MODESTO — We are learning more about the homeless crisis in Modesto after CBS13 last week uncovered the individuals living out of elaborate caves along the Tuolumne River.
Last week, Stanislaus County conducted its point-in-time count that surveyed how many homeless people live there.
Homelessness looks different for everyone. For Genie Garcia, it looks like staying at Modesto’s Salvation Army Shelter for the past two years with her little dog and son.
“People come up to me all the time asking for change and I am like, ‘I am in the same position you are in. Just because I have a car and roof over my head, I am still homeless,'” said Garcia.
Garcia said it is stressful living like that, but she is doing what she can to provide for her children.
“I am blessed and grateful we have a place that is not outside and cold,” Garcia told CBS13.
While she seeks refuge, other homeless are so desperate for cover that they created caves along the Tuolumne River.