Happy Blog Action Day! Despite writing about homeless people and the medical needs of this population all the time, I sometimes forget to consult the panel of experts (often referred to as our clients) that hang out on the Respite porch every afternoon. Today, everyone was playing cards. They let me interrupt to ask this question about poverty: What does it mean to be poor?
Being poor means . . .
. . .fear of the future.
. . .a certain state of mind.
. . .appreciating things more.
. . .being scared.
. . .being treated like a second class citizen.
. . .there’s nowhere to go but up.
. . .you work hard to change your life to make it better.
. . .being frightened.
. . .wondering where meals will come from the last week of the month.
. . .lack of knowledge, not having much self-esteem.
. . .lack of independence.
. . .being without and being depressed. Every day of being homeless is depressing.
. . .insufficient funds.
. . .being lost in the world.
I bolded the answers that my “experts” liked best. Those two responses elicited an immediate approval from everyone in the vicinity.
Finally, do you notice now many answers revolve around fear? For those experiencing homelessness, extreme poverty is more about fear than money.
Another tenet of Blog Action is discussing solutions to the issue. This is a gargantuan task. Money alone isn’t going to work – everyone at Respite told me that today. Compassion would be a start, maybe a huge start. There is so much animosity towards those who are poor in the United States. We’re willing to travel extreme distances to help out abroad; what about those in our community who are in need?
I am a server and for the past 2 or 3 years there has been a homeless man coming in the restaurant and for the first little while he would ask if I could spot him for coffee and the person that I am I said SURE!!! For the longest time I would come back after my days off and I would get a toonie or even a 5 dollar bill with his name on it , which I believe in his eyes he was trying to pay for all the coffees that I had spotted him for. Now all of a sudden he seems to think he owns me and any person that says anything to me out of the ordinary he gets offended to the point where he pointed his finger at me andsaid; I CAN GET VERY MEAN!!!!! I don’t know if am asking the right site for advise but it is getting a littke scary and I don’t know if I made the right choice by spotting him fo coffee. I was just trying to help or be nice!!!! WHAT DO I DO???????
Anonymous –
Thanks for your comment. Sorry, but I did remove your name, just in case you didn’t realize it would be published.
In response to your question, I would respond to this situation in the same manner you would for any threatening customer. First, tell your manager what has happened immediately. S/he should know what your policy is on this type of behavior. If I were you, I would at least ask another waiter to serve this individual, but please check with your boss!
There are a number of explanations for this behavior, mental health issues being among them. It’s always better to be safe than sorry – tell your boss what has happened and remove yourself from the situation.
“poverty” isn’t just about money!
It’s the lack of the basics required for quality of life.