TGI...T (Tuesday?)

Tuesday is strange and possibly the most neglected and least-talked about day of the week. Everyone hates Monday and Wednesday gets some press because it marks the middle of most work weeks. Thursday now hosts college football games on ESPN (okay, a bit of a reach) and Friday is hallowed for signifying the completion of five consecutive days of labor and toil.

But Tuesday? Blech…

I thought I would try to elevate the status of this latch-key day by attempting to write something informative about homelessness. And, instead of tackling the enormity of this issue all in one incredibly incompetent blog, perhaps the best way is to start at the beginning. What is homelessness and who is homeless? The government acknowledges two basic types of homelessness: chronic and episodic.

Chronic homelessness is more of the stereotypical idea that many people carry around with them. This term evokes images of a grizzled man or woman coiled up under a bridge with their belongings entombed in a shopping cart or a cardboard box. They seem to want little interaction with others and often refuse the assistance of organizations that offer services. We tend to cross to the other side of the street when they approach us. We use them as cautionary tales to instill principles in our own children. Many suffer from mental illness. But did you know that this is only a small fraction of the actual homeless population?

The other type of homelessness recognized by the government is episodic. This is the much larger demographic and these individuals more than likely ended up homeless because of circumstances beyond their control. Life was grand on Monday and then unfathomable by Friday. Death, unpaid bills, foreclosure, abuse… the reasons are often as relative as the person. We walk right beside these people on a crowded street. They are not singled out. They go to third grade with your child.

Homelessness is a multilayered phenomenon and over the next few weeks I want to explore the different facets of what it means to be homeless and the implications for not only the individual, but the entire community. I guess I figured Tuesday was as good a day as any to begin.