"We always say we have the best home of all, the great outdoors"

A conversation with David Morris

How would you describe what it’s like to be homeless to someone who has never experienced such a hardship?

“I don’t view it as a hardship. We always say we have the best home of all, the great outdoors.”

What was the most surprising moment of your life?

“Oh this one is easy! When I met my wife. I was sitting at a bar in Oklahoma, and I went over to talk to these two girls. We chatted for a bit, but one had to leave so after a bit they left me at this bar. A few seconds later I felt a tap on my shoulder. I saw this tiny little thing standing behind me, she must have been barely five feet tall. ‘What were her names,’ she asked. She had thought I was with one of them, but I told I her didn’t know them or their names. So she sat down next to me and we started talking. 14 months later we were married.”

“My wife’s name was Eldonna. She died about 20 years ago from a combination of diabetes and other diseases. The happiest moment of my life was the day we got married. Even though we were living in Oklahoma, we came all they way up to Illinois so we could be closer to her parents. One of her cousins even got ordained and performed the ceremony. We had our whole family there, my parents came down from New York, and it was the most gorgeous day, you can’t even imagine.”

“I know I’m going to be doing this, living on the street, for the rest of my life. I’m 55 now, and I figure I’m about two-thirds of the way to the house up there. I figure I’ve got about a third left, and I’ve pretty much accepted I’m going to be spending it around here, doing my research studies to make a few bucks. And I’m okay with that.”

What was the moment of your life when you felt the most powerful?

“I don’t think I’ve ever really felt that way, you know. I’m just a simple boy from northern New York. I’ve always been at the lowest rungs of the society. You know you fill out those forms, I’m always checking off the box one step up from the bottom, just above it. But sometimes I feel like I should really be the lowest one on the list, the lowest one in society.”

What is your greatest struggle right now?

"My leg. You probably saw it as I came over, but I can barely walk now. I was just in the public library before this, reading a book in one of those great big chairs. And I almost couldn’t get out if it. By the time I get to the front door library, my leg was hurting so much I really didn’t think I’d ever even make it here."

"I don’t think I’m a very nice person. You know I don’t steal stuff, I’m not gonna run anyone over with a car, I don’t do anything real bad. But I’m just not a good person, I gotta a lot of things to improve upon, and I wanna be better."

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you that having a home doesn’t mean something. Having that key, being able to close that door, that’s really nice. But I’m happy without it.”

Is there a message you want to pass on to others?

“Just use common sense, it’s really is so important.”

What was a time in your life when you really had to use common sense?

“Every night really, you have to be smart about where you sleep. 'Cause there’s plenty of people who will tell you to leave if you go to the wrong place. And it’s not their fault, I don’t blame them.”