Thousands of Homeless Sleep on NYC Streets, Here’s Why They Don’t Have To

Darren Miller, 49, and homeless, kept track of the years by noting how many World Cups passed. It was startling when he realized that he had been sleeping on the streets for six years.

Darren Miller, 49, who has been homeless for six years, across the street from the Madison Square Garden in Chelsea, Manhattan, New York, on July 27, 2015. Petr Svab/Epoch Times

NEW YORK—Darren Miller, 49, and homeless, kept track of the years by noting how many World Cups passed. It was startling when he realized that he had been sleeping on the streets for six years. He hadn’t planned on being homeless for that long. He was a cook with a liberal arts education.

After a brief stint in prison, which he declined to elaborate on, Miller could not find employment.

For thousands of homeless people in New York City, many said that passing time on the street was more bearable than going through the shelter system.