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Share Your Thoughts on the Reasons People Become Homeless

Why do people become homeless?

From the lens Some Reasons People Become Homeless.

  • GillianHayes May 21, 2012 @ 6:25 pm | delete
    Very informative. Thank you.
  • CRK May 21, 2012 @ 2:15 pm | delete
    I've been homeless more than once. So I know my situation and have seen a few others of other homeless people. If you can't find a job and have no way to pay rent and you either don't have family or your family kicks you out then you become homeless. We live in a society that values money and people with money. If you don't have money you don't have value. I've known lots of people with substance abuse issues, mental illness,etc and they didn't become homeless because they had money or someone to put up with them or both. But alot of the people on the street have substance abuse issues and mental health problems and have no one to put up with them and either no money, no enough money, or a mismanagement of their money based on their problems. The shelters have limited space, are usually for men, and have strict rules. So that leaves everyone else out. The solutions are to value people over money, equity in hiring, living wages, and ways to live without money such as bringing back homesteading.
  • Interesting May 11, 2012 @ 10:12 am | delete
    I think that the part about religious families being the reason for youth homelessness is kind of creating a stereotype around religious people. I think you'll find a lot of help is given from charitable organisations run by religious people. Not to mention that in most religions it is the belief that you should love all and treat all equally although this isn’t always the case. I'm not denying the argument, just offering a counter argument. Having come from a religious family who would accept me whatever my religion, but experienced homelessness (sofa surfing) from family breakdown. In my experience youth homelessness is usually through family breakdown.
  • Kylyssa May 11, 2012 @ 1:26 pm | delete
    Unfortunately, one in four glbt teens and young adults in America can expect to be kicked out of their homes. It is estimated that 20% to 40% of homeless teens and young adults are lgbtq. There are very few secular objections to being gay. Additionally, some religiously run charities will not serve gay people.

    In Kalamazoo Michigan, three out of eight churches running a program to feed homeless people pulled out because the other five churches refused to support anti-lgbtq legislation proposed in that city. Those three churches would rather all the homeless people served go hungry than have some gay people treated equally. The good news is that five of the eight churches refused to support anti-lgbtq legislation, meaning over half of the churches in that area do not accept or support discrimination against lgbtq people. Unfortunately, the other three still do.

    If one spends time with homeless lgbtq teens and youth, one soon learns that anti-gay religious beliefs play a major role in their homelessness. They also make it very difficult for lgbtq teens and youth to get any help from charities serving the homeless.

    With one in four gay teens getting thrown out of their homes in America, in what may be the single largest cause of teen homelessness in America aside from severe abuse, we can't exactly pretend it doesn't happen. If we point it out, peer pressure from empathetic religious people may even help to curb that type of child abandonment.
  • Interesting May 14, 2012 @ 8:37 am | delete
    How many people was your survey completed with? What type of research did you complete? Such as questionnaire ...
    Also where do you get your statistics from, bearing in mind that statistics are not always valid (contested its self)?
    Some churches may not serve gay people I agree, but some other charitable orginisations wont serve other minoritie groups (which is wrong in its self).
    And is it possible that these churches who pulled out were more of the extreme denominations?
    and as previously mentioned I'm sure religion does play a part in teen homelessness, but can't be responsible for it all. Other reasons for teen and youth homelessness are not discussed in the article at least not as in depth.
  • Kylyssa May 23, 2012 @ 4:20 pm | delete
    The title of this page is SOME Reasons for homelessness. Nowhere have I stated that I've listed all reasons for homelessness. The reason that offends you isn't the only one listed on this page, nor is it even listed first. However, I've gotten death threats for even listing it. I'm pleased you are here because you are the first person to discuss it without either using profanity or making threats.

    I'd suggest you start by reading the PDF you can download at http://www.thetaskforce.org/reports_and_research/homeless_youth for a very detailed examination of lgbt youth homelessness. As to the survey, I did not conduct it. However, 100% of the lgbt homeless teens and young adults I took into my home over the years were kicked out of the home by their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) for sinning.

