USA. Riverside, California. 2015. Friend (she did not want her real name used), 19, photographed at Fairmount Park in Riverside as she went looking for her homeless father
19 years old.
Friend's parents both used drugs. Dad blew his money on drugs like meth, cocaine and PCP. Mom did prescription drugs and was mentally unstable.
Dad was a contractor but on the recession he lost everything.
From the age 6 to 10, she realized something was wrong with living at her dad’s place when she’ll have to sleep with other people on the floor or blow up mattress.
Mom would have mental breakdowns and Friend got sent to grandma in Arkansas.
At 10, her grandma Sandy died.
After grandma died, mom tried to commit suicide. In order to not have Friend taken away by social services, mom sent Friend to other grandparents.
At 13, she came back with mom. She would always get in physical fights with stepdad.
She started hanging out with the Down Town Boys (DTK) group in downtown Redlands.
She started smocking weed, going to raves and taking ecstasy and hallucinogens.
Freshman year, her mom went into coma. When she woke up, she kicked Friend out, again.
At 14, she reunited with her dad. They both lived homeless for a few months.
She then decided to go back to school so that her dad wouldn’t get in trouble.
That’s when the DTK guys introduced her to Heidi.
She’ll get in trouble by stealing and began doing prescription drugs.
She left to live with grandparents to Florida. There she spent the time in a music festival where she lived with hippies.
She got in trouble with the guy she sells drugs for, he gave her heroine mixed with pot.
Then she got dropped in California with a friend where she’ll party and couch surf.
She tried to go back to school and continue to use drugs like anti-depressants and hallucinogens.
She ended up going to the hospital for alcohol poisoning.
She dropped out of school and move to San Bernardino with a boyfriend.
She stopped doing hard drugs but he was