Tents, Tarps, and Tears

The plight of the homeless is one not easily understood. Characterized in Hollywood as the affable drunk (Otis in The Andy Griffith Show), the vigilante without a conscience (Hobo with a Shotgun), or the suicidal yet misunderstood bum with a heart of gold (Jerry in Down and Out in Beverly Hills), most people view the homeless as one-dimensional and easily dismissed. The truth is much more complex.


The majority of the long-term homeless had at one point in their lives families and jobs. They fell within the parameters of what society deems normal. Many of these men and women battled issues such as depression, mental illness, alcoholism, addiction, and abuse until they could no longer maintain what we consider the simple day to day operations of life.


Some ended up homeless through no fault of their own at all. Corporate downsizing. Mortgage bailouts. Extended health issues.  These events, however, almost always result in short-term homelessness. In these instances, the homeless are more willing to stay in shelters, find less than ideal work, or stay with relatives. They are victims of circumstance and many will rebound within a year.


Others, though, even those who've never even struggled with addiction, find the lure of alcohol and drugs on the streets is a necessary coping mechanism. There are those who can walk away from the underground lifestyle without a second glance as they resume their lives. Others, however, are not as fortunate. The demon addiction is a powerful one, and many will never again be truly free and will spend the rest of their lives in and out of homeless camps, craving and despising the fallacy of freedom on the streets.


The McKinney-Vento Act, a little known piece of federal legislation since the late 1980's, has nine titles and addresses homeless issues such as shelters, education, food, and healthcare. In classifying homelessness, the act defines homeless as "individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence." This definition was primarily used to identify and protect children who may be denied the rights to a free and public education due to a lack of paperwork. The act further describes the definition as "children sharing housing due to economic hardship," "children living in motels, hotels, RV parks, or campgrounds," "children living in emergency shelters," "children awaiting foster care placement," and  "children living in cars, abandoned buildings, substandard housing..".


While the expounded translation of homelessness applies to children here, it opens our eyes to a whole new subset of homelessness. We are not just looking at the proverbial drunk guy in the alleyway, but a whole society of those considered homeless under this scope. With extended families sharing living quarters, families residing in RV parks and camper trailers, and an increasing number of "couch surfers" in the United States, this statistical data of homelessness according to this definition is exponentially increased.


Whether an individual is considered homeless by this definition or is deemed a "literal" homeless (i.e. residing in a car, tent, or shelter), there are many groups and organizations designed to help. The government has made great strides in recent years to eradicate homelessness and many churches, civic organizations, and even individuals have found homelessness to be a worthy cause.


My blog is my day to day journey in a homeless ministry. Each day I encounter many tents, tarps, and tears. All of the names are changed but the events are real,  even the most absurd ones like the time Bailey refused to leave her cat behind when she went to visit her boyfriend in the hospital. The cat was clawing and meowing its way up Bailey's zipped jacket as she steadfastly denied having a cat while the doc kept insisting "NO PETS ALLOWED IN THE SURGICAL AREA!"


Homelessness is real. At times shocking, and at others, surprisingly normal. The complexity of homelessness lies in the fact that these are real people with real problems and real feelings. We've all heard the saying Life ain't easy! For many of the homeless, though, life itself feels like a death sentence.