9:09
In Southern California, the sun rises over San Diego Bay. Next to a parkway, in this parking lot, 54 year old Maria begins her day. Straighten my bed. This car is her home. This is every day. This routine about stretching my bed. Maria no longer has a place to live. She's been sleeping in her van for a year now.
Looks pretty nice. You don't, you don't see, it doesn't seem that you live here, but you do. I have seen people with their cars so messy and things all over the place. How can I go to work with my life like that? I mean, has to have a little order, you know, because it's what we need to continue. It's not that perfect, but it's the way I want. and Makes me feel better.
Just like Maria, around 30 other people sleep overnight in their car in this free parking lot. Nevertheless, most of them work. They're security guards, Uber drivers, secretaries, or even computer technicians. Maria is a cleaner and a carer. Exhausting work that she does seven days a week. Did you see blood? Yeah. Depends where my car is. If it's like this, I won't.
Has to be flat. Because my back hurts. If it's like that, I can't. To provide some comfort for all these people, an organization has supplied them with a water point. Portable toilets and a small outdoor kitchen where Maria prepares her morning coffee before going to work. This kind of bulletproof coffee is very famous in the United States.
Maria's fall from grace is a situation that affects thousands of other Americans. For a long time, she had everything she always wanted. She was married and lived in this beautiful house. But after five years of living together, her blissful marriage suddenly fell apart. He kind of dumped me. He said, okay, it didn't work, bye. Okay, bye, see you later. I said, well, now I don't have a place, no home.
I'm a homeless. No bed, no furniture, no house, so. It's just my car. I have a seat here. And, um. Yeah, that's the way it is. Maria didn't get to keep a single thing. She preferred to leave everything to her ex-husband and turn over a brand new leaf. But over the last several years in California, the cost of rent has risen so much that her salary of 1,500 euros was not enough to afford an apartment. Ever since then, every morning before heading to work, she goes to this gym.
She exercises for 45 minutes, but she mainly comes for another rather urgent. need. I had to take this decision because I had no place to shower. One time I didn't shower for a week. Feels terrible, let me tell you. You feel like a homeless, stinky. So I thought, what should I be doing? So I thought, oh, a gym. So I came here. Her membership costs her 40 euros a month, the cost of continuing a near normal life.
Upon leaving the gym, no one would notice that Maria no longer has a house and that she sleeps in her car. I have a wonderful job because of that. Because if I don't shower, nobody's going to hire me. I'm going to be homeless. No car, nothing. My world is going to go drop. What am I going to be doing? I'll be completely, 100% homeless. Oh no, kill myself. Just kidding. Maria is just one of many middle-class Americans and citizens who have, in recent years, fallen into poverty.
Officially, America is great again. Since the 2008 crisis, the economy has never been stronger, a record-breaking growth. And unemployment has dropped to a historical low, less than 4%, an upturn for which Donald Trump has claimed all the credit. There has never been a better time to start living the American dream. But despite what the president affirms, the famous American dream is far from being achieved. In the United States, 40 million people are living below the poverty line, and millions of workers will go to great lengths to stay above it. Do you get money? Are you familiar with plasma? You get money, okay.
I do that twice a week. Becoming homeless overnight is what these Americans fear most, because here the system is not very kind to those short of cash. You better catch up real quick, or you're going to have a judgment of possession against you and get evicted. In some states, being late on your rent is no laughing matter. Sheriff's office. Here, one by one, tenants are evicted at gunpoint. Where am I going to sleep? I can sleep in the hotel if I need to. For these Americans on the verge of ruin, seeking medical treatment can cost a fortune.
It's hard to eat. And take your medicine, too, because you may not get one or the other. So some people are standing up in solidarity, making sure they're taken care of free of charge in field hospitals, not unlike those found in a country at war, an insight into the lives of those who cannot scrape a living in the heart of destitute America. San Diego. in Southern California. 300 days of sunshine a year. Beaches as far as the eye can see. An idyllic setting. A picture postcard California.
San Diego is also one of the most dynamic cities in the country. Here, unemployment is practically non-existent. This dream lifestyle was once an everyday reality for Eric. He was a successful computer engineer earning 7,000 euros a month. Today, at 53 years old, this man lives alone in his car. And to eat for free, he's made an agreement with the employees of a pizzeria.
