It's NATIONAL HUNGER & HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS WEEK

[OneGrassRoot]

13. PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS

[link:http://www.wishadoo.org/blog/127/preconceived-notions/|Original blog post
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The following is a letter I received from an acquaintance, detailing her path for anyone so blessed as to not have a clue about such struggles. It's National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, and this story is shared in the hope of opening hearts and minds.

We can't fix problems if we don't recognize they exist on a societal level -- that poverty is an institutional problem, not the result of individual failures and weaknesses and "poor decisions."

To see more stories, please visit these excellent websites:

[link:http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/|INVISIBLE PEOPLE
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PATHWAYS TO HOUSING - OUR STORIES



When my husband got injured on his construction job, the back pain was debilitating. He hated applying for disability or any assistance, and especially hated the way people looked at him when he was at the store and used food stamps. He tried not to show he was in pain but knew people looked at him and judged him, thinking he was sitting on his butt all day and that nothing was wrong with him. He looked fine to them, so he must be a lazy "taker," living off other people. He was over 50 and getting any type of work became impossible.

His depression about everything took over. He killed himself a year ago.

I don't have a car; if I had enough money to get a used car, I could at least live in it. I'm grateful there is public transportation where I live but low-income housing is rare. Families are given priority, and I understand that. Libraries aren't open 24/7 where I am, so having a smart phone is my only link to learn about shelter openings and jobs. It's not a luxury, it's a lifeline. It's necessary in today's world to have any hope of finding opportunities to change my situation.

I work as many temp jobs as I can find. I'm almost 50; it's hard for anyone to find a job these days but it's especially hard as you get older.

My purse is a knock-off, from Goodwill. All of my clothes are from Goodwill or from the program Dress for Success, which gives low-income women like myself nice clothing in order to find and keep a job.

When I use food stamps at the store, I'm judged the same way my husband was, as some "welfare queen" because of my phone and my clothes.

The saying about walking a mile in another person's shoes is so true. We really don't know what other people have been through just by looking at them or watching them for two minutes somewhere. Maybe they're in physical pain when they seem rude or cranky or demanding. Maybe they're trying not to seem weak even though their spirit is broken.

Sorry those of us struggling don't always fit your preconceived notions of what poverty looks like. That's okay though. I look at many people and assume they have a heart, but I'm often wrong, too. I figure they're much worse off than I am. They're disabled and don't even know it.