editor victoria’s comment ~ this is an issue i have been passionate about for over 20 years. my thoughts have remained the same. housing is a right. no one should be homeless unless he/she makes the full conscious choice to do so. there are plenty of vacant homes and buildings in our area alone that could easily be provided for the homeless. ridiculous “regulations” (power over games) and immature interactions of city officials who lack the ability to compromise keep new buildings (including tiny homes) from being built. deny people love and all that goes along with love long enough and they can turn violent – on others or on themselves. period. and yes the shelters are not adequate. people NEED space – and quiet – peace. dignity. enough of this “well at least they have a roof over their heads from the elements”. the needs of the human are much deeper and complex than that. and having had experience with social services, where the majority of the people who work at these agencies are very well meaning, i KNOW the rules in place and the $$ allocations are NOT designed to lift people out of poverty. it’s intentional, my feel, to keep people stuck and dependent upon the system. it’s sick. THAT is the disease – not the victims who seek help through them.
please share this one so his story and words won’t be in vain. thank you.
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R.I.P Michael Wesley Collins, he took his own life Wednesday, this is what he wrote about homelessness at the end of November 2018.
Homelessness is no joke. Taking a journey through being homeless and penniless has given me a new perspective on what hardships homeless people endure. Once you’re in it, it’s very, very difficult to escape. You run into chicken-egg problems again and again and it leads to an inevitable downward spiral. For example, you can’t get a job because you’re homeless and you’re homeless because you can’t get a job. Imagine having no car, being filthy and trying to show up to a job interview. It’s impossible, and you come into a hopeless downward spiral. The homeless shelters are awful places where they pack people in like sardines in bunk beds, and everyone there is in a dark state of hopelessness.
The social services in the USA are a joke and they don’t provide enough support to even live, let alone give you an opportunity to dig yourself out of a hopeless hole. Welfare amounts to almost nothing, not even enough to buy food, let alone establish an apartment or residence, and it’s quite difficult to get as well, and the system is unforgiving for missed appointments, which can happen quite easily when you don’t have a home or money for transportation. Again, it’s part of the vicious cycle.
Often there is a waiting list to even get into a homeless shelter. In San Diego for example, the wait list is 1 month, so you must sleep on the street for a month before being considered to sleep in a crowded room. To receive government-assisted housing, the wait list is 2 years! If you become homeless in the richest country in the world, you would wait 2 years for relief!
People are immensely cruel to the homeless as well, many of whom suffer from a psychiatric condition that they cannot help. Often families reject people with psychiatric conditions with the misunderstanding that they could be dangerous in some way, but most often they are sensitive souls who also often connect with higher spiritual energies. In old days, these people would be seen as prophets, medicine men, and spiritual leaders, but today they are derided as mentally ill and very often wind up homeless. They are most often victims of human cruelty and miscomprehension, rather than a threat.
I am still homeless, though I’m continuing to fight my way out, but thankfully I still have some generous friends and haven’t yet sunk so low that I cannot escape, though I remain on the precipice. I will say that I will kill myself before I fall into that level of despair, and I fight daily to keep myself from this fate, but often I must choose between difficult options. I have also endured an immense amount to trauma during this experience, and the idea of taking time for healing is ridiculous considering that I must navigate getting basic needs met like food and shelter with the onset of winter coming.
Please keep me and all other homeless in your prayers, but action is needed even more than prayer. If you see homeless, or know of someone on the brink of homelessness, please have compassion for them and give to them generously. You have no idea of the circumstances that led to their condition, as this world can be a cruel and unforgiving place.
I have a master’s degree, high intelligence, and a variety of high-value skills, but I still wound up homeless and if you understood the story and reasons why, it would make perfect sense, and you would also understand that I had no control of the events that led to this place. It was a complex series of events that caused it, and it can truly happen to anyone.
Have compassion for those who have fallen into this horrible state of despair.
I’ve been here…And the sad truth is no one really cares, you have to make unbelievable sacrifices and often do things you wouldn’t normally do compromise who you are to survive. I pray he’s now at peace and his spirit guides those in a similar situation. God bless
beautifully said. i don’t know though if it’s because no one cares – it’s a behavior that results from this system of control and power over. pay to live – is so cruel. and it takes our focus away from so much – those things that are TRULY heart-based important – and forces us really to be attached to survival. fear. it sucks but i know we’re breaking free from this – both within (by seeing it for what it is and how we play the game ourself) an without (by having those who did create and maintain the control over/power over systems). i too hope he is at peace – in the new. truly free.