Hello. How are you today? Good, and you? Good. I'm here to pick up a sentence. I got that for you. Thank you. What do you take here? These are the slices that they have in their display. They have them for too long, then they put them in the fridge for me so that they donate them. Eric comes every evening to pick up some pizza. Well, thank you very much. Very much appreciate it. Okay, bye-bye. He's going to share these unsold slices with other victims of poverty, because for a year and a half, Eric has been sleeping in this parking lot,
the one where Maria, the cleaner, also lives. With his pizza, he makes his neighbors very happy. There's a lot. Like Lorella, 55-year-old Uber driver. Looks good. You hungry? Yeah, we're hungry. Did you eat today? No. No? No, I had a drive all day today. In his former life, Eric also worked a lot, 50 hours a week. But four years ago, he suffered a burnout, as well as a series of health problems, including problems with his heart.
He could not work and received unemployment benefits for six months, and then nothing at all. I thought I could handle it, I thought I would get better, but it took a toll. And after several years of just dealing with doctors and burning through my savings, I ended up. Basically burning through everything and couldn't afford to stay in our apartment any longer. Eric is trying to pick himself up. Nowadays, he's doing temporary work and is saving up to be able to rent an apartment.
After her long day at work, Maria is back. Are you tired? Yeah. Where I work is a little hard because I have to lift a lady. She's very heavy. Back and forth, back and forth. But nine hours is a lot of hours, but I'm okay. There's tea, my food, my bed. I'm ready to jump in my bed. I'm very tired. At half past nine at night, the gates close. From this point onward, no more cars can enter the parking lot. At night, there isn't a security guard.
And even though there hasn't been any attacks, this doesn't reassure Maria. I close the door, put the windows down like this much, and put the alarm. If somebody's trying to break in, I will know. I got my pepper spray and my cutter. Somebody's trying to break in, pshh, spray. Yeah, because you never know. That's it.
A few meters away, Eric is getting ready to spend another night in his car, even though the passenger compartment is full to the brim. The former computer engineer will sleep sitting behind the wheel, certainly far from the comforts of his old life. One thing that I've really found out about this is that, you know, the typical stereotype of You know, the homeless person being lazy and not wanting to work or being a drug addict. That may be the case in some places, but the people I've come to in this program, most of them are very hardworking, people that want to get ahead,
that either have some health issues or have had a streak of bad luck, or for whatever reason, they've come into this situation. Some people are able to get out of it quickly, some people it takes longer. California is a state of stark contrasts. Despite being the sixth largest economy in the world, more and more of its workers can no longer afford somewhere to live. But there is another state where the system is even more unforgiving.
This state is Virginia, right next to Washington, D.C. And in particular, its capital city, Richmond. Richmond is a former industrial city. Here, A quarter of the population live beneath the poverty threshold. Richmond also holds an unfortunate record. This city has one of the highest rates of eviction in the United States. There are 3,000 evictions per year. That's 25 times more than in Paris.
The evictions are a routine job for Officer Loyal from the Sheriff's Office. Several times a week, he distributes these yellow documents. Hey, how are you? Does Candace live here? Okay. This was a notice that I placed on your door. It's an eviction notice. You need to get in touch with the management property, the manager here. If you feel this incorrect, but we set an eviction for August the 7th at 9 o'clock. Okay, thank you, ma'am. In the state of Virginia, the law is strict. If the rent is late by five days, the landlord has the right to begin the eviction process.
A few weeks later, the tenant receives a notice on their door. Do you know what it is? I know what it is. You have only one week to get out. Yeah. It's not a lot. I know. We'll figure that. I already know. Sometimes, carried away by his own enthusiasm, Officer Loyal is not always accurate. Hey, how are you? Are you, No.
Does she live here? This woman, who has nothing to feel guilty about, got away with nothing more than a fright. I'm sorry, ma'am. We're at the wrong apartment. Thank you. The threatened tenants have one week to settle their debts. Otherwise, they face eviction by force. And Officer Loyal does not show much sympathy.
