Special Report: Homeless and Living in a Tent

By: Owen Jensen - Email

Updated: Mon 4:48 AM, Nov 19, 2012

"We live like from day to day."--Homeless Lincoln man living in a tent

It may be hard to believe, but there are actually homeless people in Lincoln, living in tents. Not talking about Occupy Lincoln, that's long gone.

Instead, we're talking about as many as 160 homeless people at any given time, using tents as their makeshift home. And usually they are out of sight, you'd be hard-pressed to find them just by looking in some random field or under a bridge.

However, 10/11 News recently found some people living in tents in a deep, dark ravine near 27th and Cornhusker.

We spoke with two men there living in tents, Michael and John. We are withholding their last names.

They live outside in tents, which are covered, in part, by trees and brush. A campfire keeps them warm, while they drink a beer and have a smoke, and talk about tough times.

If you were walking by, you probably would miss seeing them, as the brush is thick and the ravine is deep and narrow.

One of the homeless men told us, "We live like from day to day."

However, they don't want your pity. In fact, John and Michael actually prefer living out here, as opposed to going to a shelter.

"No I don't want to stay in no shelter," said the same man.

But there is a major concern with homeless people living outside, on the fringe and exposed to the elements. Just recently one homeless man living in the same area died of hypothermia.

So what, if anything, can be done to alleviate the problem of homeless people living in tents outside? The answer is...it's a lot more complicated than you might think.

To see the story in its entirety, just click above.

Crews Dig Through Night After Deadly Okla. Twister