Thomas Humes has spent the last seven years living on the streets of New Providence, depending on the kindness of strangers to get by.
Complications from diabetes, glaucoma and arthritis have kept the 57-year-old out of the workforce for nearly 10 years and forced him to beg for money to buy food, he said.
His life is filled with uncertainty about where the next meal will come from and where he will sleep at night.
A month ago, he said, he was sleeping on a church porch, exposed to the elements and the dangers that a street life brings. Now he lives in a shelter but does not have long-term accommodations, he said.
Humes is one of the many homeless and downtrodden people who are fed by Great Commission Ministries' Feeding Centre on Wulff Road.
He and more than 100 men, women and children lined up outside the center's doors recently, clamoring for a hot meal.
"After you get lunch here there's no telling what will happen later on, when you get hungry again," he said, as he waited for a plate of food, clutching a green ticket numbered 111.
"If I ask for a dollar or two I probably could buy a bag of chips or maybe even sometimes [I have] enough to get a snack from one of the fast food chains."
Humes said he lived in the United States for a few years before returning to New Providence shortly after the September 11 attacks.
He said the last time he had a steady job was in 2004, before his declining health led him to withdraw from the workforce.
"Within the space of a month I had two diabetic comas where I had to be hospitalized," Humes told The Nassau Guardian.
"It caused me to have a phobia about taking on an eight-hour job. I was living with family and at the time they [were] willing to house [me] but only for so long.
"It deems me unfit [to work] but people look at my structure and think he is fit to hold a job."
In spite of his bleak situation, Humes is able to see the positive side to his life.
"People asked me about my sleeping quarters and when I told them, they asked me if I'm not afraid to sleep out in the open like that," he said.
"To me, I felt like I trust God enough not to be harmed while sleeping under the open skies. I'm glad that God placed the people in my presence that looked out for me."
Humes said it is important that people not judge those who are homeless and out of work, adding many street dwellers do not have the skills to hold down a job.
"It's real serious out here," he said.
"A lot of brothers that are able to work can't find a job because they're illiterate and can't fill out an application. I mean the way this world is going now, even with a high school education a lot of brothers and sisters still can't fill out an application."
Humes' number was eventually called and he made his way to the front of the line.
He emerged with a plate of white rice and chicken, two sodas, and a smile on his face.

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