This morning, he and his colleague must evict the person that lives in this house. Sheriff's office And just like arresting a. A dangerous criminal, they enter the home armed with guns. I'll take that. Okay. Sheriff's office. Right now, the tenant is not at home, and clearly, he's not had time to vacate the premises. Mr. Chenault, you're okay to change the locks, As for the landlord, he immediately reclaims his property. On average in France,
it takes a year and a half to evict someone, whilst here it happens in almost an instant. In less than two months, everything is settled. Check everything? I'm checking the windows now. Why? To make sure the house is secure. The tenant has just arrived and is in shock. She had been renting the house for seven years. A single mother to a grown-up daughter, she works. but has frequently struggled to make ends meet.
She can only pick up her belongings the next day. Otherwise, everything will go to the junkyard at her expense. It's just going to be easier on you, like the vehicle that's in the backyard or whatever, if you have it removed, because if he has a tow company remove it, then that's an added expense that you'd be looking at. Yeah, that's fine. I mean, that's fine. Do you think all this is A little bit harsh? Do I think it's harsh? No, he got to do what he got to do and I got to do what I got to do. Where are you going to sleep? Where am I going to sleep?
I can sleep in the hotel if I need to. The hotel? Yeah, I can. Yeah. Thank you so much. Have a good day. She's thrown out on the streets with no room for negotiation. This is the only way to make the lieutenant move? That's up to her if that's the only way. She said she would move before this. Didn't move. Maybe she had nowhere to go. you know, she never did say that to me.
There are around 10 evictions just like this one every day in Richmond. As a consequence of this express justice, budget hotels on the outskirts of the city have become a refuge for those who've been kicked out of their homes. Some people stay there for a very long time. This is the case for David, 38-year-old gardener. What's going on, man? How are you? Same old, same old. New day. David has lived in this motel since his eviction two years ago. At the weekend, this divorced father's children come to stay over in his 10-square-meter room, for which he pays 1,300 euros a month.
This is it, man. This is our bedroom, living room, family room, every room. This is the little kitchen, which I cooked her eggs last night and made hamburgers, so I ain't cleaned the dishes yet. You know, we hung out, played video games. And, um, bathroom. You know, got a shower, but that's about all. During the week, David shares this single room, which is bursting with things, with his new partner. Is it not too hard to live for two years here? Oh man, I'm cramped, you know. Like, obviously if you put two people in the same room for a long enough time, it's, there's, you're gonna. bump heads and have arguments and stuff.
His girlfriend has a stable job in the insurance business. As a couple, they could buy themselves a bigger and less expensive apartment, yet they remain trapped in this tiny room because their past eviction continues to haunt them. At the time, she was trying at first, and then you get so beat down by going to places and stuff and they're not giving you a place because they're like, oh, you had an eviction. It shows that you didn't pay, like two months or something like that. And it definitely was detrimental to it. There was no way of getting anywhere.
It is almost unthinkable in Europe. But here, landlords are able to access the past of bad tenants with a few simple clicks. A systematic surveillance that has been denounced by Martin Vegbright, a lawyer and defense attorney for tenants. So, this database is a public database. I mean, anyone can go on to this database and look at it, and you can search by name. So, let's try a common American name.
Here we go. Oh, Mary Gillespie. Okay. There we go. And you can see five unlawful detainers. Let's see. Ten years ago, this tenant had a series of late payments. Despite being small amounts like this $291, they can bear heavy consequences. So if I'm a landlord, I can look at that and say, well, that was ten years ago, but I think she's too much of a risk. I don't want to rent to her. If anything bad happens to you, whether it's, you know, you get your. hours cut back at work, whether you break an ankle and you're off work for a month,
whether you got that car repair bill or that hospital bill or anything that just throws your budget off slightly, you better catch up real quick or you're going to have a judgment of possession against you and get evicted. So the tenant really is living under the sword of Damocles. With such a system, It's difficult to imagine how David could one day leave his motel and buy himself an apartment in which he could properly house his children.
But, yeah, in a situation like this, too, if you're depressed and you sit in one little room by yourself a lot, you end up drinking or, you know, doing something stupid. And thank God drinking is my only vice right now, you know. But trying to be a decent person, a good dad. David is far from an isolated case. 6,300 people are evicted throughout America each day. Although in the city finding accommodation is the main source of anxiety, there is a region where for some the main worry is simply being able to put food on the table.
Welcome to rural America. The Appalachia, in the eastern part of the country, a mountainous region. Appalachia was once widely known for its coal production. These days, almost all of the mines are closed down. It is often said that the American dream got lost somewhere along the way to here. The Appalachian region with a predominantly white population is where the poorest counties in the country are found.
