Homeless San Francisco Man Enjoys TV, Xbox Inside Shack Made From Scrap
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A homeless man in San Francisco has gone the extra mile to make his situation on the streets a bit more comfortable - or entertaining, at least.
He gave his name only as "Tennessee" and was among a large group of homeless who have set up tents along 13th Street under the freeway between Harrision and Division Streets.
UPDATE: Homeless Given 72-Hour Notice To Vacate Tent City In San Francisco
Tennessee said he has built a 10x10 cabin with scrap wood and a corrugated metal roof. He also has also built a small bungalow next to it to store all his stuff.
Inside his humble abode, Tennessee has a 32-inch flatscreen TV and an Xbox, powered by a portable generator. He also has a library of about three dozen DVDs.
"I've got a 32-inch flat screen TV. If you're going to be homeless, you might as well be homeless in style," he told KPIX 5 and KCBS reporter Mike Sugerman.
Tennessee, who says he's from Tennessee, declined to say where he got his electronic gear. He said he built his cabin after a rat got into a tent he had been using. "This extremely large rat decided he was gonna chew a hole in my tent and help me with my pizza. And I don't know if you've ever been in a two-man tent with a large rat but it's not cool."
He said he moved a few weeks ago from a homeless encampment at 4th and Townsend because of construction of the Central Subway. Moving is not that much of a problem for him, since his cabin and bungalow are on wheels.
Tennessee is once again slated to move from his current spot. San Francisco on Tuesday gave a 72-hour notice for people camped along 13th St. to leave the premises.
Carlos E. Castañeda is Senior Editor, News & Social Media for CBS San Francisco and a San Francisco native. You can follow him on Twitter or send him an email.