EVERETT (Wash.) – Within 60 seconds of pulling into a parking lot for a superstore, Tyson Tungate received a call from a man seeking drugs.
Tungate said to another man, “I’m clean & sober bro,” as he walked along the sidewalk toward him. He encouraged a woman to do the same, as she loaded garbage bags and blankets into her shopping cart.
Homelessness and drug use are evident in Everett’s commercial district on February 9, 2023. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital).
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Tungate’s sister discovered him in the same lot, which is a common spot for drug dealers and addicts, just weeks before. He weighed in at 115 pounds and moved from one side to the other as she tried to communicate with him. He also shivered beneath layers of hoodies.
Tungate, 33 years old, stated that he was a walking skeleton. It was quite shocking to me that I looked like that. I didn’t believe there was anything wrong with my body.
He’s now 60 days sober and navigating the recovery process in a state in which the addiction and homelessness crises are plainly visible.
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After their mother died, Tungate and Jacquelin Hernandez, his half-sister were raised apart.
Hernandez stated that Hernandez’s mom’s side is Christian. Hernandez spoke to Fox News. Hernandez said that they are all sober and everyone has stayed together. There is no dysfunction. My dad was on the other side. It was all dysfunctional alcoholics and drug addicts.
Tungate was raised calling the bar every time he needed to speak to his father. In high school, Tungate started smoking pot. Soon, he began to abuse OxyContin. Then he took up heroin.
He recalled that the needle had taken him, as he was sitting in the living area of a clean and sober house. “I was stubborn and didn’t believe I had a problem. It was something I believed I could conceal. It was hard to hide for a while, until I began getting track marks.
He didn’t become homeless after his mother kicked out his older brother.
He said, “My brother would steal money and pills from her.” “It didn’t feel right for him to be out of the house. So I went along with him.
His mother succumbed to an overdose a few years later. Her son spent her 20s in jail, flickering between prison and home.
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According to the 2022 Housing and Urban Development estimation, Washington is home to the fourth largest number of homeless people in the country, at 25,211. Florida, New York, and California are the only three states with more. Washington’s homeless comprise approximately half of the population. Many, like Tungate, are in a cycle of chronic homelessness.
Tungate claimed that he was a good drug addict. Tungate made sure that his feet were free from infection and frostbite to be able to get to the next drug. To give 11 blankets to people who were struggling to keep warm in the streets, he carried 12 blankets in his grocery cart. He often made more by panhandling than he would at his 9-to-5 job.
“Washington seems very dark. He said that the streets were no joke. “I have seen things other people shouldn’t see in their lives.”
Tungate claims that he has witnessed over 100 overdoses in his time on the streets, with about 20 of them being fatal.
According to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, methamphetamine was once the most commonly overdosed drug. In 2021, Fentanyl came on the scene.
Tungate stated, “With this fentanyl nowadays and the Narcan it’s barely touching it.” It’s almost useless. Sometimes, you need to hit someone three or four times with Narcan.
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Hernandez discovered her brother in a nearby supermarket late last year. Hernandez had only been in touch with her brother for 12 years since the birth and death of her son.
She said, “I didn’t get why no one was going out there and saying anything about my brother.” He’s our family.”
She drove to the store and found her brother. He had answered that question “no” throughout his adult life. He now says “yes” because he fears that every high could prove to be his last.
Tungate stated, “Family is power.” “I believe my sister was sent by God to save me. She is like my guardian angel.
Hernandez was referred to treatment by her neighbor, who is a recovering addict and had been homeless before. Tungate was admitted to detox and then went on to a 28-day residential program.
He lost 60 pounds, his mental clarity, and his smile.
Hernandez, inspired by the YouTube channel “Tales from the Streets”, has documented Tungate’s progress from the beginning. When he looks back at his first video, he barely recognizes him.
Left Tyson Tungate, homeless in Everett Washington. Right: Tungate is stunned by the changes in his life after he watches the video a month later.
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He said, “When I was in my drug addiction, it looked like I was pissed off every day.” “I can smile wherever I go now.
His dreams are bigger than his next fix. He wants to buy a car, a house, and start a family. He is considering becoming a counselor to help others get clean.
He said, “No matter how severe your drug addiction is, it’s possible to get over it.” “If I could do this, you can too,” he said.