During the summer, at lunchtime, this food truck travels up and down the disadvantaged areas of Roanoke. Luce and Stacy are two volunteers that give out free meals to children. In the school system, you get lunch and you get breakfast. So a lot of families depend on that lunch or breakfast that they don't necessarily have to buy, if that makes sense, because the school system will provide it for them. But in the summer, from June to mid-August, there's no school. So then where are those meals coming from? So that's where we kind of step in. They serve up to 200 meals a day. And every time they arrive, they are eagerly awaited.
Hi, girl. Hi. How you doing, Stacey? I'm doing good. How are y'all? Here. Big hug. Oh, there we go. Give me a hug, Stacey. Y'all hungry? Yes, I'm starving. Okay. I'm good. On today's menu, a sandwich, a carton of milk, and a kiwi. In this family, both parents do not work. They receive 1,200 euros of social welfare a month, but as a family of five, it's barely enough to live on. Well, I try to get in at least two to three, but towards the end of the month when the stamps run low, I'll maybe eat one. For example,
now you are at the end of the month? Yes, one a day. One a day? Yes. Which one? I usually skip breakfast and lunch, and then I eat dinner. Yes, only dinner. Being poor to the point of starving yourself. See you tomorrow. See you tomorrow, Stacy. Bye. Au revoir. You too. This reality is nothing new in the Appalachian region. In 1964, during his election campaign, President Johnson visited Appalachia.
He was horrified by this poverty. Once elected. He launched a master plan to put an end to poverty. Today, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America. One of his ideas was to create food stamps, which were food coupons given free of charge to the poor. Still, to this day, the government distributes these food stamps to 40 million American people. In this mobile home park in the heart of the Appalachia, the majority of families benefit from this food aid. With the American flag hanging from the front steps,
this is the mobile home of 58-year-old Cyrenia Collins. A former Marine, Cyrenia no longer works following a long-term illness. She receives a pension of 700 euros, so every day she tries to get by. Like I say, everything in here is. Given to me basically. These were tables that were given to me. They're really ugly, so I'm in the process of painting them and making them a little personal. So that's another way of cutting costs.
This is the queen's chair. This is my chair. Throne. Comfort. I love it. So it's just something that, actually when I bought it, it was a big expense. And it was $1,300, so I made payments on it. Only thing in the house that's really expensive. for me. This is my chair. And her financial difficulties have gotten worse since she started to accommodate her niece Jennifer, an unemployed single mother who has three children to take care of. Leah, Lindsay and Jaden. Fortunately Jennifer receives food stamps. Every month on the first day According to how many kids you have and your income, they put so much on there. And I get, every month on the first, I'll get like $640.
Just to buy food? Just for food, yeah. 560 euros a month to feed five people. A tight budget. Before going shopping, the two women check the balance on their card. Your stamp balance is $62.38. Serenia and Jennifer can spend their food coupons in any supermarket, like this discount store where they regularly go. Once at the checkout, the food stamp card works just like any other credit card. And in this shop in the Appalachia. They are by no means the only ones who use it.
How many people pay with food stamps here? Probably half the people coming here. It's a lot? Yeah. Yeah? Thank you. Donald Trump is planning to cut down on the amount of people who receive food stamps. He risks making an already vulnerable society even poorer. But ironically, here they voted 80% in favor of him, and their support for him continues. To earn a little extra money, Sirenia does some household tasks for her neighbors. For a few dollars, she also cuts James' hair, who works in the mine.
He is a loyal follower of Donald Trump. I am a Trump fan, yeah. I do support Trump. Why? Because he's done everything he said he'd do. You know, Trump is willing to help other countries, but his country comes first. That's not happened in a long time. Donald Trump is a billionaire. Donald Trump keeps his family everywhere he goes. His children, his wife, are everywhere with him. That tells you a lot about a person.
Family is in it. Family, and that's why I work for my family. It's been the last so many years, maybe 30 years, that there's not been jobs. Now there is. Our unemployment rate is way down. Really? Really. Right now, yeah. Theoretically. Every person in the USA can have a job. Isn't that what they told us? There is a job for every person with the numbers. So if people want to work, they can find a job.