Amen, well said, I’ve been homeless with my teen son and furbaby for almost 4mo now in this cold New England weather. My furbaby was taken from me because of animal cruelty of being homeless. It was either that or lose my son to DCF. I have a job and a car but am struggling to keep them both because of the fact we cant find a place to live that I can afford and if I could they reject me for having bad credit due to the school loans I have in default after going to a BS college and a bs degree… vicious cycle. This is why so many people decide to stay in the horrid conditions they are in because it CAN get worse. It’s like stepping in quick sand. If you fight to get out you die, if you stay still you still die just slowly.
jo val ~ thank you so much for sharing your ABSOLUTE honesty. you are so correct. correct absolutely right on people staying in horrible conditions because they know it can be worse. “out there” can be a nightmare and i get royally pissed off at those who say “the world is not a scary place”. no clue how it can be and is for so many. have you thought of creating a gofundme or similar project? i could help you with advertising it/sharing it. it continues to be my deepest desire/and wish to see ALL housed. it is a horrid vicious cycle where you are judged with each step you take. jump through hoops because you need a house. it’s a crime. and one of the reasons i have this site is to drop truths about the b.s. of the system and how it impacts every one of us and how we have the RIGHT to be FREE to fully choose our way of living/being without ANYONE powering over us. the pay to live system needs to go. period. if i could write you a paycheck to get you into a home for a year i would do it in a heartbeat. instead all i can do is offer up my voice. much love to you and your son.
@Jo Val Sending so much prayers that you are able to get into a better situation soon. My heart really goes out to you. What you said was so true. I cannot get out of the situation I’m in. And the place is literally killing me and making me sick. Cannot afford to ever leave. It’s terrible that so many people are in similar situations. I really hope you will find something that is at least a better place.
JO, where are you located? What town? Maybe I can help you.
You can see what a beautiful spirit he is from his smile and his aura. Blessings to him and all those he touched on this plane with his love and teaching. Namaste….🦋☯️🙏
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I am not sure if you are aware but Michael also suffered from a mental illness that he had been battling for many years. He refused help (which is typical of someone who is mentally ill) and that was well prior to his being homeless. Sadly it is what caused him to be homeless.
Typical of someone with mental illness. Wow! I think I you need to educate on our system a bit! The mental health care system cannot keep up with how many people need help. It can take literally months to years to get proper treatment.
i agree elizabeth. the system is broken – and often their “cures” are just band-aids. there are people in africa who successfully treat and cure schizophrenia. totally holistic – very supportive – no toxic meds. i can’t remember the country – i want to say south africa. they view our western approach as archaic.
Elizabeth my ex husband sadly is mentally ill and yes it is typical of a mentally ill person not to accept help. Only few can recognize that they need it. Please don’t tell me what I need to be educated on. It is a very sad situation no matter how you look at it.
no i was not aware of that. it’s so damn sad. having struggled w/my own mental issues, i know “cure” is not part of the system’s agenda. and i also question whether some who are labeled mentally ill are just highly sensitive, awakened Being’s who do not resonate with this realm and all of its limiting/controlling systems.
Why do I totally agree with you?
Suicide is never an option. Sometimes we just need to be a little patient with ourselves. We are living in a cruel world where nobody cares but trust in God and He will never put you to shame. What a beautiful soul we just lost…
Sorry, John, but suicide is sometimes the only option. So many people cannot understand that. When you are suffering from severe depression and just trying to make it through one more day, the smallest thing will have you questioning what’s it all for. And that happens every day for these people. Many refuse help, can’t work because of their mental state, so have no real quality of life. They are living in horrible pain, pure hell. They see suicide as their only option. Many say it is the coward’s way out. I disagree. I could never do it, never, ever. I am not strong enough, no matter how bad things got. I think it takes great strength to be able to do something so horrible to oneself. You literally are out of your mind if you can do it, though, because it is just not natural. It’s one thing to say we need to provide this and that for them, but many won’t help themselves. How do we fix that is what I want to know? It has become an epidemic with our youngsters. Why? They have so much to live for. It is our society, and it must be fixed!
i agree with you sheila. i have long just known taking one’s life takes a courage most of us do not have. a trust. a letting go. thank you for sharing. this is a conversation we need to have.
Suicide is always an option. What a cold uncaring world we live in.
What he wrote about being homeless was true ………….. in his heart, mind and soul.
His physical needs were met and he was not living on the streets. Sadly, he did have mental illness. He himself felt he didn’t have it and therefore HE didn’t “suffer” from it but those who loved him did suffer from his mental . His family and friends will grieve at the loss of seeing his smile and knowing he is no longer with us in this realm. May his children inherit all the best parts of him and carry that legacy forth