Reply #107: I was homeless for about twenty years.

[Senior citizen]

But life was easier in those days. I never had to ask people for money. The economy was better, there were fewer homeless people, it was easier to get part time or temporary jobs, AIDS didn't exist yet, there weren't so many homeless veterans. I had it pretty good.

Nowadays I have a place to live but I am very low income, so I often have trouble getting through the month. It gives me great pleasure if, at the end of a given month, I have a few extra dollars that I can give to a homeless person. I'll even go out of my way to do it. I know how much harder their lives are than mine was.

Another thing I know from experience is that many homeless people appear frightening because they have to, just to survive. It took me a few years to adjust, but once I got off the street, I became a totally different person--much less defensive, since I no longer had to be constantly defensive.

One thing I know is that I never expected to have a place to live. I fully expected to be homeless until I died. I consider it a minor miracle that I survived long enough to be eligible for subsidized senior housing, and that my application was accepted. Many homeless people have a background (drugs, felonies, etc.) that makes them ineligible, or they simply don't live long enough. I know that I wasn't homeless by choice, because I didn't want to work, or because I was a bad person. I also know that many homeless people are predators and don't deserve any help. When I was homeless, I was victimized by other homeless people, and I can usually recognize the type. I won't give them a dime.

If someone demands money from you, call the cops. A person who demands money from passerbys, will forcibly take money from other homeless people who are more vulnerable. If you see someone you can help, do it. Often the people most in need are the ones who are too depressed to ask for help.

If you can't put yourself in their shoes, God might.