The invisible among us

Hello, lovelies.

        They say that we are all one pay packet away from financial disaster. That it only takes one month of no income for the bills to pile up. Could that lead to the possibility of eviction from our homes? With Covid still on our heels, the job market is all but gone.  How soon would it be for that one bill too many to come in that would push us over the financial edge? Would we be able to survive? Or would we too become one of our invisible homeless?  

Before lockdown, I had 4 jobs. I was also either performing in a show or directing one. And more often than not, I was doing both at the same time. I worked very hard. And the fruits of my labours were that I could buy my own home and afford to pay my mortgage. Right up until March this year I was on track to be able to afford to take my children away on holiday for the first time in years, and my children really deserved that. But then Covid hit, and I was put on furlough at one of my jobs. That job paid 2 of my most hefty bills, but they were being covered while I was prevented from working. But now that furlough has ended, where am I going to find that money to cover those bills? I’ve used all my ‘holiday savings’ on paying my mortgage.  Can I cut back on my spending any more? I’ve already cut back so much that it’s not sustainable long term. What do I do then?

I had to post a parcel for a friend yesterday, and as I was standing in the queue to enter the post office, I suddenly became aware of the group of homeless people sitting along the front of the building. It surprised me not because they were being rude, loud or disruptive but rather that I hadn’t seen them as I had been standing in line. Why had I not seen them? How could I have been standing so close that they had been completely invisible to me?  Why were those human lives so far removed from me that I didn’t even notice them as I stood in the rain to post my parcel?

Homelessness is defined in 3 different categories – Primary, secondary and tertiary homelessness. And research by the charity Crisis says that about 62% of single homeless people are hidden and may not show up on official figures.  Primary homelessness includes all people without conventional housing, living on the streets, squatting, living in makeshift homes or living in cars.  Secondary homelessness is when people who move frequently from one temporary shelter to another such as youth refuges and couch surfing. And Tertiary homelessness is experienced by those staying in accommodation that falls below the minimum community standards, boarding housing and caravan parks. And all of this happens while the rest of us know nothing about it. I had no idea. I mean, I knew that people were sleeping on the street, but I never really paid much attention to it. I’m not saying that I didn’t care about street sleepers, I did and still do. Its more that I always had somewhere I was meant to be, and therefore I was always so caught up in my own little world, that I just lost sight of everything else. Including those human beings that I walked past every day.

But what causes someone to become homeless? That is a very loaded and complicated question. But the top reported causes of homelessness are a lack of affordable housing, unemployment, poverty, untreated mental illness and substance abuse with a lack of desperately needed services. Wow. That’s a lot of ways to become homeless. And none of them are someone’s ‘fault’! No one wakes up one morning and decides that they want to be homeless. Mostly it’s due to a culmination of events. And yet those who we pass on the streets are seen as a dirty nuisance. An annoyance that should be walked past. A form of subhuman that should be looked down upon as not deserving of kindness, understanding and friendship. That they did something to deserve being on the streets.   

But how does it feel when you are homeless? Few people choose to be so. It makes you feel destabilized, demoralized and depressed. You've lost everything. Your only possessions are those that you carry around with you. Imagine that. Everything you own is in a few bags. I have a handbag and a backpack all filled with the things I need for one day, let alone a whole life. But surely the local council has a duty to rehome you? No. If they decide that you made yourself homeless or that you don't fit into any of the criteria or that you have a connection with another local authority, they can refuse your application. Where do you go then?

               I really wish I knew what the answer was. That there was a way to reach out and help those in need, but it is far too complicated to think of it in such terms. Life isn’t fair. If it were, then those doing all the actual work would be rich, whereas those doing very little would be poor. But they’re not. They’re the CEOs of big companies. We saw that during the lockdown they made billions as the rest of us are feeling the crunch as our very homes could be at risk.

               So, what can we do? We can talk about it. To tell others that those less fortunate than us are still humans with needs and gifts. We can donate to homeless charities. We can buy an extra couple of tins of beans in the supermarket and pop them into the food bank boxes. We can volunteer. Last Christmas I wrote and directed a local community panto, Puss in Boots, with 100% of the profit going to our local food bank. Every little really does help. There is very little that I can do alone, but with the help of all of you, we really could touch the lives of others.