When Joel Bernard found himself homeless in Tulsa, he faced more than just the absence of shelter. He endured years of struggle to access basic resources, find stability, and regain a sense of dignity.
In a conversation with KWGS’ Zach Boblitt, Bernard shares what life was really like on the streets and how recent city efforts, like placing boulders at downtown bus stops to deter loitering, are impacting Tulsa’s unhoused community. Listen above or read a transcript below.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Zach Boblitt: You had a Facebook post I thought was timely and really interesting about your time living on the streets. Could you tell me a little bit about that? What was your experience like?
Joel Bernard: Rough. I didn't feel like there were a whole lot of opportunities or a whole lot of resources. And what resources there were, were very limited.
ZB: And you know, we say living on the streets, that means homeless. Are you currently living on the streets now? Or do you have a home set up currently?
JB: I am not living on the streets. I do rent an apartment.
ZB: How difficult was that process going from, you know, living on the streets to trying to find your way back into housing
JB: Very, very, very difficult. It took, I would say, roughly four years altogether from the time I moved up to Tulsa after a housing arrangement in Oklahoma City didn't work, to the time where I could find a stable roommate and keep steady employment.
ZB: And that's something that, you know, a lot of the folks may be listening don't realize.
I mean, I would hope they would know how difficult it is to find housing, but it's very difficult when you don't have, you know, an address to put down, to find housing in the future, and to line up employment, as well.
JB: Well, it's not just that. You can lie about addresses. That's not particularly difficult.
What's difficult is having a steady way to keep clean, especially when it's hot. You know, you're sweating all the time. You don't have any place to go to cool off, really. You can go to the library if you're on the streets. They do have cooling stations when it gets too bad. They have warming centers when it gets too cold. But otherwise, you're just out there.
You can't necessarily keep clean. Food is a constant issue. You're having to eat like QuikTrip, basically, whatever you can grab off EBT. Meal preparation is difficult, just like basic things in life become a series of challenges, things that most people take for granted.
ZB: And something that I think a lot of people do take for granted is their housing situation.
And, you know, just going to bed at night, being able to be comfortable just relaxing after a long day, and that's something that came up with the recent story that was in Tulsa World about the boulders that were put down at the Denver Avenue bus station.
How does that impact homeless folks? In your opinion?
JB: I think it takes a shaded spot downtown away from a lot of people. I was at that bus station damn near every day for over the last year, getting to work and back.
They could be a little problematic at times, you know, you'd see a fight or two break out. 'Don't sit over there. They're going to bum cigarettes off you, you know.' But they weren't really hurting anyone. They were just messy. And putting those rocks there just drives them to other places.
And I think reason a lot of people congregated over there, if you're over at the Day Center, you're trying to use what little homeless resources they have in this town downtown. Dude, if you're in a wheelchair, or if you've got a walker, you see them. You see a lot of homeless people out there with walkers.
You know, you can't get very far, dude and that's an open area, it's relatively safe, compared to, like, hanging out at an underpass. I think it took a lot from people who don't have anything.
ZB: And it takes away the shading. It takes away a chance for them to relax after a long day, like you mentioned, you would have from time to time.
The mental health of folks out there are going to be impacted. How can that hurt their mental health?
How can that hurt their physical health, not having an area just to relax after a long day living outside, especially, you know, in summer or winter conditions here in Tulsa?
JB: It forces them to have to go further to seek some sort of shelter.
And even that wasn't like a great shelter from the elements, but it was something. They already feel unwanted, and then putting a bunch of bricks where they were hanging out and cooling off is really a slap in the face to them.
You know, like, 'We'd rather have rocks here than give you people anything.'
