Nobody Wants to Be the Poster Child for Homelessness, But Somebody Has To

by Danny Fenster · 2010-09-02 13:08:00 UTC
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Erika Schultz over at the Seattle Times posted some thoughts this week on her experience reporting the paper's excellent "Invisible Families" series.

The series focused on families experiencing homelessness, much of it due to the shortage of employment during the current recession. Family homelessness is a frightening, and quickly increasing, segment of the homeless community.

Schultz talked about the difficulty of finding people experiencing these sort of setbacks who are willing to discuss it publicly. People are scared enough when faced with the prospect of having no home and no job. They might be embarassed or ashamed to "go public."

But individual stories have the power to change attitudes — the attitudes of those they see passing by on their way to work or home. Take Cherie Moore and her 17-year-old son, Cody. When the Seattle Times profiled them, they were living in their car and had $6 between them. It's hard to think of the homeless the same way after reading about them. So the strength to share one's story is something that ought to be commended.

Working on a similar project in San Jose, California right now, I have run into the same issues as Schultz. Nobody wants to be the public face of homelessness, and with all the false mythology about homelessness in our society out there, who can blame them? But the only antidotes to combating common views are the anecdotes from the struggles we go through.

There are a staggering amount of Americans struggling to get through the day right now, probably more than at any other time in my young generation's lifetime. I only hope that those struggling find the strength to share their stories, so that we all may learn.

If you have a story to share, or want to help tell the stories of others, drop me a line at dfenster@change.org.

Photo credit: HikingArtist.com

Danny Fenster works with a homeless services provider in the San Francisco bay area.
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