Kevin Peters awaits ride to new opportunity.
KP stood at the bus stop near Wells Fargo on Church Street Wednesday morning waiting to catch a ride to Wallingford — and a new life.
KP, aka Kevin Peters, waited an hour to catch the bus, hoping at 9:30 that he’d make it in time for his shift to start at 10.
A lot was riding on that ride.
Peters said moved to New Haven in 2014. He was homeless for four years, he said. He survived each day by collecting cans and panhandling. Mostly panhandling.
Peters said what made being homeless in the Elm City even more challenging is that he didn’t know anyone. He would go to the Community Soup Kitchen on Broadway and the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen on Temple Street to eat. Peters would often rest his head in local homeless shelters.
“They had bed bugs in the shelters, but gotta stay there,” Peters said as he waited, and spoke on the “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk” program.
“When I was staying in the streets for the first two years, I slept in alleyways. Churches. Anywhere that I could find a place to sleep. I would stay in the freezing cold with blankets, my backpack, and my knapsack.”
Peters said he very much wanted to work, but needed some help. It took him a year and half of searching before finally landing his new gig.
“I ended up finding some services that really helped me out,” Peters said. “Really caring and giving. I really appreciated that.”
Peters applied for housing through Columbus House’s services. He was on the waiting list for about two years until landing a spot in Hamden. He lives in a two-bedroom townhouse.
“Pretty nice house. Cozy and comfortable,” Peters said. “And hopefully this job works out good.”
KP busts a move for viewers.
Living alone for Peters has been a dream come true after jumping around from spot to spot for years. Now, it’s just his commute getting in the way. He took a bus from his place in Hamden to downtown. It was 9:45 a.m. and still not a bus in sight heading towards Wallingford.
“It’s OK,” Peters said. “I let my boss know. I’m still going to go.”
In 2015, Peters lost his mother. This month marked the anniversary of her passing. That loss has been weighing on Peters’ mind a lot lately. Throughout his journey of being homeless, he made friends who were in the same situation, he said. They turned into family along the way.
“Yes, we were grinding, grinding, grinding together collecting cans,” Peters said. “And we became really close friends. Hanging out all day. Making money. Doing our thing.”
Asked what he’d like people to know about his situation, Peters advised not to form snap judgments.
“You don’t know anybody’s story until you speak to them,” Peters said. “Where they’ve been and just their personality. You know?”
Peters’ biggest dream: To be a musician.
“To play the saxophone,” Peters said. “And to be a producer.”
The bus arrived just before 10. Kevin was on his way. He hoped.
Click on the above video to watch the full interview with KP on Wednesday’s “Word on the Street” segment of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk.”