John Anderson, Washington DC

 

A currently homeless native of Washington, DC, new voter John Anderson remembers a time when a one-bedroom apartment in DC cost $80 a month.  Now, he says, housing costs are extremely high, jobs are scarce, and wages aren’t high enough for many residents to afford a place to live.  Anderson has experienced the hardship of working hard for little pay, at our very own U.S. Capitol building, where he worked in food service for just $6 an hour, barely enough to make ends meet in an expensive city like DC.  Anderson, who has been homeless for about a year, would like to see the next presidential administration address poverty and the housing crisis.

 

These concerns motivated Anderson to register to vote this year.  He feels the economic downturn and war spending over the past eight years took a heavy toll on the poorest, and he is concerned about increased unemployment and diminished government spending on human needs.  Anderson registered to vote through the Father McKenna Center in Washington, DC and received his registration card in the mail.  He encourages anyone experiencing homeless to go out and vote.

 

When asked what he would say to others experiencing homelessness, he answers, “I would tell them, for one thing, don’t give up.  Keep faith in God that you’re not going to be homeless anymore.  Then on top of that, go and vote.  Go out and vote to get someone in office that’s going to be about helping us.”

 

Can people without homes vote?  “Yes, they can,” Anderson answers emphatically.  “And places like [The Father McKenna Center], they’re passing out papers for you to go register to vote.  So I say go out, register to vote, and vote; because it’s going to make a big difference.  We need the change, and the only way we’re going to get that change, we have to speak up and stand up for ourselves—that’s the only way.”

 

For more information on this story, please call (202)518-6186.