Cody Baldwin

Cody Baldwin is a nineteen year old young man who currently lives in Utah. Cody has

endured some rough trials throughout his life, one of which being homelessness. He did not,

however, experience chronic homelessness. His experiences were only occasional and he did not

stay homeless for too long. His story begins when he was roughly nine years old.

At this time in his life, Cody was just a young boy living in Phoenix with his mother and

sister. Sadly, his mother became extremely addicted to drugs and alcohol. It was to the point that

they had no money for rent and they were kicked out of their home. As a result, he spent the

following week sleeping behind a bush with his mother and sister.

“We didn’t shower or brush our teeth, and it was cold. But, it wasn’t as bad as people

make it seem,” Cody says.

Luckily, they were able to find food and shelter at some of his friends’ houses. Cody was

embarrassed and afraid that people would find out about what he had been going through. His

suggestion that homelessness “wasn’t as bad as people make it seem” hints towards some

possible explanations of why people may choose to stay homeless. Jaron Taylor, a former

homeless man from Utah, states, “Change is difficult when you become complacent in purgatory.

You’re just sitting there, floating and waiting for something good.” (Taylor) This, however,

wasn’t the case for Cody. He never stayed homeless, but he did spend time in and out of

homeless shelters. His next homeless experience came when he was fourteen.

Cody described the Midvale homeless shelter as being “bad and disgusting”. He says that

it was one big warehouse that supported around two hundred people. For the amount of people

that used the facility, the staffing was extremely small and insufficient. The building contained
about six showers, a tiny kitchen, two people at the front desk, and awful beds that had to

accomodate for an upwards of two hundred people. Cody and his family had to stay at this

shelter for a few weeks during his early teenage years. He reported that there was a great deal of

theft and criminalistic behavior at the shelter. This, on top of the awful conditions, made

homelessness seem better than life inside the shelter. “Sleeping outside, besides the cold, was

better than the shelter,” he says. He stayed at one other homeless shelter when he was seventeen

and the conditions there were much better. He has only ever had to stay at three homeless

shelters in his life. Many people, unlike Cody, are constantly in and out of the shelters. An article

found in DOAJ states, “Variations in prior residence and exit destination of homeless families

serve as factors determining the length of their shelter stay and the likelihood to return to the

shelter.” (Keuntae Kim) Lucky enough for Cody, was able to get his job at the movie theater

soon after this experience and he hasn’t dealt with homelessness since then.

Cody has a unique perspective on homelessness and why it is such an important issue. He

is sympathetic towards those who are dealing with this because he has been in their shoes. He is

able to see why some people choose to stay homeless and it is this perspective that much of the

public is blind to. When asked if there was any hope for a potential solution to homelessness, or

at least a better shelter, Cody, without a doubt, said yes. With the proper financial support and

people willing to help, Cody says that there is a great chance of providing a homeless shelter that

would appropriately accommodate people who are experiencing homelessness. There are also

other solutions out there that don’t involve a homeless shelter. Utah Housing Director, Jonathan

Hardy, states, “We only want to spend the minimum amount on a shelter response, so that we

can maximize our investment on more effective solutions.” (Hardy)

 In conclusion, Cody’s profile really sheds light on many of the reasons behind people

becoming homeless. Drugs and alcohol played a huge role in his homeless experience. His

mother’s addiction drained his family money and support. This addiction is prevalent in today’s

world and is a leading cause of chronic homelessness. Both occasional and chronic homelessness

are issues that must be addressed. It is stories, like Cody’s, that provide authentic and real-life

information in regards to societal social issues. It’s stories like these that need to be heard.
 Citations

McKellar, K. (2019, December 2). Salt Lake City's downtown shelter closure capped off a

massive shift to a new homeless system. Will the new model work? Retrieved from

https://www.deseret.com/utah/2019/12/1/20985696/utah-road-home-homeless-shelter-sal

t-lake

Kim, K., & Garcia, I. (2019, November 1). Directory of Open Access Journals.

Retrieved from https://doaj.org/article/6dd50612836340bd9d9fe3fcd2d854a8

Scruggs, G. (2019, January 10). Once a national model, Utah struggles with homelessness.

Retrieved from

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-homelessness-housing/once-a-national-model-uta

h-struggles-with-homelessness-idUSKCN1P41EQ