Do you know anyone that is actually homeless and living outside in this frigid weather?

Question

I read about it but I've never known anyone personally. How on earth could they make it outside? I'm not talking about the ones that use the shelters.

Answer 1

Yes, me for about 3 weeks in December/January - thankfully it wasn't as bad as this, but it was almost.........

Answer 2

I know an older lady that is homeless. My husband met her about 3 years ago at a shopping center; she was pushing a shopping cart full of her belongings, her hair was matted, her clothes looked like a Gypsy's, it was pushing 95 degrees that day. He said he just started talking to her, gave her money, bought her water bottles, she introduced herself as Mary. I go to this shopping center weekly to do my banking and grocery shop, she is still there, pushing her cart. Every time I see her, I give her whatever loose money I have, she always says "God Bless you, and what's your name again?" even though I see her every week. Now that the shopping center is being expanded, I saw a cop telling her to move along, so she "hides" now. There aren't any shelters in the area, I know she probably lives in the woods, and I, too, wonder, how she stays warm. My husband and I are amazed she is still around, considering her age and the extremities of weather.

When volunteering at the Salvation Army, loads of homeless come for a hot meal. I often talked to them, wanting to hear their story. A large majority have serious mental issues, and were institutionalized a better part of their life, either wandered away, got lost in the system, then, living on the streets. It's amazing what you hear...some would love an opportunity to get off the streets, others said they wouldn't know "how" to live, this is all they know....blows my mind.

Answer 3

I do not know him personally but I see him everyday when I am smoking a ciggy.  I give him the rest of my ciggy and watch him pull partials out of the ashtray (at my job).  I gave him 10 cents the other day because that was all that was in my pocket.

Answer 4

I am going to run the risk of sounding horrible, but it is -40 F this week where I am, and there are enough shelters right now for the homeless in the city... with a few building on stand-by to open as emergency shelters if necessary, so anyone who wasn't using them and choosing to stay outside has way more problems then homelessness.

Of course a lot of people stay in the underground subway stations, or in the lobbies of apartment buildings if they don't want to stay in shelters.