“You don’t look like you’re homeless,” the lady says, looking on dubiously as she gives me a $2 donation for a Street Sense newspaper. When people think of the homeless they picture those who sleep in storefronts or who trudge down the street with way-too-heavy loads in grocery carts. I must admit, that’s the epitome of the homeless look. But I explain to my benefactor that there are different degrees, levels and facets in the homeless community.
Some homeless are storefront sleepers, some are park bench sleepers and some are shelter sleepers. As you get more experienced at being homeless, you go from one stage to another. Some people sleep in storefronts to hide their homelessness. Some move to sleeping on a park bench, as sometimes you have this need to be around people who are going through the same thing. Some avoid shelters because they don’t want to be seen by people they know. But moving into a shelter shows that you have come to terms with your situation. Also, the streets can be violent, and freezing temperatures are equally dangerous.
Some homeless suffer from mental illness, addiction and/or hopelessness. Some are just running from their past and from the ghosts that pursue them. But whatever the case may be, the homeless should not be treated with misconceived callousness because they choose not to fit into a mold that others are comfortable with. The homeless who have shed the “homeless look” are earnestly trying to re-enter mainstream society and become productive members of it. In fact, some of us are neatly dressed in part because of clothing donations from concerned benefactors. A lot of these generous souls are well-to-do, so we wear the secondhand clothes of the rich. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
The value of life spirals downward when society allows some of its weakest members to die of exposure in the winter, or looks on with indifference while allowing others to live like animals. Homelessness is a very bad scar on our community, and it shows a failure in our society as a whole. We should take an involved look instead of expecting the homeless look.
