If you’re lucky, when you walk past the corner of Chapel Street and High Street in New Haven, Conn, you can hear the melodies of hymns and ’70s songs being sung proudly by Jermaine Scott. Scott’s delicate voice sings You Gave Me A Mountain by Elvis Presley, bringing smiles to passersby, as he has become a pillar to many locals and Yale students. While they may not know his name, when they hear him singing, they know precisely who he is. 

Scott has been in and out of shelters for the past 15 years. While this is a challenging life to lead, he maintains a highly positive outlook on how to live. Scott goes to church most every Sunday, often singing for the choir at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has strong connections with the community and a deep respect for Yale students. His uplifting spirit is a pillar for the community. 

“Well, everybody’s kind to me ’cause I love everybody and I try to encourage people to do positive things,” Scott exclaims when I ask him if he struggles to find friendly faces in such a busy city. 

Scott lives in a shelter in East Haven, which has 15 bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. He emphasized that the staff takes outstanding care of everyone in the shelter. 

“It’s $450 a month, and they make sure you shower every day, they do your laundry for you, and you can come and go as you want. I don’t get that much money, but I still have to pay them.”

Growing up, Scott always sang in church, which was a strong part of his identity. While he has always been able to rely on his voice, he shared that he has often struggled with his schizophrenia, holding him back.

Scott lamented that he had missed many opportunities due to his low self-esteem. 

Scott shared that “Yale drafted me to play football. But I had learning disabilities, and they were like, ‘We will get you the best tutors, but we want you to play ball.’ See, I didn’t believe myself back then. I let my schizophrenia get down on me, and I had low self-esteem back then.”

While he did struggle with this aspect, he learned to be confident thanks to the support he found within the New Haven community. 

“I made friends with a Yale professor back in ’98, and he always taught me to believe in myself. He said you could go somewhere with a voice like that. He said, ‘Why don’t you join the Latter-day Saints, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They would love your voice.’

 Not only is Scott close to the community, but he also has relationships with the New Haven and Yale police departments.

Scott got his housing in East Haven because of a Yale police officer. Something Scott urges students to do is chase their goals. Scott learned from his moments of low self-esteem, which held him back, so he continues to try to show the community that anyone can achieve their dreams.

“I support any dream goal. Like you going to school to be a doctor or a lawyer, or you go to school for sports, whatever it is you’re going to school for. I try to support that in the best way I can by showing people they can do it,” said Scott. He also discussed the significance of gospel music in his life.  “If I can sing good gospel music, and I have schizophrenia, that’s something that I’m gifted with.”

To gather more information on how the New Haven community supports its local homeless population or those struggling with food insecurity, I interviewed Winston Sutherland, the Associate Director of Community Soup Kitchen of New Haven. He offered insightful information on how the community can support one another and how homelessness is often misunderstood. 

“I think people in New Haven often misunderstand the complexities of homelessness, sometimes viewing it as a personal failing rather than a systemic issue.” Sutherland states. 

Hopeful change can come to our system with the bill H.B. No. 6893. This bill’s purpose is to “provide funding to the Department of Housing for programs to assist homeless persons.” It became effective July 1st, 2025. 

A sum of 33.5 million dollars is allotted to the Department of  Housing from the General Fund for programs to assist homeless persons. While this is a great opportunity, we must also focus on areas, for instance, the soup kitchen, to ensure everyone is supported in all aspects. 

Too often, people turn a blind eye to those asking for money, but in truth, they have complex and multifaceted stories. For Scott, a typical day isn’t about making money, but it’s about putting a smile on the Yale students’ and New Haveners’ faces. 

“If I sing my gospel music, that’s what makes me happy the most.”

The Community Soup Kitchen of New Haven is located on 84 Broadway.

This article was written for the Yale Daily News’ 2025 Summer Journalism Program for high school students.