    Why not, instead of trying to deny belief systems that include discrimination against homosexual people exist, try to convince those who practice such systems that they are wrong? By telling me the people who practice discrimination against lgbt people due to their religious beliefs aren't good Christians you accomplish nothing. How about you tell them they are bad Christians instead? I never denied the existence of good Christians. If 25% or so of parents of lgbt kids kick them out that means that the majority, about 75%, do not kick out their gay children.

    Five out of the eight churches involved in the feed the homeless program REFUSED to discriminate against lgbt people so, it was another instance of MORE churches doing the right thing than the wrong thing. However, that doesn't mean the three other churches do not exist and that we ought to just agree to disagree with them. It seems to me that the Christians, the vast majority of them, who don't believe in discriminating against gays might want to try to do some outreach. Why not, instead of getting angry at me for mentioning they exist, try to bring some of these churches teaching bigotry against gays back to the fold of the Christianity that teaches love rather than fear and hate?
  • saneTV Apr 21, 2012 @ 6:43 pm | delete
    Thank you for sharing this information!
  • saneTV Apr 21, 2012 @ 6:39 pm | delete
    Abandonment by families, recently released from hospital (prison, another shelter), breakup of relationship, loss of income, illness, age, eviction, stranded while traveling, naivety in the young, victim of crime, mental illness, supportive programs cut or cancelled. THESE ARE NOT IN ANY ORDER.
  • Kylyssa May 23, 2012 @ 4:17 pm | delete
    There are almost as many reasons for homelessness as there are homeless people.
  • williammdavis Apr 17, 2012 @ 2:13 am | delete
    No doubt that these are the most common reasons due to people become homelessness.
  • Social Workers Feb 17, 2012 @ 9:57 am | delete
    Your voting poll question, "Do most homeless people choose to be homeless?"
    is not a fair question. There is no simple answer to homelessness as the article states. Life and society limit your options in various ways i.e., charity, shelters, and employment.

    Some of the hardest choices a social worker has is turn away a potentially mentally ill and dangerous homeless person which has been conditioned to violence in the environment at the risk of others in a shelter.

    There are many reasons society turns away assistance and it is mostly of out fear and lack of understanding an underlying illness.
  • Kylyssa Feb 17, 2012 @ 11:59 am | delete
    The question is perfectly fair and the answer is, no, most homeless people don't choose homelessness; they are just in over their heads. I put the word "most" into the question simply to derail the folks who have the stories about this homeless guy their sister's girlfriend's cousin knew who chose to be homeless and loves it. I've honestly never met a single homeless person who decided and then chose to become homeless on purpose.

    The question challenges the common American belief that homeless people choose to be homeless rather than just being people with serious money problems combined with other overwhelming circumstances, often including serious illness.

    It's also difficult for homeless shelter volunteers who are not social workers to turn away potentially dangerous people. I know it broke my heart.

    Illnesses, both mental mental and physical, play a huge role in homelessness in America and probably everywhere else. So many, many people don't seem to understand that a person can have all of his or her arms and legs and still be terribly ill.