Their unwavering support is somewhat difficult to understand because since his election, the daily life of individuals in the Appalachia has not improved. Poverty is ever-present and has led to some strange occurrences. In this small town, in the middle of the night, dozens of cars enter a showground. Pull over right over here, right if you'll. Turn right here. It's all out, okay? I suggest that you be back here about three or four o'clock.
Well, it kind of trips you out because it makes you think it's like everybody's lined up like you're going to a. a concert and you get there and just keep your teeth drilled on or something, you know. Actually, these people are arriving by the hundreds quite simply to see a doctor, because every year here for a weekend. All you're going to get in this line is medical only. A non-profit organization arranges free consultations. Oh, there is the huge need.
A lot of our families in this area are. The working class families, they're struggling to choose between paying for. Medicine that can save their life or, you know, groceries for the week. So it's a shame to have to do it this way, but you've got to take care of your people. And these are our people, and this is the way we take care of our people. Even though the health care system improved with Barack Obama, 28 million Americans still do not have any health insurance. Sirenia also does not want to miss the event. She spent two hours on the bus to come and camp here, but during the night, a heavy thunderstorm broke out.
Good morning. We've had an adventure. We had a flood, literally a flood. It came really dark over, and next thing you know, we've got a gully washer down through here. It, nothing, everything in there is soaked, blankets, everything, and no sleep last night. Serenia has arrived with all her family, her niece Jennifer and her three children. They all need to see the dentist. But medical fees in the United States are the most expensive in the world, beyond the budget for a large section of the population. So staying up all night does not bother them. But I mean,
you struggle to have medical assistance. Yeah, it's not easy, not easy. But you have to do it. Absolutely. The alternative is not a good thing, so you have to. The family arrived the night before because here the rule is first come, first served. At 6 o'clock in the morning, the doors open. They announce the running order. 125, 127. Somebody's sound asleep in the car, eh? 128. So next time we'll call in groups of 20 again, all right?
Once inside, these patients discover a full-scale field hospital. A scene that resembles more that of a humanitarian disaster. And yet, it's really just modern-day America. Here, people are treated in turn by a horde of volunteers. Nurses, family doctors, but also specialists who are able to care for more complicated illnesses. The most remarkable part takes place in this sports hall, transformed into a gigantic dentist office. All day long, 60 dentists descale, drill, fill, and remove teeth by the dozen.
A daunting sight for some. Arriving upon the scene, Sirenia is overcome with emotion. Beautiful. All the people volunteering. So many people getting help that need it. Before my sister passed away, she had all of her teeth taken out and she didn't have any teeth to replace them with. And she was younger than I am now.
And she was my older sister, so I think about what she went through with health issues because of her teeth. They're important. In turns, the family are going to be examined. Jayden, the youngest, feels a little uneasy. I want you to brush, even if it's when you come home from school. You've got to get two times, and if you can get three, that's really good.
Okay? All right. In a situation like this, prevention is the main goal of these dentists. All has gone well for Jayden. He's eligible for a simple routine checkup. But for Serenia, the medical care that lies ahead is trickier. She's already missing five molars and is worried that they'll remove a sixth one that is extremely damaged. After three hours of waiting, it's her turn to go up. Feels great. Ma'am, are you ready? I think. Ready or not ready? Sir. All right, I'll take you this way. Oh my God A young student about to complete his university degree is going to take care of her. Before treating Sirenia,
he's already had time to familiarize himself with the job. He spent his morning extracting teeth. How many tooth did you extract today? Have you extracted? Um, I've extracted about 15 teeth today. Fifteen? Yep, myself, yeah. That's a lot. Yeah. Pretty good day. Yeah, it's a pretty good day, yeah. He will spend 15 minutes removing Sirenia's tooth. His 16th of the day. What do you feel?
Like I have a big mouth. But here, there's no time to take a breather. Serenia is escorted to the gym locker rooms for the next stage. You got her. I got her. Come on, Ms. Collins. I'm back. Take care, Ms. Collins. Thank you. God bless. Thanks for everything. A dental prosthesis studio, which, like the rest, is led by volunteers and funded by donations. Relax. No, lay your head back.
Just relax your lips. Relax. In this room, they take the dental impressions. And in the room next door, a new set of teeth is created in less than two hours. Serenia's new smile is ready. Here we go. How's that feel? Awkward, but okay. Yeah.
