Weary of warring opinions, frowning and frustrated over the diametric conclusions reached by the audience of experts I’d consulted in the day’s study of homelessness and poverty, I dropped the offending texts on the cold metal cart and escaped to the sanctuary of the library coffee shop with a bookish friend, to whom I bared my grrrr-ridden soul.
And somewhere in our discussion about homelessness and outreach and solutions and plans, I felt my own perspective shift slightly, and thinking out loud, I said:
“We need to stop calling it homelessness. We need to get rid of that umbrella term, ‘homelessness,’ and just address the core issues, because it’s different for different people. When I see an addict with bipolar disorder, I tell them they’re never going to stay sober until their illness is addressed, because the mental illness is the core issue. And it’s the same thing with homeless people. I know that a homeless person is never going to stay housed until their core issues are addressed, whatever those are for them. Homelessness is not the problem. Homelessness is just a symptom of some other larger problem or problems. We need to start labeling it by the core issues — mental illness, substance abuse, criminal history, domestic violence — whatever it is, and stop just saying homelessness, because it’s not about just not having a home. It’s about why they don’t have a home or why they can’t keep one.”
Now, this might not seem like much of an epiphany to you. And really, the thoughts I expressed were not new to me. But somehow, just verbally and publicly acknowledging that this thing called “homelessness” is NOT really about not having a home has made me feel a little lighter somehow. Like breaking the mountain down into rocks makes it more manageable if you need to move the mountain from here to there. So, you know, one pebble at a time, right? 
And if I sound a little ferocious in this post, it’s because I’m kind of feeling that way today. I do homeless outreach because I LOVE the homeless folks I minister to. This fight, to end homelessness, is a passion for me, but it’s REAL LIFE for my friends on the street. I study and learn and go and do and try and fail and regroup and keep going because there are still homeless people sleeping on the street tonight. They are there because of serious, overwhelming issues in their lives. But I believe that we are all connected, and their fight is my fight and your fight, too. And their issues are our issues. So one rock at a time, until we move this mountain.
