Have a conversation with a homeless person

ive done this a few times. some people are really quite interesting to talk to- others are just completely bonkers. its all fun

I met this guy Last winter when it was freezing cold outside a comic book store. He didnt even ask me for any money, I sat with him for about an hour and gave him some vitamin C Tablets to help him, and then ent and got him a hot pasty. He was honest about why he ended up where he was, and it was really sad to hear. He had been a heroine addict and lost his house after his wife kicked him out. He wasnt even from bristol! and had gradually been making his way around the west country. He was drinking some cheap cider and i can understand why he’d do that. What the hell else was he supposed to do?!sit there and freeze his nuts off? or get wasted to make things go by a little quicker? I know which i’d choose..

I saw this and laughed so hard.

the guy was sitting out the front of Myer in the city with a cardboard sign asking for help. I had seen him a few days before too. The sign specified that $$ were not for beer/drugs but to help with legal fees for proceedings in the supreme court against a gov’t org…Family Trust or something…who had taken away his family home and finances because he wasn’t listed as a beneficiary or soemthing. I learnt that most supreme court cases are not eligible for legal aid, and that it is hard to hear someone on the busy street corner. I’m not completing this task, since it was a little one-sided to be considered a conversation given I couldn’t really hear him.

Gave him some cashola though cause I felt guilty carting around my masses of shopping bags – which was clearly money that could have been spent better or with more philanthropic goals, and money that should not have been spent purchasing more books, which puts me back to square one with another of my 43things!

I had just bought a pack of cigarettes and was trying to quit so I offered this man half of my pack. I knew that he and his girlfriend would like this because I had seen them smoking. I can’t remember his name now, but he was homeless for about 5 or 6 years before I talked to him. I was curious so I asked him, “What will it take to get you off the street?” And he answered me, “Someone to care.” He then went on a tangent, telling me about how he wanted his guitar back, that the cops took it away from him when he was in custody and that all he wanted to do in life was play guitar. I could tell he was very disturbed and distraught without his guitar. I found out years later that he had a social illness. He was constantly being taken advantage of and beaten up. One night he went to defend himself against an attack and he stabbed a man. He’ll end up spending the rest of his life in a prison hospital now.

Prophets and madmen. Lots of good stories. Try not to be too intrusive, and give something in exchange for their sharing. A cup of something warm on a cold day, or cold water on a hot day. Your scarf. A hug, even if you think they stink. You’ll get over it. And you get to shower when you go home.

During a conversation, you get the chance to learn why they are homeless. You then get to know more about people and life, good and bad.

...change your outlook on life. This past summer I spent two weeks with my church group working our way down the West Coast, from Seattle, to Portland, to San Francisco, and back home to Yucaipa (Southern California) doing homeless ministry. We played music, brought lunches, and just talked with the homeless people we found. The people I encountered and the stories I heard were absolutely amazing!

Pack two sack lunches, find a homeless person, and chat over lunch. It’ll really open your eyes.

When I worked as a waitress, and when I worked as a customer service rep for a grocery chain, many, many homeless people would walk in off the streets and ask for help. At first I was a little put off, but gradually, I got to know some of them.

The first was a gentleman that I offered a cup of coffee to - he looked frozen and it was winter - I learned he was a veteran, that he had suffered some mental problems, and now couldn’t stand to be “civilized”. He chose to be homeless, or at least he said he didn’t have any other choice. I also spoke with a homeless woman with a nine-year-old who refused to take welfare, a teenage runaway who had a drug problem and wouldn’t tell me his name, an elderly man who rarely remembered me from yesterday but could tell me stories of 1950 like they’d just happened.

My advice is to remember homeless people are often very prideful; let them know that help is available but don’t force them to take it. Buy someone food rather than give them money. Give them the numbers and addresses of shelters and food kitchens. If you have clothing or blankets that you don’t use anymore they probably need them more than you do. Be patient and understanding; this is a human being you’re talking to, who has probably seen more than you could ever imagine.

they honestly made my day

me and a friend gave him coffee and he went on to tell us how beautiful we were and how much of angels we were

:)