Homelessness for me is deeply personal. It can affect anyone, and often affects families more than we know (See my previous post). Many of us may know someone who has been or will become homeless. As a teenager who was homeless, I remember the feeling of shame that I felt living in that situation. I was afraid and intentionally hid it as best as I could. I felt “invisible” and tried to be “invisible”. I feel many people who are homeless feel invisible to society.
They feel that society avoids “seeing” or acknowledging them. One reason I believe individuals in society avoid “seeing” them is to not deal with the complex emotions that arise knowing that a fellow human is living an inhumane existence. I feel that one of the first steps for us as a society to address homelessness is to really “see” those people. See them and acknowledge to ourselves that they are a living breathing person just like us, a fellow human being.
