Sleeping rough - life on the streets part 2
We have discussed the primary causes of becoming homeless, so now let us focus our attention on the circumstances under which homeless people are forced to live.
- their primary goal is to stay alive while they roam the streets
- they often lack the financial resources to buy food so they end up digging public trash cans to find something to eat
- they try to get money by begging: they address practically everybody who comes their way hoping to get change
- the toughest part of their life is obviously finding somewhere to sleep: they doze off wherever they find a relatively quiet flat place with a roof above it
- you can see them sleeping under bridges, in subway stations, on benches, in ATM vestibules or in parks where they just lie in the grass or set up tents
- a small percentage of those people give up wandering and stay in homeless shelters for a while, however most of them reject it as the level of safety is reportedly too low and they are afraid of being exposed to thefts, bullying, rapes and infections
- especially the UK has a reputation for widespread squatting: this is the situation when homeless humans occupy an abandoned house and settle down there
- squatting holds many dangers, as the owner may show up and evict squatters even by using violence, or the police may be ordered to removed them
- however after managing to live in a squat for a certain amount of time, squatters will get the right to legally take hold of the property
- as most homeless people are unemployed, they don't get medical care and might be forced to live with illnesses that would otherwise be curable
- they are severely discriminated against: they are attacked physically, they are abused verbally, they are made fun of, not to mention the looks that suddenly turn away from them, and the painful ignoring they receive from people
- they indulge in addictive habits to release their pain and uncertainty temporarily: they drink whatever alcohol they can find, they use drugs and these can even worsen their situation as they may end up living for the next dose instead of looking for a way out
- even if they get some money by begging, they are likely to spend it on cheap low-quality beverages (people often refuse to give them money saying they will leave it in the liquor store)
- they may find poisonous drinks in garbage cans thinking that it's alcohol and they can get killed after drinking it
- passers-by fail to understand the harsh complexity of their circumstances so the homeless are constantly told how useless they are and how they are responsible for their own situation
- the longer they are on the streets, they harder it becomes to get out of this trap: they get used to survival strategies instead of combating their difficulties to get a job and a steady place to stay
- they cannot get education without a fixed address, nor can they attend job interviews without being able to take a shower and put on clean clothes
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