GLENDALE, Ariz. — It's a question you probably don't get asked often.
"How's life going?"
A simple sentence that can lead to countless responses.
A question those living in Glendale Thursday afternoon answered ahead of the 2024 Presidential debate.
Jerroll Smith announced a life changing event.
“I got a baby on the way!” he said happily.
Counting down the days, Smith said he's looking forward to meeting his son in November.
“I feel good, it's gonna be a good time,” said Smith.
That means getting prepared for the life long journey. Smith said he's reading up on parenthood, buying clothes, stocking up on diapers and looking into purchasing a crib.
"I've been trying to make sure everything's going as planned," he said.
At the same time, he still has to pay for every day needs like groceries, rent and electricity. Trying to balance both has led to Smith taking on side jobs to provide for his new family.
"I can't complain," he said. "It's hard for everybody right now, but I'm making it work."
When long time Glendale homeowner Rudy Valenzuela was asked, the civil engineer whose worked for 43 consecutive years said he's waiting for times to get better.
"It's very, very hard to make ends meet," Valenzuela said. "Even the professionals that I know are having a hard time."
Valenzuela said It's not just the cost for groceries, it's also the cost of his insulin medication and other prescriptions he needs.
"Every time to turn around, it just went up," he said. "That's a lot of the problem."
The economy was a big topic for other people asked in Downtown Glendale. Not only those going into various shops, but also those who run them.
"It's been kind of slow down here,” said Clint Newsom the owner of Knokie's Fashions.
Part of the reason Newsom said is because people don't want to be out shopping during Arizona's summer heat, but speaking with the few who brave the hot sun, he said some shoppers don't have the money to spend on themselves.
"They say the economy's bad, and they're trying to make ends meet," Newsom said.
At the same time, he said prices he pays for to supply his clothing store have also gone up. Which makes his prices go up as well.
"I don't like doing it," Newsom said, but added he needs to in order for his business to survive.
The economy was a big point of discussion Thursday. It impacts everyone differently. For Susie James, she said it left her and her sons without a home.
"There's no shelters available for families," James said.
She sat on bench outside the Downtown Glendale cooling shelter. James claims she's a veteran and was evicted from her home back in April because she just couldn't afford rent anymore. For a time, James said they were living in her car until she got in an accident that totaled it.
Trying to find another place to live has been nearly impossible she said.
"It's completely insane, like a two bedroom is running the same price as a four bedroom a few years ago, and income is not changing much," James said.
She admits that struggling with drug addiction didn't help her situation. James said she's now more than a hundred days sober and while times are tough she is doing all she can to stay clean.
"I look at my kids, and I can't do that," she said.
Four people from different walks of life going through issues so many in the Valley are enduring.
Finding ways to carry on.
“There's light at that end of the tunnel," James said.
“That's all I can ask for and pray for," Newsom said.