay, 35
Knoxville, Tennessee
Lindsay, 35
Knoxville, Tennessee
What They Wrote:
I’ve had so many blankets, sleeping bags, tarps, clothes, shoes, hobby items (such as coloring cooks, coloring pencils, books, notebooks, pens, pencils, medical supplies, food, back packs, tents, wallets, I.D.’s, money, cell phones, and other gifts that were very sentimental to me and it has impacted me by causing me to be more depressed, suicidal, and less out going than I used to be. I mostly just stay at camp waiting for the dreaded we got 15 mins. to pack and get out.
Jeffery Stafford, 33
Riverside, California
Jeffery Stafford, 33
Riverside, California
What They Wrote:
My clothes because its hard to keep clean being on the streets so it made me feel insecure to ask people for help
Greg Adams
Sacramento, California
Greg Adams
Sacramento, California
What They Wrote:
My seizure medication
Motorhome
All my belonging
It hurt my head
Karolyn Juanico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Karolyn Juanico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
What They Wrote:
Tent
Sleeping with friends under well lit areas
Violette Loftis, 42
Portland, Oregon
Violette Loftis, 42
Portland, Oregon
What They Wrote:
Because of the sweeps I can not keep anything. I cant get any sort of anything that I might get attached too. I have lost everything clear down to the clothes on my back. I now wear a purse that I wear 24-7. I have no trust and I live like an animal and have serious mental issues because of it. Help it get better.
Lady Hawkins, 45
Riverside, California
Lady Hawkins, 45
Riverside, California
What They Wrote:
I lost a necklace that my kids got for me for Mother's Day 2 yrs ago and that really affected me emotional.
Hawkins asked to be identified by the name she goes by in her community.
Christian Smith
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Christian Smith
Albuquerque, New Mexico
What They Wrote:
Dentures. Were thrown away and coping isn't somthing I can do. It’s made me feel ugly, unworthy, can’t go get a job with no teeth. So how can get off the streets until another pair can be made?
Smith was featured in “Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy.” Albuquerque officials said that in the months since ProPublica’s previous story, the city has expanded its assistance programs for homeless people, including increasing the number of beds available at shelters and an addiction treatment center, and offering more rides to the property storage facility and shelters.
Ezra
Portland, Oregon
What They Wrote:
Everthing I had each time was 4 survial — plus my Bible & my jewerly
Despair — tears
Ezra asked to be identified by a name she goes by in her community because of safety concerns.
Angel
Los Angeles, California
Angel
Los Angeles, California
What They Wrote:
My grandma and daughter things that are not replaceable. Some of my tools, hygiene, makeup my art supplies, tent clothes, blankets, bikes, skate borads.
Ronald Brown, 61
Portland, Oregon
Ronald Brown, 61
Portland, Oregon
What They Wrote:
6 May 2024.
Guitars & banjo: the way a street musician like me makes $. Nonsense no notice sweep of all good stuff — tent, bedding, battery pak, amplifier, H2O, etc.
Margarita Griego
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Margarita Griego
Albuquerque, New Mexico
What They Wrote:
Sleeping bag
Cell phone
Blankets
Tent
Food
Now have to go get all the above again, its a big set back.
Griego was featured in “Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy.” Albuquerque officials said that in the months since ProPublica’s previous story, the city has expanded its assistance programs for homeless people, including increasing the number of beds available at shelters and an addiction treatment center, and offering more rides to the property storage facility and shelters.
Rebecca Huggins, 33
Phoenix, Arizona
Rebecca Huggins, 33
Phoenix, Arizona
What They Wrote:
My tent was taken also my blankents, cooler, food, perscription medicines
It made it harder for me to be comfortable in this heat and took my shelter away from me made me feel less safe …
Beth Hale, 47
Burien, Washington
Beth Hale, 47
Burien, Washington
What They Wrote:
I lost many things during the sweeps we’ve been through but losing my wedding pictures has been the hardest thing. They were the last copies because evrytime we get copies we go through another sweep but this time there aren’t anymore in family because we’ve gotten all of them from all our family members.
Greg Kane, 47
Phoenix, Arizona
Greg Kane, 47
Phoenix, Arizona
What They Wrote:
My ID + Social Security card. Without those I cant even get a job
Drew Dinh, 40
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Drew Dinh, 40
Minneapolis, Minnesota
What They Wrote:
Wallet, bike, clothes, tent, blanket, cast iron pans, food, stove and other items that are important to surviving. It made surviving day to day life difficult to be able to progress out of being homless and was a setback that made the depressive state I was in even worse. Then other people would take advantage of me even worse then they already have.