    Since mentally ill people don't choose to be mentally ill any more than people with cancer don't choose to have cancer, being mentally ill is not a choice to be homeless.
  • Andi Feb 13, 2012 @ 3:03 pm | delete
    I know for a fact that it takes all kinds of people to become homeless. Been there myself. It was a very complicated situation but mostly I was suffering mental illness at the time. I came out of it but if not for the help of a Catholic charity organization and a strict program with counseling, I could have ended up dead. I have a seizure disorder and without my meds it's dangerous for my life. Every case is unique and most organizations try to put people in categories like substance abuse, which in turn just makes things worse for the majority who are simply "lost". and a lot of the missions are just about preaching and bible thumping. Nuts. We need to treat homeless people like people and not statistics.
  • MaryStuart Feb 4, 2012 @ 1:56 pm | delete
    Although I have never been homeless (for which I am very grateful!), I can really empathize with those who are. I can imagine that once you become entrapped in such a miserable situation, it must be extremely difficult to dig yourself out of the quagmire. Also, with the ridiculously high costs of medical bills and abysmal state of health insurance in this country, it is not hard to see how many people could fall on hard times ("medical bankruptcy", as you so aptly put it) to the point of ending up homeless.
  • Tolovaj Jan 4, 2012 @ 5:50 am | delete
    I know people who lost their homes because their drinking habits or laziness, but I know some just have bad luck. We can never be sure who's number will be called next... Keep the spirit!
  • ChanteShakir Dec 28, 2011 @ 5:05 pm | delete
    Here in Atlanta, there are so many homeless men and women on the streets. The economy is awful here and the government has turned a blind eye. They stand on every corner here just doing odd jobs for any type of money.
  • Tipi Dec 24, 2011 @ 11:45 am | delete
    Another work of excellence by you Kylyssa...you are doing a very important work with your combination of experience, social consciousness, and gifting for writing and teaching . Blessed
  • slappywalker Dec 8, 2011 @ 10:31 pm | delete
    Always found it interesting how close so many of us are to being homeless ourselves. If one or two paychecks are missed, quite a few of us could have trouble making ends meet.

    Good job illustrating some of the reasons people become homeless.
  • miaponzo Nov 11, 2011 @ 11:00 pm | delete
    Yes, it's a fine line between homed and homeless.. but becoming hopeless doesn't help.. Thanks for sharing this delicate issue with us. Blessed!
  • parwathy Oct 5, 2011 @ 3:19 pm | delete
    I love how you have raised this awareness about homelessness. I was a psychiatry resident and a lot of patients with substance abuse problems were judged and left on the streets when there was so much lying underneath. Thank you for educating us.
  • samsaradakini Oct 1, 2011 @ 9:15 am | delete
    I have *always* not trusted the response: "Most people choose to be homeless." Who CHOOSES to not have a place they can 'put their stuff' or a consistent place they can sleep at night w/o fear of rain, cold, violence? It never made sense. Yes, ultimately it is a choice. But not in the sense we equate Choice with Freedom.

    If the believer of that thought thinks the 12 year old getting molested by Dad at home is better off than being homeless, but the girl 'chooses' homeless, sure it's a choice; Want your heart cut out or your left foot cut off? Her Choice.
  • NZHarris Aug 2, 2011 @ 9:31 pm | delete
    You're very correct about medical bills. Medical bills are the number one reason most people file bankruptcy.

