Lend a Helping Hand

Admit it: when you think of a homeless person, a certain stereotype comes to mind. A middle-aged to older man who’s addicted to drugs and too lazy to get a job.  You think it’s their own fault that they’re living on the street.

I’m not going to pretend that I never thought that, but everything changed when I became homeless. In partnership with Gettysburg College and the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH), I took the “Homelessness Challenge”. For 48 hours, I lived on the streets. I slept on the steps of a statue the first night, and in front of a Macy’s the second. I had to beg for money so I could have a bit of water on a blisteringly hot day. I visited soup kitchens and parks where churches handed out sandwiches.

Of course, I didn’t really experience homelessness. I knew that once the challenge was over, I had a fluffy, warm bed and air conditioning awaiting me. Still, being homeless leaves tons of boring, empty hours, so I filled those by making friends. I met numerous homeless people, many of whom I talked to for hours on end. NCH’s rules are that I can only tell homeless people that I’m not homeless; everyone else has to stay convinced that I’m homeless.