Oh my god, it has feet You have feet All the way back? Yeah You're welcome, darling. I want a big smile. Cheese There you go. You're good. Thank you. I know that I can smile and feel it. That's what I want. That's what I need. Yes. What happened? I got teeth.
They did. I got the same thing. Now they're putting new teeth in. Love you. If the family had paid for all this treatment, they would have had to spend over $3,000. In the United States, there are still some American citizens that are personally taking action to give aid to the poor. At the other end of the country, a man has embarked upon a mission against poverty, which has plagued the sidewalks of his city, a legendary city that is seldom associated with poverty.
This is Los Angeles, Los Angeles in Hollywood. 38-year-old punk Elvis is furious with what Los Angeles has become in recent years. It's not a third world country. It's one of the richest countries in the world. It's almost like a movie prop. They don't. It's hard to fathom that, like, every single day, this is how people live. Los Angeles is the symbol of the California dream, the heart of Hollywood cinema and the temple of luxury. And yet today, Los Angeles is the homeless capital of America.
In the last few years, the number of homeless people has increased from 33,000 to 55,000. Beneath the business towers, the situation has become tragic. When I was a kid and lived here, it was nothing like it is now. I left for almost two decades, and I came back a few years ago, and it just blows my mind. It's just going to increase because every month the cost of everything keeps going up. There's no regulation, so apartment owners and landlords can raise the money, you know, the rent. whenever they like, but nobody's paychecks are getting bigger.
Outraged by the situation of these homeless people, Elvis gave up his job as a sales assistant. He lives on the salary of his partner, Leah, who works at the university. In this way, Elvis can devote all his time to helping the homeless. A little further from downtown, a woman has moved in beneath this bridge. Elvis and Leah regularly pay her a visit. How are you, baby? Hey. Kami has been living here for five years in a small tent that she shares with another woman. Inside, they are at the mercy of the dangers of the street.
They've already been assaulted several times. Just look at it everywhere. They just tore it right. open and now she doesn't even have a door. When she sleeps out here at night, there's also no lights right under here, so it's very dark. And you know, especially as a woman, that's pretty damn scary. Even if a guy, it's scary because anybody can walk up in the dark, walk right in, do whatever they want. To help these people, Elvis wants to do more. than just bring them bottles of water. His major project is hiding in the courtyard of his church. He came up with the idea to build small wooden houses for them.
They're not big, barely four square meters, but inside, Elvis and Leia have thought of every last thing to improve the daily lives of these homeless people. Window alarms? Yes. So what does it mean? So if someone tries to open the window, the alarm will go off. This right here allows people to sleep. When people sleep, they can think, they can do better, they feel better, they want better. The house is also equipped with a fire alarm, a light, and a phone charger, all of which is powered by a solar panel.
Elvis thinks of everything to the last detail in order to give some dignity back to the homeless. He even assigns them an address. They're obviously not going to be recognized by the post office or something like that, but it's really just psychological. My apartment has an address. I'm sure your place has an address. That's the ultimate goal. Most of the people, anyone that's homeless is treated like garbage.
Once you have that title. you're screwed because people look at you like a monster or, you know, like someone bad or you chose to be there or you're crazy or, you know, and it's most of the time it's not the case. And so the little, I mean, it's so easy to dehumanize people, but the little tiny things, it's so easy to bring that back to a person. Each cabin costs 1,000 euros. financed entirely by donations collected on the internet. But his generous initiative is illegal. The mayor of Los Angeles has banned him from installing his cabins on the sidewalks of the city. Elvis doesn't care.
And this morning, he's going to deliver one of them to a homeless couple who very much need it. Hey. Hi. I'm Elvis. Hi, I'm Krista. Nice to meet you. This is our dog, Brownie. Hi, Brownie. Krista is 32 years old and is three months pregnant. She lives on the curb of this sidewalk with her partner, Andre. What's up, buddy? Love you, my nigga. I love you. How are you? God, man. I was hoping you weren't going to be gone long. That's the mother of the beast. For four years now,
the couple have been sleeping in this tiny wheeled cart that is swarming with bugs. Yeah, man, it's like bed buzzing. I mean, it's eating me alive, man. I could tell you can, everything, all these little different marks, man, from mostly not being able to have good hygiene. Elvis does not feel like hanging around. The trick is to get this done and off before the cops show up. But all the same, the small house weighs 400 kilograms, and the wheels remain stuck on the street.
