SAN ANTONIO -- Social distancing isn’t too hard for David Gaffey and his 6-week-old puppy. 

"She's mad because I gave her a bath," said Gaffey, playing with the tiny puppy at his campsite. 

As homeless shelters work to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and help their clients, some people are opting for a different route.

“Just kind of staying away from people and out here we have our distance and just, uh, there’s a lot of space," Gaffey said. 

For months, home for Gaffey has been beneath the overpass at the intersection of I-35 and I-37 in downtown San Antonio. He generally has the area to himself. 

“People come, but I don’t want a lot of people to know around San Antonio," Gaffey said.

After almost three decades on the streets, he knows what he wants to share and what he prefers to keep to himself. 

The CDC recommends those living on the streets keep at least a 144-square-foot distance. Rather than stay at a shelter, Gaffey said he thinks he’s safer staying put at his campsite.

“I keep my space and I just feel more at ease out here,” Gaffey said. 

Major Texas cities like Houston, Austin and Dallas have opened additional space for those without a home. However, many of the services they’d normally turn to have limited their operations, or shut down all together. Gaffey, a Chicago native, says the homeless community in San Antonio is tight-knit, and they look out for one another.

"I’m not competitive. I’m like the older, you know, I’ve been around a long time," Gaffey said.

On Monday, he celebrated his 57th birthday under the overpass with a couple of friends. He said in the five months he's lived there, the police have only come by once and didn't ask him to leave. Gaffey said he pointed out a sign to the officers that said to keep Texas free of litter and they told him just to keep his place clean, and that's exactly what he does. 

"I've got trash cans and I empty the trash a couple times a week," Gaffey said, pointing to the trash cans he has put out under the overpass.