Homelessness

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@tyme wrote:

You may not get the exact house in the exact place you want, but there's hope.

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That right there is the core of the problem, @tyme . A home is not a building. A house is a building; a home is made out of people.

I can't get inside the head of the people who might hear about me and judge me, but I think that most of them who look on me with displeasure (with regards to my living arrangements) just don't like my residential address, and they have this idea that if that address were to arbitrarily change, they'd be happier about me.

But my problem isn't anything to do with a building being appropriate or inappropriate; it's that I don't live with anyone who I connect with. I don't care about the damned building - I need to be transferred into an environment where I have a close-knit family of roommates! (ideally including a girlfriend/wife)

Sometimes I see footage in the news about refugee camps, or the massive homeless tent cities in places like LA or San Francisco, and I really wonder whether those people are better or worse off then me.

Yeah, they might be 'homeless', in the standard definition, but their surrounded by people who are all in the same boat as them. None of their neighbors judge them. Their all equal. I can't speak from experiance, but you'd think that being in that situation would breed at least some sense of "community".

I don't have a community.

And I can't see how arbitrarily changing my address, without any mind as to who is already living in that address, is likely to change that.

@chibam @tyme

I was at one of my community groups this morning and this unfamiliar male walks in and for some crazy reason I was open and honest.

I have my soap box when it comes to homelessness and he was so... it made me feel sick

TW: derogatory behaviour

When he starts talking about those who fit the stereotype of homeless, it doesn't include people like me, like you can transplant into a different house and a different place and magically everything would be ok again. Somehow you can get the perfect job and earn enough to get your own house, well I got on my soapbox and gave him what for.

I am getting a lot more confident with these conversations because they take the same kind of format, homeless, family, job.

Well lets say I scared him off. He asked why I couldn't be with my family, and I was blatantly honest and he said "really?" and I tore him a new one, asking if he thinks I would lie about something that serious.

I am actually quite well adjusted and don't come across as the homeless stereotype and I like to think I challenged his thinking today because he left with his tail between his legs.

Kudos to you @avant-garde ,

I'm glad you were able to stand up to this person. These harmful stereotypes can be so damaging.

Whilst he left with is tail between his legs, I'm guess you felt empowered?

Hope you are okay 🙂

@tyme

I was glad I was brave enough to be honest, but it hurts to be that honest and it is such a strong reminder of what I had to escape from... everything that happened... and I hate the reminders... why is it that stories like mine need to be shared for people to realise...

And it sort of feels that the more you do it, the better you will get at it @avant-garde

It won't always be smooth sailing, but if that is what helps you have a voice, then it's worth it, right?

@tyme

I rarely regret telling it, it is voices like mine that need to be heard, so that the next voice is more accepted

TW: Christian

If not for me, then for them.

Thank you for sharing @avant-garde and also adding that TW. That really helps 🙂

What you have done is so impressive. You should see the smile on my face 🙂

@tyme

how is it impressive? I don't understand

In that you were able to be so assertive and then to come back and share it with us so that the community (including me) can feel empowered to do something similar if we cross paths with such a situation @avant-garde

Sorry if I'm not making sense.

Hey @Dimity you may want to read this thread