Invisible people

The first thing I thought when I saw those video clips, was how people survives out there, without a home or any other belongings than their clothing. Of course, some of the homeless people live in a homeless shelter, but most of the shelter places has what they call "10 or 30 days in and 30 days out". That means after staying there 10 or 30 days you get kicked out and cannot return until after 30 days. It's impossible to do something that can change your situation in ten days, omitted the fact that you, after staying at the shelter for ten or thirty days, have to go out, living on the streets for thirty days before you are allowed to get back in the shelter.
My second thought was that this can happen to everyone, and that it can happen overnight, while you are sleeping. After watching those clips, and knowing what people have been through, I always have to think about what I would have done if something like this would happen to me.
The reasons for why this happens are boundless, but in most cases, money is the trigger. It doesn’t necessarily have to be your own money, but if the country you live in, suffers a financial volatility, then this will affect the companies all over the country too. At one point, the “weaker” companies gos bankrut or at least fire some of their employees. If you are one of those employees, and you cannot accomplish to get a new source of income, there’s nothing left in the end, and it’s just a matter of time before you’re in the same situation as the “invisible people.             

The fact that all of the clips are set in America, and that the statements from the “invisible people” all in one way are different, but at the same time also equally, gives me the impression that America got several problems, but in the end, they do affect normal people like you and me, with one result; homelessness.

Another thing that these stories can tell us about American culture and society is that ignore the fact that there are homeless people, and instead of changing it, they all just passing by, not concerned about what is going to happen with them. This is written on the invisible people blog:

“Once on the street, people started to walk past him, ignoring him as if he didn’t exist… much like they do a piece of trash on the sidewalk. It’s not that people are bad, but if we make eye contact, or engage in conversation, then we have to admit they exist and that we might have a basic human need to care. But it’s so much easier to simply close our eyes and shield our hearts to their existence”  

One of the stories on the blog really caught my attention; Ron, a 65 year old retired man, who lives on the streets in St. Louis, Missouri. Ron lived with his nephew when suddenly his social security disability payments were stopped. He could fight them back, but the only way to do that was with a lawyer, and because he didn’t have any money for legal help, Ron ended up on the streets, with nothing left. In addition to that, Ron needs medical help, but since he can’t afford any medical assistance, he’s going around questioning what the next day will bring and if he’s still going to be alive, or if someone finds him dead in the morning.