From Elsie Neufeld. I was talking to my mom tonight and she told me how proud she was of me for having such a heart for the homeless. I never really thought about it; this is just something I’m passionate about. Why? Because people are people and everyone deserves love and respect and a roof over their heads.
So many people talk about the homeless population in a negative way. They’re addicts, they’re mental, they’re everything we don’t want to be. But – not all of the homeless are addicts or suffer from mental illness.
How do I know?
I was homeless.
Shocker, I know. I actually just realized tonight that I was homeless. I hadn’t thought about it that way before tonight’s conversation
I’m not an addict. I haven’t been diagnosed with a mental disability or mental illness. But I was homeless.
How did it happen?
I owned my own brand new 3 bedroom home, two vehicles, I had a job that paid nearly $65,000 a year. I was focused on my career and my future. And then….
In a matter of three days – THREE DAYS. I left an abusive unhealthy marriage and lost my job two days later. I spent the next three months sleeping on an air mattress, squatting in empty apartment suites. It took me three months to even be able to pull myself together.
So, if you wonder why I have such a passion for the homeless, it’s because I was one of them. And even without that experience, in my heart I know that they all deserve to be loved and cared for and have a roof over their heads. Even the addicts and those suffering from mental illness. They didn’t choose this. Rather than judging them, love them. You never EVER know someone’s story without asking. Stop assuming.
Thank you, Kristie, for giving permission to share this here.