"Study hard what interests you the most in the most undiscipined, irreverent and original manner possible." -Richard P. Feynman
I was homeless for 24 hours. And then I walked back to campus, back into the dorms, changed, and it was over.
I only experienced a brief glipse into the life of a homeless person this weekend; but my perspectives have been radically changed because of it. (P.S. I love the word radical.)
Two friends and I voluntarily went homeless for the weekend to try and gain a better perspective into the realities here in Redding. We took no money with us; I brought a small backpack with a water bottle, extra sweatshirt, journal, my I.D., and a cell phone for safety. I'll try and share a few relevant stories to the insights that I've gained. Although to be honest, I'm struggling with how to even write what I'm feeling.
We started off Saturday just before noon. Beginning near Little Country Church, we started walking with the end goal of Safeway on Cypress. Not a lot happened through that leg of the journey, but we found three pennies! Which we ended up giving away to another homeless man asking everyone he passed for any spare change. Guess we didn't look scruffy enough to look like we didn't have anything! After rummaging through a recycling bin behind Safeway, we constructed a couple of signs to use to panhandle on the corner of Cypress and S Market. Nearly everything we were given we recieved within the first half an hour; the last hour we weren't given a thing. Three different cars gave money, and two others gave food. It was really interesting to watch how people reacted to us, and then realize that that's exactly how I've reacted before. You could sense when people were uncomfortable and were trying to engage in something else, and you could tell almost right away when people were going to give. The most interesting to me was when people offered the food that they had, they were almost surprised that we took it. A guy gave us an untouched half sandwhich in a to-go box, and a young teen girl and her friend gave us $5 and a small (but delicious!) pastry. They touched me the most, as they obviously wanted to do or say more but didn't know what to do or say. Another thing I noticed is that the people who gave were not the ones who looked like they had the most money. In total, we made $14, were given half a sandwhich, a small pastry, and a little packet of cookies. (We plan on giving the $14 to the mission.)
A homeless man ended up approaching us wondering how much longer we were going to be there, so shortly thereafter we moved on, figuring it must have been his normal spot/shift. We ended up giving him the sandwhich since we had "just eaten recently."
This part of the experience was definitely better having others with me. I can't imagine how lonely and shameful I would have felt sitting there by myself.
We then went to the park and just kicked it for an hourish until it started to get cold and then headed to the mission. It was only about 4pm when it started to get chilly, but we wanted to engage in conversation with homeless people anyways, so we figured we'd get there early before dinner at 5:30.
At this point I began to realize that there isn't a lot to do when you're homeless!
Staying at the mission. Wow. WOW. THIS experience in itself was the most life changing part of the weekend. I had the privilege of meeting and talking with a handful of women. While we may not have had a ton in common, they are still amazing people. I spent the majority of the evening with three women, friends who had found each other through their circumstances. Even though they are homeless, they are still just like any other pair of friends! They laughed with each other, talked about things women talk about, gossiped about other women at the mission (LOL), and were just like any other group of friends.
The one who will stay with me the most, however, was the woman who slept next to us. Donna. Donna recently moved from Portland with her fiance for a new start. I don't know much else about her story, but dang. That lady. She had SUCH an incredible joyful spirit about her! I felt like I was at a sleepover, cracking jokes back and forth and whatnot. Donna shared with us how she has such a compassionate heart, and just wishes she could help everyone she meets. She wants to help make their lives better. She knows that someone out there has it worse than her, and for them she is sad and wants to help! Donna told us that it has been important for her to hold on to joy and humor in her situation; she knew that if she didn't keep this with her, it would be so easy to get depressed in her circumstances. This was actually something all three groups/people I talked with said! Humor and joy was a very important thing for them to keep.
While I said that it felt almost like a sleepover and that I enjoyed it, it's important to remember that this is their life. It's not fun and games. Every night, they have to go check in and be assigned to a mat, and get their bag of bedding. They share the room with upwards of 30 women, with lights out time at 9pm and early lights on at 5:45am. And we were by far the youngest women in the group staying the night. The average age was probably mid 40s.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early and had breakfast. By 7am, everyone is supposed to be out of the mission. (We speculated this was to encourage them to go find work and talk with managers and such, to help give them a headstart for the day.) We went outside and almost instantly our noses hurt because it was so cold. Instead of standing around for 45 minutes when the bus from Bethel was to come, we decided to walk it out. It was 30 degrees F that night, and it did not feel much warmer by 7am! After loitering in Safeway for almost an hour, we headed back to the mission to catch the bus.
We found out this is something Bethel does every Sunday. They shuttle people from the mission to church, where there is coffee (hallelujiah) and breakfast, and they can stay for the service after if they would like. It was still bitter cold out when the shuttle got there, and even for shuttle round two, not everyone fit on the bus and van. But when we were in line to get on, the men who stayed at the mission made sure we as women got on first. Just because they are homeless, does not mean they have lost a sense of respect or chivalry! I was absolutely humbled.