    Very well written lens!
  • Patty Jul 21, 2011 @ 9:46 am | delete
    I to have been homeless in the past. I bouced around from family to family member. I recently lost all of my personal belongings because my cousin kicked e out in the middle of winter with the clothes on my back and said I was not allowed to get the rest of my things. I spent 5 months living in a van prior to moving to cousins house. I refused to sleep in a shelter for fear of my own protection. Recently I had met someone, We hit it off we are currently living in a motor home in florida, and talking about getting a place to rent. Things are looking much better than they did one year ago for me.
  • AigulErali Jul 11, 2011 @ 7:32 am | delete
    You bring out really important information. Thanks!
  • Debbie Thompson Jul 10, 2011 @ 2:28 pm | delete
    My girls and I have been homeless since 2008, due to my illness. We are still homeless. Social Security has been amazingly cruel. For many years, I was told by doctor after doctor that the illness that I suffer from was "in my head" and "I was making things up for pain pills" and other mean things. Finally, near death in 2007 - I began getting some answers. One doctor heard me! All those years, I had (and still have) Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Typhus and Lyme Disease. I will never recover, because of all the medical abuse, all those years. And, I might add, all those years that I served peoples food with these infections. I gave blood, too. I was refused antibiotics, all those years. They would just throw antidepressants at me and tag my chart 'psychosomatic', and acted like I didn't deserve to live. These diseases (Lyme and it's co infections) are from bug bites. Many people have this. Nobody is listening and nobody cares. We have people dying in the streets, from diseases from a damn bug bite. By the way, this is usually preventable, when caught right away. I am mad as hell, and homeless with no end in sight. What a mean place we live in. Debbie Thompson, Pinellas County, Florida
  • debra Jun 9, 2011 @ 11:36 am | delete
    i got a eviction notice i can't pay my rent lost my job due to a injury. i been looking but nothing is out there i am a 58 year old woman. and reality is biting me in the ass i am going to be homeless. and you have to be homeless loose everything. just to get help. why is there no place to prevent it. i have applied for ui benfits, one judge said yes one said no, going through, reconsideration for it. applied in april this june. i am so scare. and there is no one to talk to are to go to for help. i am so down right now so so down. i feel so helpless. why isn't there some one some place a person can turn too. why do i have to loose my place. i am a old woman a senior citizen in my city of minneapolis. i am going to loose all my belongings all my stuff. don't even have money for a storage unit.
  • Angelina Sep 25, 2011 @ 6:53 am | delete
    Debra, a hug. I guess you became homeless after you posted this and I hope you will read this, maybe at a library, or maybe in your new home. Been there, too, and I was just as scared and powerless - and am still shocked by the unbelievable cruelty of some people out there, the stunning inhumanity of them - but I also encountered many nice people, and the latter fills me with gratitude.

    Sounds like it's the same everywhere, largely. The masses think there is help everywhere, while in reality, there is next to none. Many people think we are "stupid" or anything else they are not. But they have to tell themselves that to reassure themselves, just like people say many things only as a way to reassure themselves that homelessness can "therefore" never happen to them.

    Like I said, I've been there, and then a wonderful thing happened, when people in other countries, several I didn't even really know, had never met or talked with, started helping me out and I was able to get off the streets again. (I am not in my own country.)

    And, the good thing about our age is that we don't have periods anymore, LOL. I imagine that having periods sucks big time when you're homeless! Anyway, I hope you'll encounter or have encountered enough good people to make a difference to you, if even if they only help put a smile on your face because that makes such a huge difference. You'll probably discover or have already discovered that many of them are not the ones who are "supposed" to help you. And that discovery may be worth a lot.

