John Kasten, 60, and his wife of 26-years, Laura, 51, have lived on and off at a homeless encampment for several years along the Santa Ana River in Anaheim, Calif. In January, a federal judge pushed county officials to conduct “humane” evictions of hundreds of people living in the homeless encampment. Nearly 1,000 living in the shadow of Anaheim's Angel Stadium moved out, many to motels for temporary stays.
John Kasten, 60, ended up on the streets, derailed by drugs. Many of the homeless people around him call him "Doc" because he has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. John and wife Laura Kasten, 51, move some of their belongings from their camp along the Santa Ana River in Anaheim to temporary housing at a hotel in Anaheim, Calif.
Doctors diagnosed John Kasten with multiple personality disorder at a young age and has long taken medication for depression. Still, friends marvel at the power of his memory and how he can easily simplify complex issues.
Laura Kasten, 51, with a tattoo of her husband’s name, John. The couple has been married for 26 years and together, raised their daughter, along with four of Laura's children from an earlier marriage.
In January, a federal judge pushed county officials to conduct “humane” evictions of hundreds of people living in the homeless encampment along the Santa Ana Rive. Nearly 1,000 living in the shadow of Anaheim's Angel Stadium moved out, many to motels for temporary stays.
John and Laura get loaded in the morning on crystal meth they had to score from another homeless person.
John rummages through his belongings in his tent.
Laura keeps warm in her homeless encampment.
John washes his face using water retrieved by the gallon from a nearby park faucet. Day by day, he or his wife pull a wagon with giant bottles to refill to the greenbelt, using their stock to cook and clean themselves at their homeless encampment.
Laura and John have a disagreement at their homeless encampment. Laura and John, along with their dog, Sebastian, live in what she called “the compound” — interlocking tents covered with tarp and about the size of a one-bedroom apartment. Their place occupies a prime spot under the towering Big A sign, just outside the Los Angeles Angels’ baseball stadium.
John Kasten packs up a tent getting ready to move from "the compound."
Laura and John ride a local bus bus from the homeless encampment - their "beloved" hangout - to their new digs at a motel in Anaheim, Calif. Laura’s dog, Sebastian, goes everywhere with her, serving a "therapeutic role," according to her owner, in a life "filled with unexpected chaos every time we wake up." Through a county program, John and his wife received a three-month voucher to stay at an aging motel in Anaheim.
On the last day Laura will be allowed at her camp, she lines up to check in on housing at the Santa Ana River.
Laura Kasten shops at Walmart Neighborhood Market to purchase a griddle in Anaheim, Calif. The hotel owner stripped the rooms of microwaves, televisions, phones and blankets where they are staying.
Laura and John get settled into their hotel room.
John cooks noodles for dinner on a butane stove he brought from the camp. Through a county program, John and his wife received a three-month voucher to stay at the aging motel.
Since boyhood, John has dreamed of being a transgendered person and likes to refer to himself as "Jan." He trades or borrows clothes from friends and here, preparing to go clubbing, dresses in a leopard-print bra before heading out of his hotel room.
John soaks up crystal meth he spilled on a dresser into a hypodermic needle in his hotel room. He regularly uses crystal meth and heroin.
John injects crystal meth into his arm in the motel bathroom. His need for drugs derailed his successful career in the computer industry where he once earned as much as $150,000 annually.
Laura worries where she and her husband and their dog will end up after being evicted from their homeless encampment. Read the story at https://lat.ms/3whtYUG
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