On the bus, I ended up sittin next to a 22 year old guy named Zachariah. He is an aspiring rapper from Minneappolis who goes by the stage name Lyrico. He had a few songs/remixes recorded on his phone which I listened to on the way to church-- and he has talent! I honestly wish I could listen to his songs again where it wasn't so loud and I could better hear the lyrics. He wrote from his life experiences; it was beautiful. My favorite song was a remix to Listen to Your Heart. He shared with me the backstory to this song, in which he wrote when he was literally dying. It was when his daughter was born, and his body was actually dying from the drugs he was on--crack, meth, and bath salts--and he was ashamed of where his life had taken him. Yep, you read that right. I got a little nervous at that point, but I could tell that this guy was actually working on getting his life together and I would be ok. He told me that writing songs was his release, and helped him stay sane. I hope one day I can buy his album!
These are just a few of the brief stories from my weekend and the people I met. In the end, my time on the streets did not actually show me the true struggles of a homeless person. If I had spent even a week instead of just a few days, I still would not have known. At the end of the day, I have a home to go to. I know that I will be able to get warm, and I have a place to call my own. I don't know what it feels like to not know where I will be sleeping, or to feel dehumanized over and over again.
But what I did learn, as cheesy as it sounds, is that homeless people are people too. They have the same wants and needs as I do. They get by with some humor, and a little help from friends. Instead of not being sure how to act around homelessness, I am excited with this new insight. I'm excited to be able to bridge that gap and treat them as I would anyone else I pass! As Maya Angelou said, "When you know better, you do better."
Everyone is struggling with something; don't be afraid to reach out a hand up. You can't solve the worlds problems, but you can help one person!
"The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can." -Robert Cushing
//
Just some current thoughts:
Right now I'm in my room, on my bed, in MY space. It's almost 6 o'clock, which means that they are having dinner at the mission right now. Today and yesterday have been emotionally challening. I look at the clock and wonder what all of the people I met are doing. Are they warm? Are they fed? Why do I get to be at school during the day, while they wander around, maybe looking for work or trying to get money, or just trying to find something to do to pass the time. I have the security of knowing I can go inside and not get kicked out for loitering. When I'm cold, I have means to get warm. Why have I been blessed with the privileges I have?? It doesn't seem right for me to be here while they are still on the streets, or at the mission. It's not fair. I feel like I've abandoned them.
I was homeless for 24 hours. And then I walked back to campus, back into the dorms, changed, and it was over.
I only experienced a brief glipse into the life of a homeless person this weekend; but my perspectives have been radically changed because of it. (P.S. I love the word radical.)
Two friends and I voluntarily went homeless for the weekend to try and gain a better perspective into the realities here in Redding. We took no money with us; I brought a small backpack with a water bottle, extra sweatshirt, journal, my I.D., and a cell phone for safety. I'll try and share a few relevant stories to the insights that I've gained. Although to be honest, I'm struggling with how to even write what I'm feeling.
We started off Saturday just before noon. Beginning near Little Country Church, we started walking with the end goal of Safeway on Cypress. Not a lot happened through that leg of the journey, but we found three pennies! Which we ended up giving away to another homeless man asking everyone he passed for any spare change. Guess we didn't look scruffy enough to look like we didn't have anything! After rummaging through a recycling bin behind Safeway, we constructed a couple of signs to use to panhandle on the corner of Cypress and S Market. Nearly everything we were given we recieved within the first half an hour; the last hour we weren't given a thing. Three different cars gave money, and two others gave food. It was really interesting to watch how people reacted to us, and then realize that that's exactly how I've reacted before. You could sense when people were uncomfortable and were trying to engage in something else, and you could tell almost right away when people were going to give. The most interesting to me was when people offered the food that they had, they were almost surprised that we took it. A guy gave us an untouched half sandwhich in a to-go box, and a young teen girl and her friend gave us $5 and a small (but delicious!) pastry. They touched me the most, as they obviously wanted to do or say more but didn't know what to do or say. Another thing I noticed is that the people who gave were not the ones who looked like they had the most money. In total, we made $14, were given half a sandwhich, a small pastry, and a little packet of cookies. (We plan on giving the $14 to the mission.)
A homeless man ended up approaching us wondering how much longer we were going to be there, so shortly thereafter we moved on, figuring it must have been his normal spot/shift. We ended up giving him the sandwhich since we had "just eaten recently."
This part of the experience was definitely better having others with me. I can't imagine how lonely and shameful I would have felt sitting there by myself.
We then went to the park and just kicked it for an hourish until it started to get cold and then headed to the mission. It was only about 4pm when it started to get chilly, but we wanted to engage in conversation with homeless people anyways, so we figured we'd get there early before dinner at 5:30.
