Thoughts of the Homeless
Sitting here at a diy skate spot in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Sweating. Thinking. About 100 yards from here is a bridge with tents under it. Another guy just got dropped off and he waved and asked how we were and walked past into the trees and brush to, no doubt, another tent ( at least I hope he has a tent). We have traveled all up and down the east coast this summer and visited with so many homeless people. There are many people who are in these situations. You have to be savvy to be homeless and survive. It is a hard life. Some are there because they choose to be, some have addictions that keeps them trapped in a cycle, others have just had a simple twist of fate and circumstances changed and they found themselves homeless. Whatever the reason we are all a simple step from being there ourselves. They are people, they feel hot, cold, pain, joy and sadness just like anyone else. They have needs. That may be a shirt, shoes, food, anything to help them have some comfort in their hard situations. Society treats them as a nuisance, but they are just like you and me. Smile and wave. Greet them with love. Make a difference in their day. Ask them if there is something they need that you can do for them. If they will let you do for them then do it. You may be the difference they need to raise them out of their situations. Love them. Let them know they have worth. Should we ignore them and look the other way? No. It breaks my heart. I can’t imagine we will be guiltless if we just walk on by because we are too busy going about our day. In Brooklyn I saw a guy passed out on the steps of a church. Just lying there in the middle of the day. People walked by and no one seemed to even notice. No one from the church opened the doors to see if they could help. We set the food we were carrying down beside him so he would see it when he woke up. In Birmingham I saw a woman who said a tornado took her house and babies. All she craved now was $5 to get her next fix. She tried to protect us from a guy who was so messed up all he could do was quote bible to us. She kept saying he would hurt us. He never tried a thing. We gave him a shirt and her time and a hug. We saw a guy that, for whatever reason, only wanted to sit in the park and drink beer even tho his wife and kids kept asking him to come home. We gave him encouragement. The point is not how much you give but, if you give what they need.
Below is a list of items that are helpful to anyone who finds themselves homeless:
- waterproof backpack
- ziploc bags
- waterproof tent
- sleeping bags (for specific climate)
- water wicking socks, under garments, clothes (dries quicker after handwashing)
- water bottle with filter (so they can refill anywhere and have clean water)
- gift cards to restaurants
- bus passes
- swiss army knife
- pillow/blanket
- poncho
- toiletries, hair brush, towel, wash rag (gender specific)
- clothing appropriate for the climate
- healthy snacks that are easy to open and eat (many homeless would not have a way to open a can without a pop top and some may not have teeth to chew hard items)
- camping/survival items
- membership to a 24 hour gym (so they can shower regular and be able to go somewhere to stay out of the bad weather)
- laundromat gift cards