Can We Learn to Help the Silent Suffering on Our Streets?
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Life is good. I have a good job near the university I call home, a secure apartment in a safe neighborhood. It’s a dream I couldn’t have imagined back when I was living on the streets of Los Angeles, struggling with untreated schizophrenia. My cubicle at work feels a world away from the sidewalks I spent 13 terrible months on, shelterless and alone.
Today, I live a happy and productive life. It was not always this way.
I love the vibrant energy of my neighborhood right alongside the University of Cincinnati in Clifton. It’s populated mostly by college students, which keeps things relatively safe and lively.
But just a short drive away, in an area called Over-the-Rhine, the scene is very different. Founded by German immigrants in the late 1800s, Over-the-Rhine was once a beautiful place to live. Now, sadly, it’s teeming with homeless people, some living out in the open. They sleep under bridges, tucked between buildings – much like I did in Los Angeles.
I’m drawn to Over-the-Rhine and regularly visit to volunteer with a Lutheran Church that has a dedicated ministry for the homeless. It’s close to home, a concrete reminder of the life I barely escaped. This ministry provides food and, during the harsh winter months, a place where the least fortunate can find shelter for the night. Sadly, some people have become fixtures there, almost permanently resigned to a stereotypcapped
And that brings me to a moment a few days ago that I can’t shake. I was walking back from a local coffee shop and encountered something utterly jarring: a middle-aged woman, asleep on the sidewalk amidst the noise and chaos of the city. My first instinct was to check on her, to make sure she was breathing. This urge to help was practically instinctual, however faint.
Instead, I did what too many of us do: I walked past. I didn’t even hesitate: No greeting. No offering of help. Nothing.
The guilt has been building ever since.
How we treat our vulnerable population
It’s easy to say I’d have been more likely to help if she were a young child. If she’d been 15, I know there would’ve been a police call. A child is legally and morally distinct.
I have no doubt that help would have been swiftly offered.
If she’d been elderly, I suspect I wouldn’t have just walked past either. My intuition would have highlighted the vulnerability of age and a possible reason why someone might be sleeping on the sidewalk. Once again, I’d have contacted the authorities, who’d likely have assessed the situation and contacted adult protective services. Maybe she needed treatment, maybe there was somethingzia I could have connected her to. Their existence loved ones failed to see what I saw back in those days,
Didn’t.
Now I wrestle with the question: Why do we treat elderly people and youth differently than
middle-aged individuals in need? Is it because we, as a society, view them as less deserving of compassion? Doesn’t everyone struggling with homelessness deserve the same level of care?;
I think it boils down to this: some people struggling on our streets just can’t make reasonable choices for themselves. The mental illness, addiction or trauma they experience might make them appear “invisible” to many of us who walk past every day. Let’s face it, mental health, particularly delayed, STAGGERING
A Spark of Hope: California’s CARE Act
It wasn’t always this way, speaking of
We see it vividly. I’ve been following CA
A new law recently implemented across California, called the Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act, has helped me gain a bit of hope. Under CARE, if you see someone engulfed in perilous mental health struggles, unable to make decisions for themselves.
Stad captivating, yet so tragically misunderstood.
I’m surprised I’ll feel empowered to intervene, but I’m afraid I haven’t yet been christened. My heart goes out to the people who pass by, not seeing the plight within
I Hope Can Show Them They’re Not Alone
I am acutely aware that关注,
We need a fundamental shift in how society responds to homelessness. I prop up
How does societal perception of homelessness vary based on the age of the individual experiencing it?
## Can We Learn to Help the Silent Suffering on Our Streets?
**Host:** Today we’re tackling a difficult but crucial topic: homelessness and our societal response to it. Joining us is [Guest Name], a local resident who has experienced homelessness firsthand and now advocates for those still on the streets. Welcome.
**Guest:** Thank you for having me.
**Host:** Your recent blog post sharing an encounter with a homeless woman on the street struck a chord with many readers. Can you tell us more about that experience and what led you to write about it?
**Guest:** Absolutely. I was walking home from a coffee shop and saw this woman asleep on the sidewalk. My instinct was to check on her, but I hesitated and ultimately just walked past. The guilt has been eating away at me ever since. It made me realize how easy it is to turn away from someone in need, especially when they’re perceived as “just another homeless person.” It also triggered old memories of my own time on the streets, reminding me of the vulnerability and desperation that comes with homelessness.
**Host:** You mentioned your own experience with homelessness. Can you tell us a bit about that and how it shaped your perspective?
**Guest:** I struggled with untreated schizophrenia for years and ended up living on the streets of Los Angeles for 13 terrible months. It was a dark and isolating experience.
People often looked at me with fear or disgust. It’s incredibly painful to be invisible, to feel like your suffering doesn’t matter. But there were also moments of kindness from unexpected strangers, and those small acts of compassion kept a flicker of hope alive. Now, I volunteer at a local Lutheran Church that offers support to those experiencing homelessness. I want to pay it forward and show them that they are not forgotten.
**Host:** What message do you hope to convey to our listeners who might encounter someone experiencing homelessness?
**Guest:** Don’t assume you know their story. Many people end up homeless due to circumstances beyond their control: job loss, illness, mental health struggles, domestic violence. They are not lazy or dangerous. They are human beings deserving of our compassion and understanding. A simple hello, a bottle of water, or connecting them with resources can make a difference. We need to overcome our fear and prejudice and see each other’s shared humanity.
**Host:** You also mentioned that societal response
to homelessness seems to depend on the individual’s age.
Can you elaborate on that?
**Guest:** It’s heartbreaking, but it’s true. We’re often more inclined to help a child or an elderly person than a middle-aged adult. There seems to be a belief that they deserve their fate, or that they’re somehow less deserving of help. This prejudice is harmful and needs to be challenged.
**Host:** Absolutely. Thank you for sharing your experience and insights, [Guest Name]. We hope your words will inspire our listeners to look beyond stereotypes and offer a helping hand to those in need.
**Guest:** Thank you for having me.
[[1](https://jcompassionatehc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40639-015-0016-1)]