At this point I began to realize that there isn't a lot to do when you're homeless!
Staying at the mission. Wow. WOW. THIS experience in itself was the most life changing part of the weekend. I had the privilege of meeting and talking with a handful of women. While we may not have had a ton in common, they are still amazing people. I spent the majority of the evening with three women, friends who had found each other through their circumstances. Even though they are homeless, they are still just like any other pair of friends! They laughed with each other, talked about things women talk about, gossiped about other women at the mission (LOL), and were just like any other group of friends.
The one who will stay with me the most, however, was the woman who slept next to us. Donna. Donna recently moved from Portland with her fiance for a new start. I don't know much else about her story, but dang. That lady. She had SUCH an incredible joyful spirit about her! I felt like I was at a sleepover, cracking jokes back and forth and whatnot. Donna shared with us how she has such a compassionate heart, and just wishes she could help everyone she meets. She wants to help make their lives better. She knows that someone out there has it worse than her, and for them she is sad and wants to help! Donna told us that it has been important for her to hold on to joy and humor in her situation; she knew that if she didn't keep this with her, it would be so easy to get depressed in her circumstances. This was actually something all three groups/people I talked with said! Humor and joy was a very important thing for them to keep.
While I said that it felt almost like a sleepover and that I enjoyed it, it's important to remember that this is their life. It's not fun and games. Every night, they have to go check in and be assigned to a mat, and get their bag of bedding. They share the room with upwards of 30 women, with lights out time at 9pm and early lights on at 5:45am. And we were by far the youngest women in the group staying the night. The average age was probably mid 40s.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early and had breakfast. By 7am, everyone is supposed to be out of the mission. (We speculated this was to encourage them to go find work and talk with managers and such, to help give them a headstart for the day.) We went outside and almost instantly our noses hurt because it was so cold. Instead of standing around for 45 minutes when the bus from Bethel was to come, we decided to walk it out. It was 30 degrees F that night, and it did not feel much warmer by 7am! After loitering in Safeway for almost an hour, we headed back to the mission to catch the bus.
We found out this is something Bethel does every Sunday. They shuttle people from the mission to church, where there is coffee (hallelujiah) and breakfast, and they can stay for the service after if they would like. It was still bitter cold out when the shuttle got there, and even for shuttle round two, not everyone fit on the bus and van. But when we were in line to get on, the men who stayed at the mission made sure we as women got on first. Just because they are homeless, does not mean they have lost a sense of respect or chivalry! I was absolutely humbled.
On the bus, I ended up sittin next to a 22 year old guy named Zachariah. He is an aspiring rapper from Minneappolis who goes by the stage name Lyrico. He had a few songs/remixes recorded on his phone which I listened to on the way to church-- and he has talent! I honestly wish I could listen to his songs again where it wasn't so loud and I could better hear the lyrics. He wrote from his life experiences; it was beautiful. My favorite song was a remix to Listen to Your Heart. He shared with me the backstory to this song, in which he wrote when he was literally dying. It was when his daughter was born, and his body was actually dying from the drugs he was on--crack, meth, and bath salts--and he was ashamed of where his life had taken him. Yep, you read that right. I got a little nervous at that point, but I could tell that this guy was actually working on getting his life together and I would be ok. He told me that writing songs was his release, and helped him stay sane. I hope one day I can buy his album!
These are just a few of the brief stories from my weekend and the people I met. In the end, my time on the streets did not actually show me the true struggles of a homeless person. If I had spent even a week instead of just a few days, I still would not have known. At the end of the day, I have a home to go to. I know that I will be able to get warm, and I have a place to call my own. I don't know what it feels like to not know where I will be sleeping, or to feel dehumanized over and over again.
But what I did learn, as cheesy as it sounds, is that homeless people are people too. They have the same wants and needs as I do. They get by with some humor, and a little help from friends. Instead of not being sure how to act around homelessness, I am excited with this new insight. I'm excited to be able to bridge that gap and treat them as I would anyone else I pass! As Maya Angelou said, "When you know better, you do better."
Everyone is struggling with something; don't be afraid to reach out a hand up. You can't solve the worlds problems, but you can help one person!
"The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can." -Robert Cushing
//
Just some current thoughts:
Right now I'm in my room, on my bed, in MY space. It's almost 6 o'clock, which means that they are having dinner at the mission right now. Today and yesterday have been emotionally challening. I look at the clock and wonder what all of the people I met are doing. Are they warm? Are they fed? Why do I get to be at school during the day, while they wander around, maybe looking for work or trying to get money, or just trying to find something to do to pass the time. I have the security of knowing I can go inside and not get kicked out for loitering. When I'm cold, I have means to get warm. Why have I been blessed with the privileges I have?? It doesn't seem right for me to be here while they are still on the streets, or at the mission. It's not fair. I feel like I've abandoned them.
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