Invisible Citizens

So today I am walking home from work today and had thus far been having a good day. All of a sudden I realize that there's' an ambulance and fire truck outside of a retail store. Normally, this would just be a scene that you would look and pass by never thinking twice about. However, I frequently pass this retail store and know that the spot in question was where a lot of homeless/addicts ask for money. I couldn't help but to stop and to witness if the person was one of the street people whom I knew. Sometimes in Chicago the "local help" can do less than a favourable job of responding in these situations.

As I stopped to watch the scene unfold, I also noticed how many people walked by and didn't look more than once as soon as they saw it was a homeless person. Let it be known I can't stand when people walk by street people and pretend as if they do not even exist. The people who do this dehumanize these citizens of our world, and place them categorically into a realm of non-existence. It's as if they have become invisible citizens, no longer able to be seen by every day people, though they are constantly in front of us pleading for help.

As a student studying to become a psychologist I can't help but to chew on the concept of the invisible citizen. In the wealthiest nation on the planet (thought that certainly is questionable nowadays), there exists among us a class of citizens treated as if they do not matter, and are less than human.

According to blogger "AnAmerican" from the website www.wanderingvets.com "homelessness in America isn’t a topic that is widely publicized. When you look at the mainstream media, homelessness certainly doesn’t get top billing like the news of our political foibles or the latest tabloid tales of celebrities. I’ve often thought that homelessness is treated as a dirty little secret that is hidden from most Americans." ...I couldn't agree more.

I suppose what really bothers me about how we treat the homeless is how people are very rarely willing to stop and think about circumstances that led the person to down the path to where they are now.

In another blog from the website WBGH Lab several co-authors state the scenario perfectly.

"You’ve always been the model citizen. Been involved in community affairs. Supported your local politicians. Voted in every election, local and national. Then, suddenly, you lose your job and your home. You become a statistic, instead of an individual. You pack up your wife and children, along with the few possessions you have left, put them into the family van and head west seeking to re-establish yourself. You’re now living the life of a nomad. Even when you reach you destination, you are forced to live out of the van. Occasionally you can find a spot to sleep or shower in a shelter. Each day is a struggle to feed your family. You look for work, but there is not enough to sustain a roof over your family’s head."

This is a very likely scenario, especially for the newly homeless under the current economic situation we live in. It is also important though to know that a lot of homeless suffer from drug, alcohol, gambling, and other addicitions as well as various mental health issues.

So, what exactly am I getting at? Well I suppose its that the way we view the people who need our help the most is exactly dead wrong. We walk by them, damn well knowing that a random string of events could turn us into them. Perhaps that's what it is that we do not like...being reminded how delicate our lives really are and how volatile our living statuses really are.

We need to start reminding ourselves that these are REAL human beings, most with serious psychological issues or addiction problems. It's not as simple as them just getting a job. It's not as easy as wanting to change. These problems are deeply psychologically and physiologically rooted. They won't be able to change these patterns overnight even if they try. They will falter and need support...and that's exactly where the problem as I see it lies.

We treat homelessness with a patchwork approach. We attempt to provide them with mininal shelter, clothe them, feed them. Sometimes, if they are lucky mental health professionals will volunteer to help them. Otherwise, though they are only left with the first level of Maslow's hierarchy met. Their physical needs are met, but what about their human needs?

What about their need to socialize? Typically they are left so socialize with each other and form impromptu communities for survival and to feel connected to someone who understands their struggle. The problem with this approach, however, is that if your at the bottom, you need the support of someone who isn't to look up to and to help you to reach higher.

I'm not sure what else to say about this issue really. So I am going to just close with this thought. You can see how we need to consider they need someone to simply acknowledge they exist when they walk by. Maybe you can't help them financially, but you could at least say something to them. Humanize them by NOT pretending they don't exist. Stop wishing they would just go way, because you could be them in no time at all.