PAULA

"I've been out here for a month," Paula shared from the streets of Billings, Montana. "I rented my last place for ten years. I lived there with my boyfriend. He moved out, and the rent was too high for me alone. I used to work construction, and for a long time I was a PCA (Personal Care Assistant) at a nursing home. I wanted to become a nurse, but it didn't happen. I'm 74. I have a lot of pain in my back, shoulders, neck, and feet. My legs are going out on me. I'm trying to get an apartment of my own. If I do get an apartment......."

Paula paused and I watched as tears rolled down her face.

"......I just want to live there and be happy."