Why Homeless Woman in Oakland Loves Her Dogs.

Geri lived in a beautiful two-story house. The owner said no dogs. Geri kept her dogs and gave up the house. She now lives in a tent encampment in Oakland, California.

When I speak at colleges and conferences I'll often ask people to raise their hand if they love their pets. Almost everyone raises their hand. I then ask the room who wants to get rid of their pets. No one responds. People love pets! Animals become family, and to a homeless person, the unconditional love received from a pet means everything!

Homeless people with pets do not want to give up their pets to go into a homeless shelter.

Geri has been homeless for some time. She's lived in this tent camp for about a year. Geri says she survives daily. She continues that every single day you wake up with a plan and then life changes.

Geri says the public should give homeless people a chance. She says homeless people need a hand up. As one friend recently said to me, you can't bootstrap without the boots.

Very special thanks to Team Invisible People