Labeling the Homeless …
We are not all the same.
Not all homeless people are "drunks, or addicts". I am currently homeless and I do not drink or do drugs. There are a variety of reasons for being homeless and not all of them have to do with drinking or drugs. Yes some may be where they are due to personal addictions but there are more out there due to mental illness. Major changes in their lives they had no control over like the loss of their jobs, divorce or unexpected loss of a loved one they were very close to. Depression is a very big illness and not everyone can afford the therapy or medicine to help.
I applaud Nashville for all it has done to help the homeless. Mostly for medical help and some of the meds needed. But the one thing I’m not sure of is, is there a way (for some of us that need the help) to get around out there. The one van I know of that is available right now is going to be terminated here shortly. That would help us get to our Dr appointments or maybe a job interview. Most of us have limited or no income. So yes a bus pass or public van would be grateful.
Take a good look around, not all crime can be passed on to the homeless. We are good targets and for the most part can’t defend ourselves. I don’t mind that we are being looked at but can someone say something good, NO. Why, because if you tell someone long enough they are useless and good for nothing they will begin to believe it. I for one believe I am a good person, and if I believed what the mass public said about me I would be in the gutter most people want to put me in just because I am homeless.
I have been to the women’s mission and was grateful for the bed and food, but to tell the truth I would much rather be on the street or in a tent. The strife going on in the mission is almost too much to take for most people, when I was there it seemed to me no one wanted to help me in the right direction to move forward. But I had some friends who pointed me in the direction of the Campus for Human Development and they did point me in the direction I needed to get some of the help I needed.
As for tent city yes I’m sure it could use a dumpster and yes I believe the people there would use it. They may not be the best dressed but for the most part they do like to be clean. These people are not all bad and if you took the time to get to know some of them you would see that.
I am still homeless but I am working on getting my life back in order so I can be a productive citizen here in Nashville. I’m not sure there is a good reason for being homeless but I hope not everyone is so shallow as to think we are where we want to be.
I am female, homeless, and have a mental illness. But I am a good person and with the right help can function in society. I refuse to be lumped up or labeled, you may not like my situation but I am a human being. The only difference between you and me is you have a home, what you do is behind closed doors and no one can see your issues. There is not one perfect person out there. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” I have been told a very important person said that, I wonder who that was?
Respectfully,
Cathy
Homeless in Nashville
