The Damage Done
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      • Episode 1
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    • +A Chief for Hope
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      • Episode 3
      • Episode 4
      • Episode 5
    • +The Unwanted
      • Episode 1
      • Episode 2
      • Episode 3
      • Episode 4
      • Episode 5
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Philadelphia, PA

The Unwanted | Episode 4

After wavering for months, Kelly takes a huge step into housing while the mayor defends forced evacuations of homeless addicts in Kensington.

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The Damage Done: The Unwanted

On the streets of Philadelphia, VOA Journalists Chris Simkins and Jeff Swicord followed opioid addicts over the course of a year as the city's most drug-infested neighborhood struggled to contain a disastrous and deadly epidemic.

The Unwanted | Episode 5

Eric stumbles back onto the street, while Kelly struggles on methadone. With addicts evicted from under all Kensington's bridges, Britt reflects on the neighborhood's future.

The Unwanted | Episode 3

Overdoses skyrocket in the aftermath of Kensington’s mass evictions. Meantime, Eric emerges from rehab transformed.

About the Project

Assigned to cover the opioid epidemic, VOA journalists Chris Simkins and Jeff Swicord decided to take an intimate look at the struggles of Americans dealing with the problem every day. Their three main characters – a recovering addict, a volunteer street counselor, and small town police chief – along with their locations – Miami, Philadelphia and Nashville, N.C. – offer a multilayered portrait of this national health emergency as it plays out on the ground. Episodes in each story will appear here, on VOA Connect and VOA’s YouTube channel.

Credits

Reporting and videography: Chris Simkins and Jeff Swicord

Producer/video editor: Jacquelyn De Phillips

Graphics: Chin Soo Park

Drone video: Marcus Harton

Managing editor: Tom Detzel

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