Having been on the street for a period of time, I have heard all kinds of comments and opinions about homelessness. Some people view the homeless as bums who are lazy and don’t want to work. Others believe that most homeless people are mentally ill or that they are panhandling to get alcohol or drugs.
Then there are the folks with horror stories. They say they were once sympathetic toward the homeless but because an unpleasant incident occurred when they were trying to help a homeless person, they now label all homeless people as savages.
The way I see it, the truth is this that most people don’t understand what it is like to live on the streets, so they suffer from a fear of homelessness and misunderstand homeless people.
You must first understand that homelessness is not just sleeping on the sidewalk. Homelessness is a life-and-death situation. Homeless people are at risk of freezing, starving and even dying if they are not aware of their environment.
Homeless women are even more vulnerable than men. They not only have to worry about freezing or starving, they can get attacked, raped or forced into prostitution. Some of them, too, end up dead.
Another important thing to remember is that people living on the streets abide by a different set of laws, the chief one being this: use any means necessary to survive.
If you lie to an old lady for a couple of dollars to get a bite to eat, it’s nothing personal – it’s simply survival. If you sleep in an abandoned building you are not intentionally trespassing, you are just trying not to freeze to death. If you sneak into McDonalds for a couple hours of sleep you are doing what is human to get some rest.
If you want to help a homeless person but are unfamiliar with the many complex issues surrounding homelessness, it is best to contact a local organization that is dedicated to dealing with homelessness rather than to try to help that person directly all by yourself. Also reading up on the causes of homelessness and statistics concerning homelessness will help you understand more about the problems homeless people face.
Whether you are for or against homeless people as a group, you need to realize that the condition of homelessness isn’t going away. In fact, with more people losing their jobs because of the economy, there will be more people ending up on the streets. If you truly want to help your homeless neighbors, spend some time learning about homelessness. Let understanding be your guide to how you can become more involved.
