After I became ill, I was unable to work because the side effects of the medication affected me as much as my illness. Between my being unable to work and the fact that I had no help, I ended up homeless.
This has been a long struggle for me. There are other reasons people become homeless. Some lose their job and, after missing too many rent payments, end up on the street. A lot of times, family can’t afford to take you in.
When you become ill, you fall by the wayside in this fast-paced world. It’s so easy to become homeless. There are more than 550,000 people living on the streets, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2017 Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness.
Also, I have to wonder how will my illness affect my family? Before, it was just me.
Homelessness has taught me to be thankful for small things, like toilet paper, a place to sleep, even a comb for my hair and to be close to my friends and to block out negativity. Not everybody will want to help you, but some are willing to help. That gives me respect for people that I didn’t have before I became ill.
I have removed hatefulness from my heart and learned to look to God for help. Every day, I think about how not to be homeless!
A lot of people 50 and older are without a place to live. My heart goes out to them, and I hope they will at least go to a shelter. There is only one family shelter in DC though.
I become very emotional, sad and sometimes feel hopeless because I can’t do more to help. I struggle to live and get myself back to health. Your health goes down when you live on the street. Seeing sick-looking people living on the street should alarm everyone. So being homeless has made me mature emotionally.