    (I tried to post from my Twitter account, but couldn't. I'll keep checking back.)
  • anom Jun 8, 2011 @ 3:56 pm | delete
    im homeless right now. my mom abused drugs never met my dad and my grampa is sick at age 92. my mom and grampa live together in a house with no electricity, no phone line, no tv or anything. they live off his social security in his home that wont pay for property tax and cover much than food for two people. he had a reeverse mortgage but its used all up. my mom is 63 doesnt work and is trying to help my grampa but they have a serious mold problem from a pipe breaking the house is no place to live. im a only child and now i cant get a job so i roam around trying to find a place to stay. i wish there were more outlets. i graudated high school, i attended some college and cant get a simple job as a waiter or cash register or anything. i got a car im about to sell for some money and i have nothing left. for people like me there should be more resources out there. i have chipped teeth and multiple cavities my teeth hurt, i search for food and help for a place to stay but cant afford security etc. hopefully things turn up but who knows at this route. my family needs my help and i cant do much for them or myself ugh. oh well just sharing my thoughts. i dont drink, do drugs and am a very caring, responsible person with limited resources and help to get me stable. oh well gotta keep a positive outlook. thanks for the good read it touched me because your very right. it wasnt a choice i just got hit with an overwhelming amount of issues that got backed up and now i cant manage them and ended up this way. BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE! Anyway thanks for reading this if you did! Glad I could share my feelings! If u want to chat send me an email Im in NJ fyi and hers my email irishboy1983@gmail
  • Duane_Jackson Jun 5, 2011 @ 8:57 pm | delete
    great lens!
  • TapIn2U May 28, 2011 @ 11:47 am | delete
    Thank you for sharing this to us. It makes us aware that we ourselves are not immune to homelessness. Sundae ;-)
  • Pastiche May 28, 2011 @ 9:06 am | delete
    Visiting this neighborhood and rediscovering your fine work ... so much in this lens needs to be lifted into greater visibility. Hope my blessing helps. Peace to you, Kylyssa.
  • cocojambo2 May 18, 2011 @ 7:10 pm | delete
    Your work is very good and I appreciate you and hopping for some more informative posts. Thank you for sharing great information to us. Chapter 7 bankruptcy
  • Puckwudgie May 7, 2011 @ 1:10 pm | delete
    When my husband's co-workers look down on poor people and the homeless, he reminds them that they are just one paycheck away from being poverty-stricken themselves. They don't like being reminded that they really are no better than anyone else. Personally, I've been in enough scary situations that I don't take anything for granted. (BTW, one of our kids has Asperger's, so I can empathize.)
  • nuestraherencia Apr 25, 2011 @ 8:45 pm | delete
    Your lens really struck a cord with me. My husband and I used to live very well...that was until my son was diagnosed with autism. We had two choices...wait for schools to pay for therapies, doctors, etc...or just spend our savings. We chose to spend our savings. Thankfully, our son is a different child just 4yrs later...sadly, that also meant I had to quit my job of 20yrs where I made a very good income to take my son to appointments, tests, etc...as well as there was nobody we could afford to watch him during the summer months while school was out (daycare would not take him). We have been very close to being homeless after living very well for over 12yrs. Our life has been turned upside down, but we have never taken a cent from the government in order to survive...we just continue to find ways to cut our budget...and I continue to find a way to make extra money from home so that I can continue homeschooling because my son was constantly harrassed and abused at school. Thank you for bringing light to something that many really don't know about.

    I wish you the best of luck...ps. for anyone with asperger's, my favorite forum is wrongplanet.net...you might want to check it out...
  • BetterHealthCoverageOptions Mar 20, 2011 @ 10:44 pm | delete
    Thanks for opening my eyes to the facts as sad as they might be.
  • LisaAuch Feb 21, 2011 @ 2:42 pm | delete
    I know I have read this before, I came back to say hello! as I like this lens of yours, thankyou for your kind words and support! and yes I was homeless at 16....must really write about that as it was a scary time!
  • Don_McCyclist Feb 9, 2011 @ 7:31 pm | delete
    I came on your lens on reasons for homelessness looking for some lenses to include in the discovery module for one of my own. I'm grateful there's a lens master with your experience and point of view on homelessness willing to publish it. I feel proud of what you've achieved on squidoo!
  • lynnericci Jan 12, 2011 @ 4:08 pm | delete
    Bless your heart. Your thought provoking caring heart comes through so loud and clear. My brother married a gal with alot of money and since then he has been too good for our family. We have never been homeless but we could have been but for the grace of God. We struggle and I worry should I get sick what will happen to us. Good article to tuck under your belt.
  • javrsmith Jan 2, 2011 @ 7:36 pm | delete
    You have a unique insight that you are sharing with your great lenses. I have been educated by them. Unfortunately, there are people who choose to be homeless or who fake homelessness. They must make it even harder for the truly downtrodden people to get by.
  • Kylyssa Jan 12, 2011 @ 4:13 pm | delete
    Sadly, those who choose homelessness or fake homelessness are the most visible to society, especially the latter because they mean to be noticed. Since people usually see those folks as representative of homeless people it makes it incredibly tough to get people to care about homeless people, even homeless children.
  • Momsbusy247 Dec 24, 2010 @ 5:08 pm | delete
    Another wonderful and thought provoking lens. Hopefully it will help you with your quest to end homelessness in America.
  • mcochs Dec 21, 2010 @ 7:09 pm | delete
    Another great lens,though very sad. I was left at one time like you,with no family left to support or help me.I had a stroke and finally started receiving help from a social worker in the hospital. Having already lived through cancer,this was traumatic. Thank you for this lens. Blessed by a Squidoo Angel on 12/21/2010. God Bless You.
  • majorshadow Dec 11, 2010 @ 3:13 am | delete
    Song Title: "Blood is thicker than water"
    Hear @ URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuYXasJgv3A

