Anne Quarles: A Study of Homelessness

Each afternoon, Anne Quarles watches people pass by, some faces are familiar, some are new, and some pass by too quickly to tell. Rarely do they stop.

When it’s hot, the pedestrians are eager to go back to their air conditioned homes. When it’s cold, they bustle by just to grab a coffee. If it’s raining, they hurry home to stay dry. Anne, however, is subject to whatever the world brings her way. Hot, cold, or raining, Anne watches the mirage of people pass by.

Anne Quarles is homeless.

As a high school graduate in the small town of Portland, MO, Quarles viewed Columbia as a place filled with opportunity. Yearning to discover a new horizon, Quarles packed her bags, hugged her family members goodbye, and prepared for a new era of independence.

“I worked at Hardees for ten years, but I was fired. I might not have had extra, but I had what I needed.”

Quarles, now 43, said finding lasting employment has not been easy. Each day, she is victim to the harsh judgments of those telling her “to get a job”. She has found that Columbia’s exhilarating opportunities are only available for select individuals. Therefore, she has found herself trapped in society’s double standard.

“Places don’t want to hire me,” Quarles said. “If they see you with your bags, they say, ‘Why would we want to hire you?’ When they know you’re homeless, they don’t want you.”

Despite the frustration, Quarles is persistent to get back on her feet. Until Quarles receives a callback or a job offer, she sits at the corner of 9th and Locust between the hours of 11 a.m.- 2 p.m., hoping to collect enough money to make it through the day. This also means facing public scrutiny.

“People roll their eyes at me. I wish I could tell those people that they are one step away from where I am. Anyone can lose their job and be stuck just like me,” Quarles said.

Quarles’ good friend Jenna Hitt, who struggled with homelessness after moving from Sedalia to Columbia, also despises the public

“My Dad has got cancer and my Mom is in a nursing home. My sister has four kids. I just don’t want to stress them out with that, I know they’ve got their own problems and I don’t want to add on to it.”

Just as family cannot be of help at times, it turns out that neither can the homeless shelters. Although there are three shelters in Columbia, Quarles, her boyfriend Cain Williams, and Hitt all separately reported that funds are never available, or that they are always at capacity.

“They need more shelters,” Quarles said. “We know where three are, but every time they say, ‘We are out of funds.’ They are so full you can’t get in. We need more assistance, the shelters try to help but they run short.”

Although Quarles does not have family available to help her, and although there is no room at the shelter, Quarles is undeniably happy. Close friends say that there is something different about her aurora.

“I don’t know how Anne stays so optimistic, but I love it,” Hitt said. “Anne is an inspiration. She has a good heart, a really good