I walked into the room and looked around. There was a double bed and a pull out couch. Two dogs in black crates. Their food bowls were empty. I looked around some more. I saw a refrigerator, microwave and a crock pot. There’s a TV and two armoires, which contains one of the two TVs. There are two people sleeping in the pull out couches and a small child sleeping on some pillows in the corner.
Earlier that morning, when my coworker told me we were gong to visit a client living in a motel, I had no idea what to expect. I was a guardian ad litem for a while, but the worst I ever encountered there was the occasional dirty home.
Standing in this motel room, I suddenly realized the deficits of homelessness. I suddenly realized what its like to be evicted and lose everything. I realized if I could give that family a place to live right then and there, they wouldn’t even have furniture to put in it.
For once in my life, I realized that homelessness is as unique as those who experience it. I live in a county where homelessness is perceived as one dimensional. I also grew up in a household where handwork solves every problem, and every problem is a result of bad choices. The truth is that some people are homeless because they want to be. The truth is that some people are homeless because they made bad choices. Some people are homeless because they are lazy. Some of them might even be bad with money. No matter why they are homeless, I have to wonder why some are homeless and some are not. Some people are homeless because they have bad luck.
I do know this, what I saw in that motel room had an impact on my life. What I saw standing in that small entryway was enough to change my perspective of homelessness. The minority of homeless people are the ones that you actually see living on the street. The majority are the ones who are doubled up with friends or family until they grow tired of their presence at which time they are forced to find another place to live. They are forced to find someone else who is willing to take them in for a few months. The majority are living in their cars with their children wondering where their next meal is coming from or how they’ll pay for gas to get to the next place. The majority are invisible to most of the population. And yet our society insists on making a drunken, unshaven, unbathed person the face of homelessness. I realize that this is a reality, however it is not the only reality. What if americans were actually made aware that the fastest growing homeless population is woman and children? Would our approach change? Would our perception change? Would we be more compassionate?
Homelessness affects every part of your life. If a family is living in a motel without a stove or oven, what kind of food are they eating? Sure this family had a crockpot, but that requires time and planning. You can’t forget about dinner when you plan to use a crock pot. Luckily, this family had a full size refrigerator, but the mother was concerned that they would soon be evicted. If they were evicted, they would be forced to live in their car again. Then what would they eat? Fast food would be their only option at that point. What about showers? Where will they change their clothes or brush their teeth? Will they feel safe at night?
So again I will ask:
What if americans were actually made aware that the fastest growing homeless population is woman and children? Would our approach change? Would our perception change? Would we be more compassionate?
You decide.
