This message is addressed to all those who call people “homeless.”
Today, I want to declare the end of the word “homeless.” We – people without homes – do not identify ourselves among the lawless, the wicked or the adversaries of God. We are often in the company of great people. But the fact we are without a home is used to target us. How long do people need to continue calling us homeless?
I’m not “less” of a home. Many people, including case managers, have called us “homeless.” But behind this word there are many insults and stigmas. This word signals rejection, abandonment and lawlessness.
I demand an official end to practice of calling fellow humans “homeless.” The word “homeless” can make a person feel abandoned. And this label can reduce a person’s chances of finding a job, or a decent place to live.
Many people will tell unhoused people to lie about their mental health in order to receive help. But how can I declare myself mentally sick before someone? Can they not believe that homelessness is merely a temporary condition?
My late father used to say, “If you are sick with a headache do not lie to the doctor that you have a stomachache. Because at the end of the day, the doctor will prescribe you a stomach
pill based on your lie. And if you take the pill in front of him, it may cause you an extra ache on top of the previous one you declared. And you will have both a stomachache and headache at once and you’ll destroy yourself.”
I advise people to never lie, even if it’s for a benefit. Sometimes, God put us in difficult situations for a reason. Any situation that comes to you is a pathway that will strengthen your ability to adapt yourself to a new situation.
You will overcome this situation. Trust me. Many people have died because they never expected themselves to get out of that situation one day.
I have noticed three categories of people experiencing homelessness: national homeless, continental homeless and worldwide homeless.
The national homeless are people born in United States of America. They should be called houseless because they firstly belong here. How can a person be called homeless in the land of their first home?
The continental homeless are people experiencing homelessness that were born on the continent of America and they have it as their home. Anywhere they are on the American continent must be their home because it’s the land of their ancestors. They should not be called people without homes because the American continent represents their terrestrial home.
Finally, there are the global citizens, the global homeless. Among people experiencing homelessness, there are some people who call themselves world citizens, like me. I have been on five of the continents of the world and have been a citizen of all of them. The planet Earth is for me a home. This is the reason why I refused to be called homeless.
