Personal Experiences with Homelessness

By: Alexa Flickinger-Renzi, Dillon Yee, Megan Mah, Tanya Tariq





        Experience goes beyond background, in order to investigate real experience and learn, we must gain genuine understanding of people's perspectives. Understanding perspective by viewing experience gives means to help solve the problem. Exploring homelessness through personal experience could perhaps guide compassion that resonates with more people who can proceed with action.

Invisible People 2016

        Jean and Arien are both financially responsible for themselves. However, Jean also has the burden of being the sole breadwinner for her family of six: her five children and fiance. Arien is also a mother of four, but her children are not shown to be under her custody. She lives in the city of L.A., which is financially one of the most difficult areas to live in within the U.S. On the other hand, Jean is living in Missouri, outside of California which plays into how she is financially more able than Arien to retain her family as the comparative cost of living is drastically different.


         Arien experiences fear throughout her everyday life as she lives without shelter and alone. She comments on how a lack of familial support contributes to homelessness: “The struggle is real. I’m pretty sure that if none of them [others] had family support, they would be sitting right here at one point in their life eventually anyway.” Being alone, Arien says she is viewed as an easy target for assault, both physical and sexual: “I’ve been robbed out here. I’m lucky if I wake up and have anything that I have.” Demonstrating how difficult it is to maintain the sparse resources she has (Invisible People 2016). 

Invisible People 2010

        On the other hand, Jean experiences a different fear which is the inability to provide for her loved ones. Jean has pressure to maintain her minimum wage job as it is the only thing sustaining her family of six. “It’s a full time job. It gets us by, but it doesn’t get us by. If I miss a day, we’re pretty much shit out of luck”(Invisible People 2010). Her fiance is injured and is only able to work sporadic and unstable odd jobs. The constant struggle, stress, and anxieties she holds being a mother of five and not able to fully provide is a pressure that permeates her daily life. 

        Although both Arien and Jean are facing financial hardship to provide for themselves and families, they persevere with a positive mindset routed in their own optimism. Jean may have to work only for seven dollars and twenty-five cents an hour to provide for her family, but she states that her home is wherever her family is. Arien on the other hand, may face grueling challenges with robberies and rape, yet she continues to move forward and trust God to handle her faith.

        Homelessness can happen to anyone for various reasons: financial instability, domestic violence, health illnesses, and unforeseen circumstances. Through examining interviews among homeless people we are able to humanize this social issue with firsthand experiences. This country has many systematic issues that construct reasons for people like Arien and Jean to face homelessness. These stories must be included in the narration of solving the renown issue of homelessness. Valuing personal experience, a more fairly comfortable future for others, ourselves, and this country.


Citations:
Invisible People. (August 24 2010). Powerful story of a homeless family with 5 kids living in a weekly rate hotel. https://youtu.be/zm_YS_ZIY3s

Invisible People. (June 17 2016). Arien is a homeless woman that shares the graphic realities of what women have to endure homeless. https://youtu.be/4cgoJl9Rn-w