by Jeff Stepper

Created on: April 08, 2007   Last Updated: February 03, 2008

There is no "solution" for homelessness. That being said; let me explain why. There are individuals out there who are homeless as a lifestyle choice and who are we to say how another should live as long as he isn't hurting anyone else? The best we can hope for is to allow those who want off the streets a way out.

As a former homeless person myself, the biggest problem that I saw with ending homelessness for those who want to is the way that the homeless are treated by society in general, and the police in particular. The way that they are treated is totally discriminatory. Someone that I was talking to the other day equated it to what others must feel when they are being discriminated against, like minorities. I had never really thought of it that way, but I think she is probably right.

Before I became homeless, I was fairly successful. I had the house, the new car, etc. I was filled with confidence, walked around with my head held high. The world was my oyster. Then, I lost it all. I was still confident that this was a temporary situation and that I would get out of it in a short time, and even if I didn't, I had enough self-confidence to know that no matter what happened, I would be okay.

Then after spending a couple of years as a third-class citizen, my confidence had been shattered. I no longer walked on the sidewalks, but rather preferred walking through the alleys so as not to be noticed. One day as I was walking by a big window, I happened to look at my reflection and I was amazed at what I saw. I was now walking hunched over so as to make myself smaller and less noticeable. I went from being on top of the world to wanting to be invisible in a relatively short time. This is reality for the folks that are homeless.

When someone wants to portray the homeless in a relatively good light, (to get money for one program or another), they show the family with the little children who are living in their car. On the other side, when some organization wants to enact harsher legislation against the homeless, they show the wino sitting on the sidewalk panhandling with a paper sack in his hand that you know contains some sort of alcoholic beverage. Both these pictures are correct. There are people living in their cars with little children, and there are winos on the sidewalk panhandling. The reason for the latter is because that particular person has given up because society has given up on them.

One thing that needs to happen is that the public and the police need to

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