Thank you for your service. But that doesn’t make you right. Have you ever been homeless? Have you ever lived on the streets? Have you ever lived in your car? Because I have - and I can categorically state that you both misunderstand the issue, and conflate the definitions of homelessness.
Most people when they think of the homeless, think of those sleeping on cardboard in doorways, who ‘live on the streets’. I did this for several years when I was 12-19 years old. Circumstances beyond my control put me there, but a desire ‘to be free’, (not accountable to adults), and drug abuse kept me there. Nearly 90% of those I met on the streets were stuck there for the same reasons, and the other 10% were mentally ill.
Did I meet poeple that were there for other more noble reasons? Yes, but the didn’t stay on the streets homeless, because they took advantage of the social programs available and left the streets. And that was 45 years ago, when there were few Government funded programs, (unlike today), and most of the programs were run by churches from private donations and missions.
I have also lived in my car. After my divorce the ex got the house and I didn’t even get a piece of silverware from our shared property. The only thing I had was my truck, which I lived in for a few months until I had enough money to get an apartment. And yes, I did get a gym membership because my truck did not have a shower or a bathroom, or running water. I would not define this as ‘homelessness’. I had a home, (although it was mobile), and I could have had a bed at a shelter but I didn’t want that because I knew what I was doing and where I was going. I didn’t want to live in that environment.
The bottom line is in both cases, my ‘homelessness’ was a choice. And tell you understand that you have no concept of what you’re talking about.
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