Killing Time

All right, I’ve discussed the financial cost of being homeless, so what about stating in homeless shelters? If being homeless has built-in expenses and shelters provide a free place to temporarily stay, this should be a no-brainer, right? Staying in a temporary shelter would seem to be a great idea for a person who needs housing as they attempt to get back on their feet.

But many homeless never stay in a shelter, preferring to substitute autonomy for resources. By necessity, shelters have rules and schedules because communal living needs regulated for everyone’s safety. Anytime you have more than one person in an environment the potential for conflict arises. It takes a great deal of mental and emotional readjustment for grown men and women to live in a regimented and legislated program. Going from having total freedom to being told when to eat, shower, and sleep often is too big a deterrent for some no matter what amenities are provided. Many homeless have trouble making this transition.

Another thing about being homeless that few people think about is the amount of time a person has on their hands. Remember: no TV, no Internet, no video games, no inviting people over to hang out… make a list of how many of leisure time activities require having a place to live. How do people spend their days without breaking loitering laws? The library. The park. Hiking. There are only so many things a person can do with limited or no cash.

And here's where a seemingly routine problem can lead to insurmountable difficulties. Boredom has the deadly potential to spiral into illegal activities that can ensnare people who would have never considered such behaviors before they were homeless. Think about the last time you considered giving money to someone who was homeless, only to decide against it because you consider the donation might go towards drugs or alcohol. There is an assumption is that most people are homeless because they're addicts.  Their current dilemma is because they blew their rent or grocery money on drugs, right? And there are homeless who struggle with addiction and use money to fund their habits, but this is not always the case, and it isn’t even the majority of homeless people in America.

Please feel free to disagree with me but I think it is a strong possibility that prolonged times of boredom can lead to people doing and trying things they would have never done before.  Perhaps people who've been living on the street for a long time embrace controlled substances because the drugs not only get them high, but they also provide a schedule and a routine. And once again we see how a short-term problem can turn into a cycle that threatens to ruin the rest of a person’s life.