Homeless Stereotypes
The homeless are getting more and more frustrated with the unfortunate stereotype placed upon them. Many fight to disprove this stereotype, and are dead set at showing the world how quickly life can leave anyone in their situation.
For many, when they think of the homeless they think of an older male with an overgrown beard and scraggly clothes. This man would be on a street corner holding a bottle of beer and a sign that reads, “Homeless, Need money. Hungry. God Bless.” Most of the population would read the sign and assume he was a lazy bum just trying to get another drink or drug fix. But, for so many that is just not true.
Many of the homeless are only that way because of a series of unfortunate events. It’s difficult to grasp that some of these homeless recently graduated from college or were earning over $50,000 yearly prior to their current situation.
One saying the homeless point out is, “We are all two to three paychecks away from being homeless.”
Stereotypes are made for a reason, and some homeless do resemble the homeless stereotype. It’s interesting to note that many of these homeless grew up with difficult home lives, and their addiction was influenced by the addiction of their parents.
The homeless are certainly not as lazy as they are perceived to be. It would be interesting to see how people with stable homes handle being put out on the streets for a few days. Many homeless do have jobs. Unfortunately, they are usually not paid enough to be able to sustain a house or apartment. Some homeless even choose to work two jobs and attend college while within shelter walls.
It is also interesting to see the headlines after a homeless assaults someone. These headlines will state “Homeless attacks person.” But how often do we see “Homed man attacks person?” Statistically, the homeless have the same violent tendencies as regular people with homes. Because of the stereotype, they are thought of as wild animals rather than people.
I personally visited a homeless shelter and was pleasantly surprised. The sleeping areas were well organized and the guests made up all of the beds. I was informed that many of them are working some kind of job and trying to leave the shelter when they save up enough money.
I asked an employee at the shelter what she thought of the stereotype and she replied, “I think it’s dead wrong.”
She also emphasized that the long beards on some homeless were there because they liked them. “I think they’d still have their beards if they had a million dollars,” she said.
My brother, a campus minister at NCSU, has done much work with the homeless. He regularly holds food drives and visits the shelters monthly. During these visits, he and other NCSU students will cook for the homeless with meals ranging from pancake breakfasts to spaghetti dinners.
I asked him what he thought of the stereotype. “I think it’s wrong. A lot of these people have been through hard times, and need help getting out. They need a little generosity, a smile, and a prayer goes a long way too.”