Taylor, born and raised in inner-city Boston, sells the Spare Change newspaper to make some cash. He has a wife and young son.
But that family is estranged, and Taylor spends his nights in shelters or with other family.
Over an onion and mushroom burger at Bartley's, Taylor pours his heart out, talking about his childhood, family, the similarities of shelters and prisons and the absence of morality in American society.
At one point he nearly breaks into tears while describing the pain and humiliation of being homeless.
Taylor, a recovering alcoholic, grew up in public housing in Roxbury, one of Boston's roughest neighborhoods, and was drawn into a vicious cycle from childhood.
"I grew up in the projects, and I succumbed to what goes on in there," he says. "I came from a broken home. I had a lot of emotional problems. But I'm not blaming them. I'm responsible for my own actions."
Growing up with many siblings, Taylor has the safety net of falling back on his brothers and sisters.
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