Harry Blankenship, 37
Knoxville, Tennessee
Harry Blankenship, 37
Knoxville, Tennessee
What They Wrote:
I lost my entire camp, tent, clothes, sentimental things, blankets, all of mine and my wife lost everything. So we had a hard time getting documents replaced as I am from California and its a process.
Edward Cline, 29
Riverside, California
Edward Cline, 29
Riverside, California
What They Wrote:
My granpas neckless that has been passed down
Important paperwork
Clothes tent, and waggon.
Gabriel Rodriguez
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Gabriel Rodriguez
Albuquerque, New Mexico
What They Wrote:
The letters from my grandmother before she passed away
I'm angry but I can’t do nothing about it
Rodriguez was featured in “Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy.” Albuquerque officials said that in the months since ProPublica’s previous story, the city has expanded its assistance programs for homeless people, including increasing the number of beds available at shelters and an addiction treatment center, and offering more rides to the property storage facility and shelters.
Larry Serben, 53
Portland, Oregon
Larry Serben, 53
Portland, Oregon
What They Wrote:
I lost my tent, Mr Heater blankets, bike, bike trailer several pairs of pants, and shirts.
I had to go without any shelter for that evening till the next day until I could get another tent and blankets!
Its really hard on people to replace the stuff we lose!!
Kayla
San Francisco, California
Kayla
San Francisco, California
What They Wrote:
Something important to me that was taken from me was all of my clothes that my mom had just bought for me
It was really hard to tell her that all the clothes we went shopping together were lost before I even got to wear them.
Dawn, 57
Fresno, California
Dawn, 57
Fresno, California
What They Wrote:
Tho I have lost a lot of beloning to the taskforce. The one thing that sticks out the most missed is my Hope! Hope that I will make it out of this tramatic life style that I never choose to live. After I escaped a abusive relationship and found the safety and family at the park (Roeding) was short lived upon the introduction of the (HART team) Being harrased, harried and hounded has become my new reality. I feel I’ve survived one hellish scean only to have been ready and available exposed for a new type of trapped. Jail & fines becoming my new way of life. What I’ve lost & want back will have to be freedom from the newist threat of being a crimanl from having no home to run to. And feel a peaceful safe feeling.
Dawn
A homeless female
2024
The city of Fresno, which runs the Homeless Assistance Response Team, known as HART, did not respond to a request for comment.
Annette Collins, 58
Portland, Oregon
Annette Collins, 58
Portland, Oregon
What They Wrote:
I lost a valuable card collection
2 valuable swords
And all my possesions too many times
It totally devistated me and cause my depression to worsen. It took me months to get all the things they took back, by me having to repurchase them.
G. Bethel
New York, New York
G. Bethel
New York, New York
What They Wrote:
During the city sweeps we have lost precious items, sentimental value which cannot be replaced such as family photos, letters, journals, diaries and gifts that were given to us out of love. All things that will never be again. How do you take someones possessions and label them trash? They might as well have put us in the garbage also. In particular, the photographs, moments and memories we cant get back no matter what, this hurt the most.
Bethel asked to be identified only by a first initial and last name due to privacy concerns. A New York City official said the Department of Sanitation only removes belongings when no one present claims them or a person states the items are no longer needed.
Kevin Grigsby, 38
Portland, Oregon
Kevin Grigsby, 38
Portland, Oregon
What They Wrote:
I feel losing my sleeping gear was the wrost thing I lost it affected my job place to sleep. Then you have to start all over.
Luanne Loving, 66
Portland, Oregon
Luanne Loving, 66
Portland, Oregon
What They Wrote:
All of my fishing gear, tent, wagon, lamps, lanterns, propane stove. I felt violated, I felt that no-one cared, and was very hurt and angry. I had to start over again collecting these things.
Harold Odom, 64
Seattle, Washington
Harold Odom, 64
Seattle, Washington
What They Wrote:
It’s a sense of loss that doesn’t go away. Knowing that my belongings are likely gone for good—or lost forever—fills me with a sadness that’s hard to bear. The thought of being thrown out and left with nothing... it’s overwhelming. I feel like I’m on the verge of breaking down.