Arianna, 5, stands on the path near her family's campsite in the woods behind the Pine Tree Shopping Center in Portland. Arianna, her mother, Chrissy Chavez, and her mother's boyfriend, Troy Jethro, have been living in the woods since the middle of July when Troy was kicked out of the homeless shelter in downtown Portland after disagreeing with some of their policies.
Troy talks on the phone with a Department of Health and Human Services social worker who has been trying to help them find a place to live while Chrissy and Arianna eat lunch. The family moved to Portland from Florida at the beginning of July for a fresh start and to get Troy away from the temptation to relapse into drug abuse. Once they arrived in Maine, the job he thought he had fell through, the apartment they thought they had was sold, and they wound up on the street.
Arianna stands outside of her family's tent in the morning shortly after waking up. The homeless encampment had been populated by people for years, but the Portland Police Department announced that the city would be evicting any people who were still living on the privately owned property after Aug. 31.
Arianna hugs Chrissy for warmth on a chilly morning at the Portland campsite known as Tent City.
Arianna walks ahead of her mother toward a gas station in Portland to buy coffee. She knows her way around the woods and the Pine Tree Shopping Center after living there for over a month. Troy and Chrissy have tried to make living in the woods as much of an adventure as possible for Arianna.
Troy reaches for the toothpaste to prevent Arianna from trying to open it with her teeth. Arianna thinks of Troy as a father and he sees her as his daughter. Troy often reminds Arianna, "Even though you are living in the woods that doesn't mean you have to act like it."
Troy brushes Arianna's hair to put it up in a bun at their campsite. Troy says that Arianna likes when he does her hair because he doesn't pull on it as much as her mom.
Arianna writes her name and doodles on a piece of paper by the fire as night falls on the camp.
Troy, Chrissy and Arianna walk to a nearby laundromat to charge their cellphone. Troy was constantly waiting by the phone hoping to hear from a state social worker who was helping them. With the deadline looming for them to leave the woods, the couple was very anxious to find someplace else to live.
From left, Arianna, Roger Goodoak, Chrissy and Troy bring the family's belongings out of the woods and into the Lowe's parking lot to load into Goodoak's van for their move up to the Lewiston/Auburn area. Goodoak runs a small nonprofit that helps homeless people. He has been helping Troy, Chrissy and Arianna since he saw Troy panhandling near Lowe's. Troy got a call the night before from a state social worker who said he'd found a landlord in Lewiston who would accept their housing voucher and that they could move into an apartment.
Matt Coffey, who has lived at the Portland encampment known as Tent City for five years, pats Arianna on the head as he walks by her. Many of the other people living at the encampment grew fond of the bubbly little girl.
Troy and Chrissy wait in Kennedy Park in Lewiston to hear from the property management company or the landlord. Upon arriving in Lewiston, they found out they had not been approved for an apartment in Auburn and that they might need more references. With the encampment in the woods in Portland no longer an option they had nowhere else to go.
Arianna plays for hours at Kennedy Park in Lewiston while her mother and Troy wait to hear if they will be able to move into the apartment in Auburn.
Arianna grabs Troy's hand to get his attention while they wait for news outside of the property management company's office in Lewiston.
Chrissy sinks down and begins to cry after Joe Dunne, a landlord, broke the news to them that they had not yet been approved for an apartment and that he was concerned about renting to people from the Portland camp because of news coverage about a stabbing there. After speaking with Troy and Chrissy for awhile and meeting Arianna he decides to give them a chance and rent an apartment in Auburn to them.
Troy takes a moment to himself after arguing with Chrissy in Lewiston.
Arianna turns on the TV in a Motel 6 in Lewiston where Joe Dunne, their landlord, put up the family for a night because the apartment wasn't ready to move into.
Chrissy and Troy argue while expecting to hear from a landlord during the second day of waiting for an apartment. Finding themselves in limbo and having nowhere to go fostered anxiety and stress for both of them.
Troy takes a photo of the keys to their new apartment to post on Facebook to show their friends and family that they finally have a place to live.
Arianna and Chrissy face off after Arianna was acting up outside of their new apartment. Arianna wanted to go play in the park, but Chrissy and Troy needed to talk to the landlord.
Arianna walks into the apartment building carrying the walking stick Troy made for her while living in the woods in Portland. It was the first thing she brought in.
Arianna unpacks her toys in her new bedroom.
Chrissy takes a moment to revel in having a refrigerator again at their new apartment in Auburn.
Chrissy brushes Arianna's hair in preparation for her first day of kindergarten. School had started the week before, when they were in the process of moving to Auburn.
Arianna walks to school for her first day of kindergarten.
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