“Being Homeless Is Exhausting”
by Scott Parker Church At The Park 2024
Scott, chaplain at Village of Hope, brought the above myth to some of the guests at VOH. Below is how that conversation went.
As a chaplain for an adult transitional shelter, I spend a lot of time with people experiencing homelessness and poverty. So, when asked for my opinion on common public perceptions of the homeless population, the logical thing was to step away from my computer (about ten feet) and ask some of them firsthand. At a nearby table, a small group of adults (“The Gang”) were gathering to wait for the daily meal.
ME: Hey everybody, I’m wondering if you can help me out?
THE GANG: (Eyeing me suspiciously) O-kaaaay....
ME: Somebody was asking me about the common perceptions and misconceptions about people who experience homelessness, and I’m interested in what you’ve experienced.
THE GANG: We’re experts in misconceptions about the homeless. Have a seat.
ME: Okay, so what comes to mind when you hear someone say “Homeless people just need to try harder.”
THE GANG: Two minutes of laughter
ME: So, it sounds like there’s another side to being homeless.
THE GANG: “I wish people understood how much work it takes to be homeless.”
“Absolutely. Just doing the basic functions take a huge part of my day”
“Like if I just want a shower. I have to sign up. And then wait.”
“So much waiting.”
“Whatever group is trying to help us, we’re at the mercy of their timeline. Just getting cleaned and dressed—that might take the whole morning.”
“It’s always three steps forward and four steps back. We leave all our possessions to go to a job interview, we come back and it’s all gone.”
“There’s a job, but it requires a driver’s license. I need $150 to reinstate my license to get a job. But I need a job to get the $150 to get my license.”
“Every day there’s something like that. There’s a joke about this guy whose dog goes insane. The guy named his dog ‘Stay’ and every night the guy goes on his porch and screams “Come here....STAY!”
Laughter
“Being homeless is EXACTLY like that. It takes everything just to survive, then there’s nothing left to get ahead. It’s not like we’re not trying.
“I don’t think people know that it costs MORE to be homeless.”“Yeah, we go through clothes faster than housed people. Your stuff is always getting wet and stolen.”
“And trying to eat—you go meal by meal. Fast food is expensive. It’s cheaper to buy groceries instead, but there’s no way to store food.”
“I’ve got a cooler, but that means buying ice”“But if you forget to watch the ice, it all melts and ruins your food.” “...And then you have to buy more food!”“Come here...STAY!”*more laughter”
“For me, it’s the lack of routine that makes it hard to get ahead. Just to get services or apply for work means I’m always following someone else’s schedule and way it’s supposed to be done and it’s always something different. It’s exhausting.”
“Being homeless IS exhausting. It kills my mental health, and then everything is just that much harder.”