What No One Tells You About Being Homeless: The Untold Truth

If I had been asked 5 years ago if I could ever see myself in the position of a homeless person, without missing a beat my answer would have been no. So, you can just imagine how many times I spent in the last year cradling my newborn baby in hand, while laying down in the back seat of my car with nowhere to call home and asking God, “Why me?”.

Until you are homeless you never truly understand the realities of a woman or man you passed on the street laying down on their makeshift cardboard bed. Maybe as you pass them by, you think to yourself, “Why don’t they get a job?”, “This person reeks” or “Can’t they go somewhere else?”. 

Or just maybe you have no thoughts about them at all. You are so consumed by the happenings of your own life that this homeless person sitting on the road ceases to exist. You never stop to consider how they ended up where they are now or even worse, that like them one day you could be homeless too.

I am in no position to judge because prior to experiencing homelessness myself I was just like you. But as the saying goes “Those who know better, do better” and since I now know better, I’m sharing my story so you can too.

Common Misconceptions About Homeless People

Go ahead, admit it. When you hear the phrase “homeless person” your mind goes into overdrive with all the defining attributes you think this person has. Maybe you’ve stereotyped them as a drug addict whose addiction ruined their lives, or the lazy guy that refuses to get a job. Somewhere hidden in your stereotype is the belief that it is their own fault they are living in the streets and that this is the life they are deserving of.

Before I go any further, I urge you to park those stereotypes right here and allow me to share with you some untold truths about homeless people: 

1. There isn’t one reason people are homeless…

When you see a homeless person sitting on the street it’s easy to assume that they are in that position owing to some form of criminal activity, drug addiction or mental and physical illness. While some people are in fact homeless for these reasons, a surprising percentage of homeless persons are homeless because they have been made the victims in their story. This story may have been coloured by domestic abuse, family neglect, persistent poverty, unemployment and the lack of available housing.

2. Being homeless doesn’t always mean living in the street…

One of the most common stereotypes about homeless people is that they live on the streets. While some homeless individuals do live on the street, a vast majority of them live in places that might surprise you. Take me for example, while I was homeless, I lived in my car. Other out of the box places homeless people might live include: single occupancy rooms or motels, abandoned apartments/buildings and encampments (areas here people set up tents to camp together).

3. Homeless doesn’t mean uneducated

In my experience I have realized that people tend to underestimate the homeless. We completely forget that before being homeless they may have had a life which included a loving and caring family or star performances in high school and up to university level education. It may come as a shock to you that a homeless person may be the holder of a Master’s degree but these things do happen. Because like I said homelessness can happen to even the best of us, regardless of the letters we hold behind our names.

4. Not all homeless people are without jobs

Remember earlier when I said, you may pass a homeless person on the street and wonder why they don’t get a job? Well what if I told you that a large number of homeless people actually do have jobs? You see, having a job doesn’t mean you will be any less homeless than you were before you had one. The truth of the matter is that due to the high cost of living and low minimum wages, it’s quite realistic for a person to have a job but be incapable of affording housing.

5. Homeless people aren’t going to kill you

Sorry to burst your bubble but what you see depicted in the Hollywood movies about homeless people who are murders and rapists isn’t necessarily true. Homeless people aren’t out to get you. Some of them could honestly care less about you. For the vast majority of homeless people, the main concern is finding food and shelter.

Being Homeless Doesn’t Have To Be A Life Sentence

For the average person homelessness is merely a stint in time and not a life sentence. It may be hard to escape the cycle of homelessness especially owing to the lack of funding allocated to the assistance of the homeless but it isn’t impossible. With your help the assurance that homelessness isn’t a life sentence for someone else is definitely a possibility.

What You Can Do To Help

So, here’s how you can help. First, stop judging homeless people by their outward appearances and current situation. Second, remind yourself and others around you that NO ONE deserves to be homeless. Third, when possible offer donations of any kind to nonprofit organizations such as Eden’s Shift who are committed to helping the homeless.