No Place To Rest His Head

by Pastor Steve Kimes, Anawim Christian Community, Portland, OR


What Does It Mean to Be Homeless?

While the experience of each homeless individual varies, here are some examples of what homelessness means to many of them:

Homelessness means:

• Walking miles to every meal.
• Having little or no privacy.
• Regularly being asked by the police for your identification and being questioned about your activities, at least once a week.
• Needing to hide your living space.
• Moving every couple of months so you don’t get harassed by the police or others who invade your camp.
• Hanging out with people who don’t care about you, and who do dangerous things or just act crazy.
• Dealing daily with people who are addicted and/or mentally ill.
• Being separated from your children.
• Receiving rejection and hostility from most people.
• Trying to get off the street, but you haven’t been able to.
• Having your possessions stolen or ruined on a regular basis.
• Constantly wanting money for your needs, but when you get money, you use it poorly.
• Spending more time giving up than hoping.