Catie Profeta, 46, occupies a particular block in Hillcrest where she and a friend can spread tarps over their shopping carts to create both privacy and shade on an unusually wide sidewalk where their enclave does not inhibit the free flow of pedestrian traffic. Passersby often donate food from the nearby McDonald’s. Profeta has her belongings neatly stacked in her basket, and to the side of her mattress, depending on where the sun is most oppressive. She credits her OCD with the orderly makeup of her shelter. In fact she credits her attention to orderliness and details as the reason her professional resume largely consists of project management positions across many industries from education to developing websites for physicians.

Profeta, the oldest of five siblings, graduated from Whittier College in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, and a minor in Women’s Studies. She was given a full-ride scholarship straight out of Brea (LA) High School. For two of those college years she also worked as an RA, a residential assistant at her dorm, which meant she was able to live rent free while going to college. After college she got married, then divorced.

She was living comfortably in an apartment in Hillcrest near the hospitals north of Washington Street when she was injured at work. She lost her job, then couldn’t afford rent and ended up on the streets in her own neighborhood. She spent time in several of the shelters in East Village - Father Joe’s, Alpha Project, a women’s shelter. She is currently hoping an outreach worker from PATH can find her a space designated for people with mental health issues. “I’m working through some challenges right now,” she said. Profeta was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is currently taking medication.

The second time I ran into her she was drinking a Monster caffeine drink outside a 7-11, talking a mile a minute. She was on a mission to bring drinks back to her sidewalk friends. Before going into the store though, she had to strip down to one of the three layers of shirts she was wearing because of the heat. She proudly got the fountain drink just right for her friend Vicky, who was waiting outside.

Profeta said women face a lot of issues on the street, many of which relate to consent, hygiene, and sex. “Sex as dominance, sex as money, sex as commerce… I’m not always comfortable in my own skin because of that.” But she has an analytical mind and knows how to read people’s tone of voice and the content of their conversation. The art of survival, she said, is being careful with who you trust, and always reminding yourself of the good things in life. “You’ve got to be hyper aware all the time,” she said. “It affects your brain and it affects your body. Homelessness isn’t something you buy tickets to.”

Over the years she has been told she can’t come into stores with her backpack, has been videotaped, been pepper-sprayed in the face (recently), and, when asleep, has had someone cut her dress up the side so that she was left half naked unknowingly. “What happened to ‘How are you doing this morning?’ People aren’t always civilized,” she said.

Much of Profeta's love for music can be traced to her childhood, raised around a talented grandmother who started a singing group with her daughters (Profeta’s mother and aunts) called the Nicholson Sisters. For an assignment in her Women’s Studies courses, comparing the June Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver) mom to non-media-stereotypical women, Profeta interviewed her grandmother.

Her Facebook posts are nearly all music videos from artists like Lady Gaga, Dax, Sophie B. Hawkins, 2PAC, and Macklemore, along with annual birthday wishes from friends. At one point in February of 2022 she posted a faint plea, “Call me please. I am a homeless lesbian in danger of rape on the streets of San Diego, California.” to which one person responded asking how she could help. She doesn’t make a big show of her sexuality, but says gender stereotypes really bother her. Respecting people’s individuality and their choices is critically important, she said, adding that people are too quick to judge one another.

While waiting to hear if anyone can find a housing situation for her, she is resourceful in finding food, water, clothing, showers. “We all share,” she said. “We’ve got each other’s backs.”