No one to call

Ashlee has been homeless for 3 1/2 years. The Asheville native says that splitting up with her husband left her with no possessions and no one to call for help.

“The worst feeling in the world is when you need something or someone and you sit there with a phone and you don’t have one number you can call. That’s the feeling of literally being alone and helpless,” she says. “It doesn’t take but one choice to put you in this same position. And what [nonhomeless people] don’t realize is that it doesn’t even have to be your choice. It could be someone else’s choice. I didn’t choose to be here.”

Before coming to the Ramada a year ago, Ashlee says that she had been staying in tents throughout Asheville.

“I grew up in the country; I grew up raising animals. So camping was nothing new to me,” she says. “But when it’s 24/7, and you’re outside in the elements all year round, it’s harsh. It is hard on your body and your mind. It wears on you.”

Ashlee says that so far, she has nowhere to go after the Ramada closes and expects to return to tent camping. Despite the physical discomfort, she says the hardest part of being homeless is the way people treat her. She is frequently called names or laughed at when walking with a backpack through the city and finds it difficult to find a job.

“I wish they would treat us like they expect us to treat them. And that may sound like cliche, but it’s true,” she explains. “There’s a reason why that’s one of the first things that they instill in us as a child. Treat others how you want to be treated. We need to remember that.”