Welcome To My Home
Yep, the vehicle above is where I live - it's a 2002 Mercury Sable that just reached 50 thousand miles on it this past November. I've owned it since July of 2006, (inherited from my Mother after she passed in June of 2006). The pix above is not MY car, (got it off the Internet), but it looks exactly like mine. It's in great shape and I would just as soon die in my car than sell it or trade it in for something else.
This isn't the first time I've had to live in my car-
I also lived in it when I lived in California. That was Thanksgiving 2008 and I was actually working at the time. I only lived in my car for a week back then, but it left me feeling just as dismal as it does this time around. But as dismal I may feel being without a home and also a job, I am so VERY blessed to have a car! Most people would be quite shocked to find out just how many people are living in their cars and most of these people that do are clean, sober and going to a job every day! They're no different than you except for the fact that for whatever reason, they can't find affordable housing.
WHY?
I just don't understand why society chooses to be so indifferent and apathetic towards the homeless?
First, I want to define exactly what indifferent and apathetic means -
- in·dif·fer·ent -
Definition of INDIFFERENT
1: marked by impartiality : unbiased
2 a : that does not matter one way or the other
b : of no importance or value one way or the other
3 a : marked by no special liking for or dislike of something <indifferent about which task he was given> b : marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern for something : apathetic <indifferent to suffering and poverty>
4 : being neither excessive nor inadequate : moderate <hills of indifferent size>
5 a : being neither good nor bad : mediocre <does indifferent work>
b : being neither right nor wrong
6 : characterized by lack of active quality : neutral <an indifferent chemical>
7 a : not differentiated <indifferent tissues of the human body>
b : capable of development in more than one direction; especially : not yet embryologically
- ap·a·thet·ic -
1: having or showing little or no feeling or emotion : spiritless
2 : having little or no interest or concern : indifferent
So there ya have it -
indifference and apathy are basically siblings to one another, going out into the world hand-in-hand keeping a safe distance from compassion, empathy and actively caring about the homeless as they straddle the fence of impartiality. They neither condemn nor condone. They don't dismiss nor do they engage. And they certainly don't/won't embrace the homeless nor will they blatantly exclude them, (although some folks do exactly that).
What works against the homeless is the stigma attached to being homeless -
most people still adhere to the belief that the majority of homeless folks are drunkards, drug addicts, filthy dirty and basically rather dangerous to be around and the sad fact is, yes, some are just that. But many of them are no different than you or me, living in cars like mine above!!
Sure, society slows down long enough to toss out some spare change and offer up bed mats and sandwiches, but the majority of the working class don't even want to see the homeless let alone sit down and talk to them or let's take it even further, offer them a place to live.
Ask the average person on the street how they view the homeless and how they feel about the plight of the homeless and you'll meet with furrowed brows, frowny scowls and impatient cynicism. People just don't like strangers intruding upon their safe space and asking/begging for some spare change or a couple bucks. They don't want to contribute to a drunk's next bottle or a drug addict's next dope score!
I don't blame them, neither do I.
And some homeless people are even kinda scary, their hands might be unclean with cuts and sores, their tattered clothes, ill-fitting, not washed in ages, dull, dirty hair not combed and they can be kinda pushy at times too.
I've been alarmed by a few in my lifetime as well.
Things is -
there is a new face of homeless out there and it's an honest, hard-working clean and sober face with hands just as empty as the not-so-clean hands that belong to the drunk and druggie. These new homeless have children as well and just like me, they never, (in their wildest dreams), thought they would end up without that safe haven that so many people take for granted.... called H-O-M-E.
I am going to keep on writing about it and working on solutions to present to someone, somewhere, some time down the road to hopefully turn things around. The government has turned it's back and the churches are literally breaking their backs to meet the need and many just can't!
The answer is in affordable housing and with so many empty homes and businesses out there -
there is a solution/hope, (if people want it bad enough).
If we would just get off that fence of indifference and explore the possibilities we might find a way to safe-gaurd YOUR plight against homelessness in the future.
And I'm not talking about hand-outs here, I'm talking about a hand UP!!!
And that is what this blog is dedicated to -
the HOMELESS and I shall devote as much time, energy and faith as needed to opening people's diverted eyes and shut up hearts to joining together and bringing the new homeless back to a place they can call HOME!!
So there ya have it -
indifference and apathy are basically siblings to one another, going out into the world hand-in-hand keeping a safe distance from compassion, empathy and actively caring about the homeless as they straddle the fence of impartiality. They neither condemn nor condone. They don't dismiss nor do they engage. And they certainly don't/won't embrace the homeless nor will they blatantly exclude them, (although some folks do exactly that).
What works against the homeless is the stigma attached to being homeless -
most people still adhere to the belief that the majority of homeless folks are drunkards, drug addicts, filthy dirty and basically rather dangerous to be around and the sad fact is, yes, some are just that. But many of them are no different than you or me, living in cars like mine above!!
Sure, society slows down long enough to toss out some spare change and offer up bed mats and sandwiches, but the majority of the working class don't even want to see the homeless let alone sit down and talk to them or let's take it even further, offer them a place to live.
Ask the average person on the street how they view the homeless and how they feel about the plight of the homeless and you'll meet with furrowed brows, frowny scowls and impatient cynicism. People just don't like strangers intruding upon their safe space and asking/begging for some spare change or a couple bucks. They don't want to contribute to a drunk's next bottle or a drug addict's next dope score!
I don't blame them, neither do I.
And some homeless people are even kinda scary, their hands might be unclean with cuts and sores, their tattered clothes, ill-fitting, not washed in ages, dull, dirty hair not combed and they can be kinda pushy at times too.
I've been alarmed by a few in my lifetime as well.
Things is -
there is a new face of homeless out there and it's an honest, hard-working clean and sober face with hands just as empty as the not-so-clean hands that belong to the drunk and druggie. These new homeless have children as well and just like me, they never, (in their wildest dreams), thought they would end up without that safe haven that so many people take for granted.... called H-O-M-E.
I am going to keep on writing about it and working on solutions to present to someone, somewhere, some time down the road to hopefully turn things around. The government has turned it's back and the churches are literally breaking their backs to meet the need and many just can't!
The answer is in affordable housing and with so many empty homes and businesses out there -
there is a solution/hope, (if people want it bad enough).
If we would just get off that fence of indifference and explore the possibilities we might find a way to safe-gaurd YOUR plight against homelessness in the future.
And I'm not talking about hand-outs here, I'm talking about a hand UP!!!
And that is what this blog is dedicated to -
the HOMELESS and I shall devote as much time, energy and faith as needed to opening people's diverted eyes and shut up hearts to joining together and bringing the new homeless back to a place they can call HOME!!
