BILLINGS, MT - Ask 57-year-old Billings native Paul Sorensen where he will sleep tonight and he points — here, there and everywhere.  He has been homeless since he ran away at age 13. Talkative and carrying the sweet scent of cheap alcohol, Sorensen said he wants people to know that "we're here."

No two stories are alike — every path to homelessness is different.

"Sometimes it's the little things that can lead to an unraveling," said Adela Awner, executive director of Billings Interfaith Hospitality Network. "Hours get cut at work, or they've lost daycare because of a shift change. A few days' illness and a few days' lost wages and they can't make the rent."

Poor and lower-income people tend to spend 50 percent or more of their income on housing, she said. That puts them at greater risk when something goes wrong — a car breaks down or an unexpected medical problem arises. With no resources in reserve, homelessness is just a small emergency away.

- read more in the Billings Gazette