Dear humanity, those who live and breathe, exist in the realm of possibility and belief in love, goodness and all things working together for good because we believe in the goodness of mankind. This letter is for you and me. A reminder on what humanity is, or should be. A small reflection, if I may. An introspection.
We all see the homeless on the streets, in parking lots, at the traffic lights, at intersections. They look unsavoury to the world due lack of hygiene, clean clothes and, generally, presentability. We judge the book by its proverbial cover, close our windows or turn away, forgetting the human being standing there with a heart, soul, history, pain and trauma of his or her own, dismissing them as non-existent.
Homelessness is not contagious, it’s not a scourge or virus but a decidedly traumatic cycle of suffering that started from some cataclysmic occurrence that robbed the individual of their system of support, accommodation, job and family.
It can happen to anyone – yes even you and me. Nobody is too good, too elite or refined to reach such a sad place.
A few of the root causes are physical abuse, addiction, job loss, loss of income and the ability to afford a roof over one’s head, broken family relations, divorce or betrayal, mental illness. The list goes on. Many, many reasons can bring about homelessness. They vary from socioeconomic to the plain desire to just vanish and become unknown.
Being homeless does not mean being less human. Inability to afford a roof, food or clothes, or simply to shower does not change the fact that the individual is homeless. It does not change the fact that they have a name, a biological history and a heritage. We as humans have been conditioned through society to see the poor, the destitute as being less than human through a class system that has ruled for millennia.
We forget that what makes us human should be compassion, care, love, acceptance and kindness. None of these are found in our irritation in dealing with the beggars, destitute or homeless human beings or those we encounter in the present state they are in.
When we deal with these beautiful souls we should remember we as individuals are just one cataclysmic event away from being in their shoes, one event away from being troubled and in need of assistance, from being the one with the cardboard banner in hand.
How do I know? Thirteen years ago my family and I went through a set of combined circumstances, financial loss, familial abuse and other factors, and became destitute and homeless. We had to work three times as hard to regain our humanity and dignity to be where we are now. It was traumatic, anxiety-inducing, suffering and immensely sorrowful. Yet we overcame through the support of a few fortresses of love we encountered in human beings we met and knew.
The homeless person needs to be seen as a human being with a will of their own, a set of skills acquired in their lifetime, a human being with emotions. A familial history of their own and someone who, although in such terrible circumstances, still wants to decide their own destiny for themselves.
The homeless use alcohol, not only because they are supposedly drunks, but because it helps their bodies cope with the horrors of street life, the cold, the hard spaces they sleep on and, above all, their own sorrow and dealing with the judgements of humanity. Yes, many are addicted to drugs or substances. However much we frown on drug addicts and alcoholics, what about the abusers who are not homeless, who have jobs and live in homes? Do we differentiate our attitudes here as well?
Whose problem are the homeless? Government? Faith-based organisations? Welfare? Families? These are the questions that lead to debates, arguments and a fat load of nothing – silence, apathy, irritation.
The homeless are not a problem. The homeless are a concern and should be to every single breathing part of society. There is no way a collaboration of government, civil society and faith-based organisations, with the help of private funding, cannot assist and change the future outlook of those in this crisis, sleeping on the streets, very soon in the bitter cold of winter. Why has it not succeeded? Perhaps because the buck gets passed from one to the next and everyone denies their responsibility to make it better.
If everyone starts by treating them as human beings first by smiling, showing them they matter even if they do not have what we as society deem necessary to be important, to matter, then we already have stepped in the right direction. Acknowledgement of their existence.
Is it really that difficult to deal with the terrible sad reality of homelessness? Or, is it that we as human beings have lost our humanity and would rather not bother with what we see as a problem that must be removed from public spaces, out of our suburbs, away from our shops and businesses because it brings us shame and irritation, as those in this position are not what we would want the world to see. A spot or blemish that needs to eradicated, washed away.
Perhaps now is the time to find a solution, one that will bring and give people a sense of dignity, belonging and humanity. Whether a tent village with temporary ablutions or warehouse turned into a large overnight shelter or a few Wendys put up with beds and soup kitchen with ablution facilities. Whatever the option or solution, one must be sought. No more excuses will suffice.
Let us as society as a whole take the time to plan, discuss, seek and implement, together, a way to ensure the next time we mourn the loss of a person living on the streets we would have exhausted all avenues to solve this humanitarian crisis. I am willing. Are you? Reach out to me, let’s start the journey. I cannot do it alone.
