To be honest, it is rare that one conversation will change the life of the person that has been living with the trauma that goes along with homelessness. Imagine their daily life.
In most cases if they got any sleep it was light. While it sometimes seems that they can be hard to wake up, they are sleeping in an alert state. If your approach sounded like a threat, they would be up in a heartbeat. How do you feel when you have a restless night? My energy level is drained. My thinking is a bit cloudy at best. My nutrition suffers because I am eating and drinking anything that will give me a quick shot of energy. As long as things go smoothly I can operate with few being aware of my weakened state of mind. However, in that state I am typically less able to adjust to the unexpected. For those living in homelessness very little of life is predictable.
Once awakened the person that is homeless must figure out the food situation. In many communities the knowledge of soup kitchens is well known by folks on the streets. Quickly, they know the better dining establishments and they share that information easily. Information on shelters and food comes along with an evaluation of the services. Many will add their own commentary on the programs and how they would run them if they were given the chance. If they are not staying at a shelter they will often disparage those that are leading the programs as well as the idiots that are staying at the shelter. If you are new to the community you will take in the information and wonder if this is a trustworthy person. The wise ask themselves if they follow the advice of this person where will I be in a year?
Your source can also communicate where they can go for alcohol, drugs and more. A Payton Place world exists and if you are homeless you can discover who the easy marks are to get all sorts of help and who to avoid. The gossip will overwhelm you to such an extent that you will want to take a nap. Your faithful source can give you some insight into where you might do that safely. Remember though that they are looking out for themselves so choose wisely who you will believe. It might be a trap.
Throughout your day of homelessness, you will also need to figure out bathroom issues. Often times city parks have facilities, but they are locked at specific times. Outside of parks you will need to look around for secluded areas where you can take care of business. But what do you do for toilet paper? Oh well it doesn’t really matter anyway. Often this is the compromise that reveals that you have lost hope.
If you are fortunate assorted people will stop and hand you food or money. You will notice the pity in their eyes. Their look mean well but you feel shame. There was a time when you looked at others like that. The good news is that most will avert their gaze from you so you won’t feel the shame but you really would like to get a sandwich.
With little to occupy your time you get time to reflect on your life. Many will remember good times before the final crisis that got them to the streets. Sports fame, maybe head cheerleader or maybe a failed marriage or being fired from a job. The memories are strong and you will swing back and forth between intense blame on others swinging to self-hatred. Initially the emotions are strong but the longer you live on the streets the more stoic you become. Suddenly, you simply accept your fate. “I must be destined for this life.”
The poverty fighter must focus on giving hope to the lost here. A simple offer of comfort and stability seems like a no brainer. But for the person on the street they are acclimated to the streets and coming in will break that acclimation like going inside on a cold day makes going out much more difficult.
