At night, Jennifer Drain finds safety in walking. The 33-year-old, who doesn’t have a home, trudges from Portland’s Old Town neighborhood to Portland State University, then back to Old Town’s 24-hour Subway, where she sometimes gets a free cup of coffee. She never stops walking during the six-hour span of night that haunts her most, fearing what might happen if she were to fall asleep.

She carries her life’s possessions in three bags slung across her body. When it rains, she peels off her top layer of clothing to reveal a second dry layer. Still, the cold cuts to her bones. Once the rainy season begins, she says, she is never warm at night.