    A song about estranged loved ones that may or may not be homeless
  • sugunalinus Dec 4, 2010 @ 8:42 am | delete
    Really touching. More of such could eventually change the world.
  • ZazzleEnchante Dec 1, 2010 @ 6:58 am | delete
    A thought provoking, well written lens made all the more richer through author's own experience. Blessed by a SquidAngel.
  • natalie Nov 22, 2010 @ 12:38 am | delete
    i am currently writting a research paper on people who are homeless. this definitely touched my heart and gave me a deeper understanding of people who endure such tragedies. i feel we must open our hearts to those in need. god bless and goodluck to you! thank you for writting this.
  • huvalbd Nov 8, 2010 @ 4:51 pm | delete
    Your lenses on this general topic are all superb
  • howtocurecancer Nov 6, 2010 @ 3:38 pm | delete
    Great lens, very touching. It is a cruel reality, I am helping homelessnes as much as I can with hot meals, clothes.
  • jaktraks Oct 30, 2010 @ 5:54 pm | delete
    Great information. Because many states (like Illinois) are spending less to support the mentally ill, I worry homelessness will increase.
  • WebIsFun Oct 20, 2010 @ 7:12 pm | delete
    wow. Thank you for the education! Though I knew some of the reasons, I didn't know so many. Hopefully, it will help me be more compassionate
  • ajgodinho Oct 7, 2010 @ 1:53 am | delete
    You did a wonderful job in portraying your message ~ **Blessed by a Squid-Angel and featured on Squid Angel Blessings by AJ**
  • Ladymermaid Oct 6, 2010 @ 1:31 pm | delete
    Being disabled since I was 26, there were many years where my saying was,"I'm just a step away from a cardboard box". I think that it is only my stubborn determination and pride that has kept me from it but I can certainly understand how easy it can be to lose everything....great article.
  • WorldVisionary3 Sep 29, 2010 @ 10:59 am | delete
    Thanks for shedding light on this topic.
  • tirial Sep 20, 2010 @ 3:30 am | delete
    An excellent lens on a difficult subject.
  • Christene Sep 6, 2010 @ 12:13 pm | delete
    Blessed by a SquidAngel :)
  • VJYoung Aug 17, 2010 @ 5:58 pm | delete
    It is my understanding that many homeless people are mentally ill. I do not agree that this is so because their parents have not given them the support they need. Our U.S. system of laws often does not allow parents to help in a practical way.
  • starlitparlit Jul 4, 2010 @ 4:49 pm | delete
    I absolutely love your lens. Me and my husband found ourselves homeless about 7 years ago when our home burned down. Great infomation here. At least people will know that it isn't a choice to be homeless.
  • dustytoes Apr 27, 2010 @ 12:02 pm | delete
    Many people do have great family support systems and therefore don't believe it can ever happen to them. And many suffer from a great lack of compassion when it comes to homeless people because of it.
  • ThatAtheistChick Feb 11, 2010 @ 9:57 pm | delete
    I'm glad that you made this lens. So many people are quick to say that homeless people are in that state because they screwed up. There are so many more factors that people don't think of. Last year, my job cut my paycheck and I ended up losing a really nice apartment. Luckily for me, my boyfriend, of almost five years, had found a nicer apartment and had wanted me to live with him. If he didn't let me move in with him, I would've been homeless. I eventually got laid off from this job. I'm looking for a new job and I'm waiting for unemployment until I get a job. Even though I'm an atheist, I thank my boyfriend for not letting me be homeless.
  • WendyKrick Nov 17, 2009 @ 7:46 pm | delete
    Wow! Excellent lens. Thanks for getting the word out about this issue.
  • JennySui Nov 10, 2009 @ 10:00 am | delete
    You have written this lens on a very good topic. nicely done. 5 Stars for you..
  • abcs123s Nov 8, 2009 @ 6:24 am | delete
    I never knew how important it could be to have a supportive family until I realized I needed the support that I never knew of.
  • lasertek Nov 2, 2009 @ 6:21 pm | delete
    People who are not in the situation are quick to judge but when faced with the same predicament they too will realize that becoming a homeless is not entirely a person's fault. There are environmental factors that push a person to become one. Great lens!

