[Editor's Note: Hoodline is participating in this week's SF Homeless Project, in which more than 80 area publications are each covering homelessness issues in their own ways.

To highlight the voices of current and former homeless people residing in our neighborhoods, we've partnered with Stories Behind The Fog, which is on a mission to humanize homelessness by telling the stories of 100 people who are or have been homeless in the Bay Area.

Read on to meet Queen, who escaped an abusive partner in Oakland and describes her experience living and working in San Francisco while homeless.]

Love can sometimes be the worst that could happen to you. Blinded by your heart can lead you into fucked up situations. Much like it did for me, who ended up on the streets 'cause of love. I was going to marry this fellow, my significant other, who ended up being a wife beater. I experienced domestic violence and decided right away to hit the road. I went from Oakland across the bay to San Francisco, the city of possibilities. I’ve been living on the streets for over eight months.

I come from a pretty good life, you know, so this all is extremely stressful to me. It’s like I’m thrown into this lions’ den with all these different personalities and different energies. It’s overwhelming.

I used to be an artist, did landscape photography and had my face and voice on TV. I’ve had art shows for my images; it’s my true passion in life, the artistic side. It was my grandma who taught me the importance of art at a young age. She was my artistic mentor who helped me find my niche.

I grew up in New York, raised in a big devoted family with, like, nine siblings. My grandparents have been a part of my entire childhood, helping my parents with the job of raising an army of kids. Growing up in New York, sure, is a bit different; it’s a place where you have to be strong, smart and tough to survive at a young age. It’s this huge playground of different cultures and customs. Something I’ve always loved about growing up in the Big Apple, how diverse life could be just around the corner. And I don’t really see it as different cultures, I see us all as one, it’s all my culture and it’s all yours.

So, I could go call my family instead of being without a home, but I’m not doing that, no way. I’m going to get through this shit myself and learn whatever I need to learn. I also know how pissed my family would be, on him and over the fact I’m homeless. I’m doing myself and my family a favor by working really hard and doing everything I can to get out of this hole.

I’m no goddamn bumming slob walking around looking for the next buzz. I’ve always strived for goodness and want to achieve greatness. I go to church every morning for some breakfast, or to, like, charge my phone. I also go to Labor Ready, a place where you get paid the same day as you work. I have a storage where I keep all my stuff, costing me, like, 200 bucks each month. So just like the rest of you, I also have responsibilities, even though I lack a home, which Labor Ready helps me keep up. And people steal shit, from the streets and the shelters. Just the other day I saw this lady at this shelter. She had an appointment but apparently took too long so they threw her stuff away, just like that. All her important documents including her birth certificate, now all gone. I helped her look for it in the trash, but it wasn’t there, so someone must have stolen it.

Another weird and bizarre aspect of living on the streets is the paradox of how I dress. Since I have my storage of clothes I try to look respectable, shower every day and look good. So people will talk to me, ‘cause people won’t talk to you if you look like a slob, that’s just how it is. But then I’ve met these people that say shit like, “I’m not helping you, I don’t believe you’re really homeless, you look too good for that.” Like why the fuck would I lie about being homeless? That’s something I find tough, the cold and harsh eyes from those people; it makes me not want to connect. Something that’s so far away from the real me, I used to love and meet and greet everyone I met; now it’s just hard, so damn hard to keep a straight face.

If there is something I’ve learned from all this, the fact we all need to acknowledge more; homelessness comes in all shapes, sizes and walks of life, and you can’t always judge people by their circumstances. I sure never thought I was going to end up homeless on the streets. All I want now is some stability with my own home, so I once again can do what I love: my art.

For more 'Stories Behind The Fog,' meet Chef Richard in SoMa, Bonnie in the Financial District, Ben and Cristina in Civic Center, and look for additional profiles on our site throughout this week.