Free laundry: You get free laundry service, if you get to the laundry sites early enough that you might be one of the first. Whether or not you are early enough to be able to do laundry that day, you get a free workout, lugging your laundry there, and back. And getting to do that again tomorrow, if too many others got there first this morning.
Free restrooms: If you can find them. If they are open.
And if life, health, and/or meds happen in ways that give you short warning about needing the restroom, you get the adrenaline rush and exercise of racing to the nearest open restroom, hoping it’s available; hoping a shop might let you use theirs, if a public restroom isn’t nearby. And you get practice at dealing with embarrassment if you don’t make it in time, and if you don’t have a clean set of clothes to change into. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Another benefit.
Freedom: You get to sleep under the stars if you want to. Hoping you don’t get robbed, assaulted, raped, peed on, or beaten up simply because you are unsheltered.
Free character building opportunities: You get to be out in the world each day, practicing one of the four agreements to never take things personally, as people call you a bum and worse; as people scream at you to get a job. (Even if you already have one. Even if they have no idea why you are not able to work yet, or ever.) As people rev their engines or honk their horns loudly as they drive by. As some people throw fireworks at you. As some people shoot a bullet up into the air as they drive by. As some people do wheelies by your camp and have a loudspeaker narrating what the homeless people are doing, as they laugh and jeer. As people treat you as if you are invisible or vermin each day.
Shelter: You get to wonder if you can find a shelter bed, as you might also wonder if you can be with your partner and/or pet. You get to ponder the pros and cons, risks and benefits of pursuing shelter separately, and wondering if the benefits are worth the worry and concern and fears you may feel about your partner and safety if you might need to separate until a shelter might have beds for both of you.
Cloak of invisibility: You might wait till sunset and then wait till darkness rolls in before you find a corner to unroll your sleeping bag, hoping no one sees you. You might wake up as the sun rises, to pack everything up, so no one might see you and know you’re one of those homeless people.
Home: You might have a morning where you slept under the stars next to the river on a lovely warm night. And you might wake up to the prettiest sunrise, and bunnies close to you, and a neighborhood cat sleeping on your tummy, because you’ve befriended him and now he’s befriending you back. And you might revel in that one perfect morning that feels like connection and home-ness. Before you get up to real life.
Homelessness is one of a number of problems this country needs to face up to and DO something about. We do not need to increase the defense budget. (Who would be stupid enough to attack us?). And those wasted fucks on the right side of the aisle in Congress sure do not merit a raise. Let's start being compassionate.
ReplyDeleteYet another reason on a list of so many things why we should be spending money here first on ourselves and fix our issues. And isn't it funny how we can "magically find the money, billions...for wars, but when it comes time to help the homeless, veterans and the mentally ill who wander, and pumping money into education and free lunches for kids,fixing our crumbling and out date infranstrture and many other things, we all of a sudden can't find the money.
ReplyDeleteThe image of the small "tent city" is more accurate than not, by observation. Many people do not realize this, OR that these people have no "mailing address" to which to use for job applications or even receiving "checks" to help their existence. Which can make their cell phones their lifeline of sorts.
ReplyDeleteTackling social problems never has been as sexy as new roads or buildings. Never will be, either. UNTIL it was discovered how many US Military veterans were homneless, did people start to get concerned about that whole issue!
A recent "invention" to battle homelessness of veterans are "public-private partnerships" or "non-profits" to build basic housing which can be used as a springboard of sorts out of homelessness. With on-site counselors and such.
That way, monied people can donate and feel good about it. Same people who would go triple-bananas if they had to operate the same way homeless people have to, I suspect. Yet they are probably some of the same people who would advocate calling the bulldozers first.
Ah, yes.... Just like slavery was "beneficial," right? We're doing a lot in our city but is continues to be an issue for many, many people. Lots live in the flood tunnels - every time we have big storms at least one person dies in those things. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteThis is a matter dear to my heart.
ReplyDeleteAt 66 I am seeing more and more folks that are homeless. I am seeing tents pop up everywhere. There are places/spots in the San Diego area of people living in vehicles AND working FULL time because of the housing crisis. Also, churches are allowing folks to park in their empty parking lots during the week. The city is providing showers and bathroom facilities for these folks. I was in LA a few years ago and saw a street that had campers, cars, of people living. What bothers me the most is seeing young people in their 20s and 30s. You tell me how they are going to climb out of that hole. Heartbreaking!! And NO not everyone has a drug problem or mental health crisis.
Finland tackled their homeless problem. Maybe we can adopt some of their strategies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbEavDqA8iE ---Finland's Homeless Problem
VRCooper - Thanks for the link, it was very interesting. Capitalism really sucks.
ReplyDelete