This is the seventh post in an 8 part series on being homeless, by a guest author who goes by the name Dreamscaper. It’s my honor to share his story with my readers.
I never once begged on the street for money. I wish I did. If I was homeless again in the future I probably would. Easier than what I went through.
1. If you see someone that looks hungry, buy them a good meal. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A few burgers from the $.99 menu does the trick. When you are hungry and don’t know when your next meal will be from having someone give you something nice and warm is nice.
2. If you have a couple bucks, give it to them. People don’t like this because “they’ll just blow it on booze”. Who cares what they spend the money on? I think if I ever became homeless again I’d booze it up to help kill the pain of what daily life was like.
3. If you are more giving, why not buy the person a meal and find out what they need. Maybe they might need a new pair of shoes or a backpack or a blanket or…there is a lot of stuff people could use. You could probably go to a thrift store and find something perfect for them that would make their life a lot easier. I think I would have been happy if someone bought me a notebook and a pen. Nobody offered. That notebook and pen would have made life easier for its lifespan because I needed it.
4. Don’t judge. There are professional homeless people who make good money begging. But people like me exist that was having a hard time. It’s easy to roll up your windows when a homeless person is around and hard to actually care because there are so many. But if you help just one person that could be a big deal to them as they figure out how to survive the day.
Next Week – Final thoughts
It can happen to anyone. I don’t know where people get the idea from that the homeless are lazy. I’ll remember your advice about what to give.