Homelessness but not without hope.

This is something I am passionate about because I have myself been affected by this recession to a point where I was homeless at one point also.

I ended up homeless for about five months, it really makes you want to cry when you spend your eighteenth birthday on the street. Now don’t get it twisted, I didn’t end up homeless because of drugs, it happened because of the fact is my Mom is disabled, and can no longer work.

So when the paychecks stopped and when the SSD was in the air we had to resort to selling anything and everything to get the rent paid, soon though we ran out of things to sell, and we were evicted from our apartment.

Homelessness is something that really messes with someone’s pride, I mean I can’t tell you how many times I was hungry but refused to ask for money because I didn’t want to become hopeless.

The services are there but are limited beyond belief, how so is because most Salvation Army Shelters are set up for women only, and only become available when cold weather rolls around. And that’s in-between October and February.

But the good question is what to do in the mean time? Sleeping on the streets can not only get you arrested but also dead. Did you know it’s a crime to pick through a garbage can to find bottles for recycling? I sure didn’t but I guess I learned the hard way.

As for work based help, even though it’s there please tell me how many burger kings hire a homeless to work for them? Zero, that’s how many.

And because of the lack of help when it comes to getting a job, homeless people have to resort to emergency food stamps. But still that doesn’t help if you want a razor, toilet paper, or anything non-food related.

The churches do help and god bless them, I went homeless in San Bernardino, and gratefully thanks to people like Ms, Ruby at the San Bernardino city mission, and to also The Way church, I was able to keep food in my stomach and keep going.

I count myself lucky because I was able to pull myself out of the mess and now live in a one bedroom apartment with my mom, I also have a job too. But then I think back to the many people I met who had Collage degrees, and even this one lady work on the patriot missiles.

But they ended up homeless, and most wont ever see a home in their name again sadly.

I guess what I’m trying to say is have a open heart, I’m not saying give money to the homeless because there is a lot with addictions. But if they say that they are hungry take them to Mc’ Donald’s and buy them something, if winter is rolling around buy someone a blanket.

You will never believe how much that means to someone in the end.

Till Next time - Josh