In 2017 there was a homeless encampment down by the freeway, and then, about a year ago, it moved. Where did they go, I wondered? Why did they have to move? Will they come back? When they were there, I didn't pay much attention because I was always arguing with my friends as I drove by, but when they left, I noticed. When I asked him about our city’s homeless population, my writing coach showed me an open letter written by a 28-year-old chronically homeless mother named Keanakay Scott. The meaningful letter consisted of the reasons that she became homeless, a description of her full-time job, and her studies as a student at Penn State World. The letter revealed a horrifying truth that had not penetrated my little bubble, and that is that homelessness is the ugly reality for many responsible and caring people who have made every effort to live a normal life.

Homelessness is not a choice and homeless people don’t owe other people anything; they’re owed an apology for all the bad assumptions people make about them. One myth about the homeless is that they don’t care about themselves. In Keanakay Scott’s open letter she said, “I work. I pay taxes. I go to college. I contribute to my community. I obey the law. I do my best to teach my daughters all the things no one taught me. What else can I do to convince you that I care about myself?” The fact that we need an open letter from someone telling us what it is like to be homeless is a major red flag. We see homelessness so often and develop ideas to make ourselves feel better about it, but we don’t ask the homeless how they became homeless. Keanakay’s letter was (in part) a response to a person at a homelessness conference who suggested that LA’s homeless population should be moved to a reservation in the desert. This man is assuming that the homeless have no connections here, have no one to take care of and that they mean nothing to anyone in the city. Maybe that guy should go to a reservation in the desert.

There are no guarantees that providing housing to homeless people will solve the issue, but homeless people didn’t choose to become homeless, and acknowledging this will help us solve the crisis. Keanakay said, “I'm not welcome in your backyard because I went my entire life being misdiagnosed with behavioral disorders and turned to drugs to self-medicate. I was a high school dropout with no skills, and I was expected to take care of myself after never having had to do it.” Giving her a home wouldn't necessarily fix her misdiagnosed behavior, or her lack of high school credits, but it might give her scaffolding to work harder and sustain a healthy lifestyle. She turned to drugs to self medicate but what alternative did she really have? She didn't have the choice or the support to do much else. In Salt Lake City, Utah, the Housing First principle has reduced the chronically homeless population by 91%. According to their website, Housing First is “a homeless assistance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, thus ending their homelessness and serving as a platform from which they can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life.” If we get a roof over these peoples’ heads, then they will build up some foundation to get some stability and to reenter society. Imagine Keanakay Scott, but with a roof over her and her daughters’ heads. She would be able to spend more time with her kids, and she wouldn’t have to stress about where they were going to sleep that night or shower the next morning. Just imagine the relief that she would feel.

I wonder how people would react to becoming homeless, even if it were just for a day. Imagine working hard all day, picking up your kids from school, and returning home to a tent. Imagine not having a place to put your clothes or your bag, constantly having to move due to the demands of fellow humans who are more worried about their businesses than your wellbeing. You’d have to live knowing that many people think that you are a waste of space. That is why we need to level the playing field. Give everyone a chance to flourish. We need to reach the people who don’t bother imagining the humans in those tents down by the freeway. We need to imagine people like Keanakay Scott in each and every one of those tents.