She was supposed to go to rehab, but one binge trip to Philadelphia left her homeless instead: ‘I learned the tricks of the trade of being homeless’
She lived to tell her story.
Yelley (@nightmaresinkensington) was ready to go clean from drugs and planned to check into rehab. But a trip to Kensington, Philadelphia, derailed her plans and left her homeless and stuck in a cycle she couldn’t escape.
“I was sidewalk homeless and addicted to schmugs for six years in Kensington, Philadelphia,” Yelley told TikTok. She said she remained there throughout winters and summers. The Philadelphia City Council acknowledges that Kensington has “become a hub for illegal drug purchases,” where synthetic opioids can be found.
Yelley explained that she had already been using drugs for years in her hometown. “In my hometown, things are very expensive, and they go how a schmug deal would normally go. You gotta know somebody, you gotta call them,” Yelley continued. A friend asked her to ride to Philadelphia with Yelley because drugs were allegedly cheaper there. Wanting free drugs, Yelley agreed.
“As we’re riding down there, she’s telling me about Kensington. And to somebody who is addicted to schmugs, it sounds like Disneyland,” Yelley claimed. She didn’t need to be connected to anyone to make the purchase, which made the supposed transactions easier. Yelley clarified that she isn’t encouraging anyone to go to Kensington, but during her struggle, it was the best place to be.
“So once we get down there, I realize that all the rumors are true, okay? It is a much easier place to be an addict than it is in my hometown,” Yelley claimed. After her trip to Kensington, Yelley said she started going there every day to get her fix. It was a three-hour drive down and a three-hour drive back home, but she kept going back every day.
A trip that left her homeless
“At this point in time, my family is getting fed up. So I tell them, I’m going to rehab,” Yelley continued. It’s an announcement that family members of those who are battling addiction hope to hear. One mother from North Carolina talked about her hope of seeing her daughter recover from her drug use, only for it to be dashed after she was found in the woods. Recovery is difficult. Before going to rehab, Yelley decided to spend a weekend in Kensington.
“What I don’t tell them is before I go to rehab, I’m going to go to Philly. My plan was to drive down there, sleep in my car for the weekend, have a little last hurrah, and then go to rehab to get my s*** together,” Yelley explained. She went through with her plan, but after three days of being in Kensington, Yelley lost motivation to go for treatment.
“I realize that this is a much easier life of an addict. So, I decided to push my rehab off just a little bit,” Yelley said. Days turned into months, and in the middle of it, her car got stolen. She had no choice but to live on the streets.
“You would think that would be the time where I say, ‘Enough is enough. It’s time to go to rehab.’ But it wasn’t,” Yelley claimed. She stayed on the streets, still untreated for her addiction. She continued, “And I learned the tricks of the trade of being homeless.”
It became difficult to leave
When her first winter came, Yelley said she tried to go to rehab but couldn’t do it since she got sick. She wound up hitchhiking her way back and stayed homeless for five winters in Philadelphia.
“As somebody who has lived through it, it is so true. You get stuck. I used to say it was like the sidewalk had sticky tack on them. I just couldn’t stay away,” Yelley said. She knew there were ways to get clean, but struggled to stay away from the environment that enabled her. Eventually, Yelley got clean and lived to tell her story, just like this woman from Michigan who survived an acid trip gone wrong.
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