A neighbor and another homeless person from the neighborhood come to lend him a helping hand. Nice, thank you. Starting to bring him back out, man. And as soon as the home is set up, other homeless people are begging him for a small house. I'll be back. I have a couple more almost ready to go. Thank you. Much appreciated. I'm going to get a house. No more living in a tent. But his project does not quite make everyone happy.
Why don't you go back in your house and enjoy the air conditioning? A neighbor has come to express her discontent. She's against this. Why? She doesn't want it in front of her house. She's calling the police, and so we need to hurry along. and we'll pray that they are allowed to keep their house. This is how it goes in Los Angeles. Yeah. Good luck to both of you. Congratulations. A few days after filming, the police threatened Elvis that they would destroy his cabin if he didn't remove it.
He decided to move it with the couple onto privately owned land. In the end, the disgruntled neighbor won her case. But some people are trying to fight the snubbing of the homeless people in fascinating ways. Yes, sir. Very much so. We are heading to Texas, to Puritan Waco. This city has around 50 churches for its 120,000 residents. Here, once a month, a religious community organizes a strange program. People come from all over the United States to take part in it.
Do you know what's going to happen for you? Not really. No? No idea. A little bit. What? What do you know? We're going to be homeless. For 24 hours, these high school students are going to live, eat and sleep like the homeless. Much like 20 or so other participants, all from middle class backgrounds. Each person has paid 60 euros to take part in this project. Janet Durrell came up with the idea 25 years ago. The wife of a minister, she's already accepted 30,000 people to take part in this astonishing role-play challenge.
The goal is to create compassionate care for humanity in poverty. Everybody can get the American dream, but when you're trapped in poverty and the cycles of poverty, you have to have an advocate to get you out. Ladies, you have 15 minutes. According to Janet, in order to truly experience the life of a homeless person, you have to start by looking like them. In this second-hand clothes store, the participants are encouraged to dress like them. On this coat? I don't know. I don't know what homeless people wear. Probably won't wear these, though. You're looking for a cool coat.
Yeah, there's a bunch of dashers over there. You're supposed to be homeless. Yeah, but I'm a fashionable homeless. Jeans and these little boots. But I think that they'll keep the mosquitoes off of my ankles, so I'm happy about that. For the moment, it's not too demanding. But it is going to get more complicated with the second stage, sleeping out in the open. Not in the streets, but safely in this fenced yard. However, 53-year-old mother Marta is slightly concerned. I'm scared of bugs. She thought long and hard before signing up to the program.
It was her husband who convinced her to take the plunge. It doesn't look like a real homeless situation. Right, yes, yes. It doesn't smell like poop. It doesn't smell like urine. There's not rats running everywhere. Yeah, no, this is definitely luxury homelessness. Yeah, for sure. A fact. That is a comfort, nevertheless, and it won't be a very long night. Good morning, everyone. At 6 o'clock in the morning, Janet Durrell gives everyone a wake-up call, and they don't look particularly well-rested.
Come on, Martha. It's not a real homeless situation. They're safe. They're safer than being on the street, but this is not as safe as being in the home with their family. So it just gives them a little bit more reality of what living in an environment does on your body. So by tonight, it takes about 24 hours to really start getting the idea that this could be really rough. For the next stage of the program, the participants are let loose in the city center. Their task is to find something to eat on their own and without any money.
You can smell the food. So, should I ask this guy? You can't? You cannot beg or solicit people at restaurants. In Waco, like in many other cities in the United States, begging is a punishable offense. It's also forbidden to rummage through the garbage cans. Oh, there's no food in there? They are owned by the city, and reclaiming anything at all is considered stealing. In order to survive, the homeless in Waco are therefore forced to break the law.
Our two participants are not going to find anything to eat. And after two hours of walking through the streets in 40-degree heat, Marta feels faint. She must resort to calling her husband to the rescue. But I feel like I'm too weak. Well, you've learned something about yourself. Like I'm too old and fat and I can't do it. You've learned something about yourself. And what it would be like to be homeless at your age.
Yeah. And it'd be hard. Are Americans truly ready to face up to poverty? Perhaps not. Their leader, Donald Trump, has recently announced that the rate of poverty is falling dramatically. Despite this. Forty million of his fellow citizens are still suffering in its clutches.