    Will tweet this! Visit my lens as well if you got time. Thanks
  • mukunda22 Oct 23, 2009 @ 10:25 am | delete
    Do not forget--medical bankruptcy is another big reason due to health insurance that frankly, s***ks.

    Did an angel just say that??

    ####blessed####
  • CrypticFragments Oct 22, 2009 @ 2:00 pm | delete
    homeslessness...tricky word
    while I've never lived in a homeless shelter or on the street, I am (and long have been) technically homeless
    after an abusive relationship, I spent a few months in an apartment provided by a domestic violence group...unable to find steady work, I started living in hotel rooms, youth hostels and later in housing provided by a variety of seasonal jobs
    I am about to spend the next 5 months overseas because, believe it or not, living where I'm going (India) costs less (including airfare) than trying to rent a hotel room or hostel unit in the USA for an equal amt of time
    You can't get an apt w/o a stable job, and when you can't get a full time job...well, what else can you do?
  • pkmcr Oct 18, 2009 @ 2:54 pm | delete
    This is an excellent lens which conveys some important messages. Blessed by a SquidAngel
  • LairMistress Oct 2, 2009 @ 11:14 pm | delete
    Hello from Seattle, and thanks for writing this! I was briefly homeless in September 2000. I had two part-time jobs, but I could not keep up with annual rent increases; my landlord was friendly, but he could only work with me for so long (I really didn't blame him, to be honest). I was very fortunate in that my current affordable-housing apartment opened up in less than a month; I spent most of that month in a friend's guest room, along with a couple of stints on the "hotel floor" of the local YWCA for 3-4 nights at a time. I guess I had it easier than a lot of folks in a homeless situation (I had a lot of friends and other ties in the community); still, it is rather disorienting to live a bit like a tourist in one's own hometown...

    Thanks again,

    Karen Olsen (aka LairMistress)
  • lovebrownchimp Sep 28, 2009 @ 6:53 pm | delete
    Worked with the homeless for 23 years. It can happen o anyone.
  • prosperity66 Sep 20, 2009 @ 4:48 am | delete
    This is a sensible topic, Kylyssa but you covered it as you usually do, exposing facts and showing your heart. You did a great job, once again!
    Needless to say that I gave you 5 ***** for such a splendid lens.
    Dom.
  • science_fiction_novels_cyberpunk Sep 19, 2009 @ 3:51 am | delete
    Beautiful, interesting and complete lens, emotionally involving. A serious social problem.
    I top rated and favorited your lens.
  • AddaptAbilities Sep 18, 2009 @ 5:29 pm | delete
    Another great lens. I live in San Francisco which has a very large homeless population, many of whom suffer from severe mental and physical health problems. Many others are people who used to have jobs and homes, but who lacked family and community support when tough times hit. The idea that homeless folks choose their situation because it's more fun than having a job, a roof, and knowing where their next meal is coming from is ludicrous. Thanks for giving lie to that stereotype.

by

Kylyssa

Kylyssa Shay is a formerly homeless person now working as freelance writer and homelessness activist.
Read about her experiences with homelessness.... more »

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