Former Business Owner Has Been Living In Silicon Valley's 'Jungle' For Five Years

When Mama Red lost her Felton, Calif., flower shop 18 years ago, all of her savings went with it. She ended up homeless when she turned to California's shelter network and hated it. "Living in shelters is like being in jail," she told Business Insider in mid-July. When we visited her in San Jose's homeless encampment called "The Jungle," the smell of rotting flesh saturated the air. "It's a raccoon," she said, pointing to a shopping cart behind her. The list of shelter rules drove Mama Red to sl...