People are unhoused in West Pam Beach for many reasons. Some have lost jobs, some have lost family — but some have escaped too.

Kitty was born and raised in Queens, New York. Her mother walked out on her and her sister when she was 3-years-old, leaving them to be raised by their father and grandmother.

“I had a great childhood. I even went to Catholic school. Everything was good. I was happy,” Kitty said.

She stayed in school until 11th grade, when she became pregnant with her oldest son. The pregnancy began her downward spiral towards addiction and homelessness.

“I loved my highschool boyfriend, but then he cheated on me and it broke my heart. He ended up marrying my sister,” Kitty remembers. “I retaliated by dating his best friend, but things were still good for a while until the domestic violence started.”

Her new boyfriend took her to Philadelphia where he began to physically abuse her. She later returned to New York where she discovered that her grandmother died, and then started abusing drugs to cope.

Her life continued to go in the wrong direction.

“I worked as a barmaid in the clubs for four years. I met many big-time drug lords and partied hard,” Kitty explained. “I was doing a lot of drugs at the time, but my son always came first before anything else.”

Then one night, while tending the bar, she met the man that would become the father of her three youngest children. “I never loved him,” only dating him for his money, she said. “He was a millionaire, and he spoiled me rotten — at first.”

The couple moved to Florida where Kitty realized that she, once again, was in an abusive relationship. She was still using drugs, but says she was a good mother — her kids always came first. But when she tried to leave her abuser, he called child services and reported her drug use.

“I spent a year in jail,” Kitty said. “When I got out, I decided enough was enough. I walked right into the woods with all the homeless people and that’s where I stayed. I finally felt free.”

Kitty lived in the woods alone for four years after she was released from jail. She had no tent, only laying a blanket on the ground to go to sleep. She supported herself through panhandling and occasionally cleaning homes — never prostituting she adds — but admitting to stealing when she needed to.

“Once I was free from the abuse, the main reason why I kept doing drugs was because I would start missing my kids and feel guilty for leaving them when I was sober,” she added. “The drugs numbed my heartache.”

Then she met her long-time boyfriend, Bigfoot. He was looking for company in a way she didn’t give out anymore, but she still agreed to hang out. Apparently, she realized, Bigfoot had a sweet spot for her because he started to bring her clothes and food to help her out.

One day, she said she was hanging out near a canal that had alligators in it and was scared to death. Bigfoot happened to show up at just the right time to escort her down the canal to safety.

Kitty didn’t feel right trying to get into a new relationship, not with living in the woods and getting high every day while Bigfoot had a beautiful apartment and a job. But the other homeless people encouraged her to give the relationship a shot as Bigfoot was willing and able to take care of her.

“He even brought money to my ex-husband to help care for my children,” she said. “I moved in with him and we’ve been together ever since, for 15 years now.”

Unfortunately, her fairytale love story didn’t end her homelessness. Bigfoot was an independent contractor and the couple moved around a lot, renting apartments or living in hotels or houses owned by clients. Each time they lost a place, they had to move back into the woods until they found somewhere else to go.

But the repeated episodes of homelessness didn’t faze Kitty. Her strong faith in something bigger than herself and a sense of purpose always kept her going.

“I loved living in the woods. It was so peaceful and God always seemed to put someone in my path that I could help. I feel like I was meant to be there,” she said. “It was beautiful: the birds, the trees, the animals. I was even able to help homeless cats.”

Kitty and Bigfoot did occasionally have periods of stability. At one point, they lived in an efficiency apartment at a motel for six years. But most of the time they were back and forth between the woods and apartments.

“Once, the cops came and kicked us out,” she explained, referencing the woods. “Another time I was caring for two elderly men, and they died. Then the last time, the house we lived in was foreclosed on without notice, and we were stuck walking back to the woods with all our belongings and a bunch of cats.”

Bigfoot finally decided to build them a makeshift home in the woods. They had a tent set up with a mattress and box spring for a bedroom, and a living area built with plywood, metal rods, and mosquito net — complete with furnishings. Their biggest reason to boast was having a bathroom, even though they had no running water.

After living in their handmade house in the woods for four years, the couple found an RV to rent. Kitty says she loves having a shower, place to cook, and an actual bed. She also now has a relationship with her children and even babysits her grandson. But she will always cherish her memories of the woods.

“I know this sounds terrible but I loved living in the woods because of the sense of peace I had and my faith in God,” Kitty explained. “I feel like I was there for a reason: to help other people. Most of them wouldn’t listen to a preacher but they’d listen to me because I could relate. We are all placed in situations for a purpose.”

Kitty encourages homeless readers to keep their heads up and find a sense of purpose in the midst of their hardship.

“If you are still homeless, don’t give up or lose hope,” she said. “There were many times when I was depressed and didn’t want to leave the woods or even wash up but I know God had a purpose for my struggles and I feel good about having the chance to help others out there on the streets.”