Let Our Voices be Heard

After weeks of discussing possible public forums to showcase the women’s writings, the women agreed that creating a blog was the best solution. The women were excited about the possibility of becoming “official” authors; they had hoped that this project would dispel the often negative public opinions about homelessness and would inspire other homeless individuals to become active in their community.

The women envision that the blog will serve as a resource for the homeless community. They want to demonstrate to others that although living in a shelter is hard and, at times, unbearable, that it is possible to not only survive shelter life but it is also possible to succeed; finding permanent housing may prove to be a difficult task, but it is an achievable goal. They want to share their lived experiences with other homeless individuals and hope that writing about their lives will help educate other homeless individuals how to survive on the streets and life in the shelter. In all, they want their writing and their shelter experience to have meaning.

The women expressed that though they are homeless, they, too, have dreams and desires. Like everyone else, they want a safe, clean place to live—a place where they can raise their families without fear; a place where there is food in the refrigerator and a stove to prepare balanced meals; a place that has a bed to place their weary heads; a place where they can call home.

They wanted to inform the public that being homeless is not a disease. It can happen to anyone at anytime. Homelessness does not discriminate.

The women often say that homelessness is only a paycheck away. They discuss, in detail, that people often think that it is the fault of the individual for losing their homes. People often believe that the homeless population consists solely of people who drink and use drugs, which, they admit, at times are true. However, they wish to state that there are many individuals who are homeless at no fault of their own. In these hard economic times, people lose their jobs; landlords are constantly increasing rents without considering the fact that minimum wage remains the same. People are mentally ill and are unable to care for themselves, or people become physically ill and fall behind on their bills. The elderly are being kicked out of their houses by family members who “grow tired of the burden.”

The women of the shelter want the public to know that they are real people with real emotions and not just a “social problem without a face.” They want to be acknowledged as human beings instead of a cold, hard statistic. They want their concerns addressed; they want their communities saved; they want their voices heard.

The women fear that people will dismiss their writings because “no one wants to read about homeless people.” Yet, I argue, that everyone has a unique story to share and that the only way that we can break stereotypes is to tell their stories. The women agreed to put their fears aside, believing that the only way to break stereotypes is to expose the truth. We are hopeful that the public will embrace their stories and that other groups will join us on our writing journey. It only takes a few, strong people to stand up for what they believe in and to make a difference in the world.