The majority of people on the public buses in Fort Lauderdale are homeless. I know this because they bring their possessions on the bus in shopping carts, buggies, or most anything that has wheels.
Yesterday, coming from my son’s place, I boarded a bus heading south.
“Mama, sit here.”
I looked up to see an elderly homeless man indicating a seat next to his cart.
I sat down and dropped my shopping bag on the floor beside me, bracing it between my legs to prevent it from sliding down the aisle.”
“Hot today,” The man gave me a toothy smile.
“Sure is.”
Across the aisle a skinny woman was eyeing both me and my bag.
“Drink lotsa water,” the man said.
The woman nodded and winked at me.
What’s going on here? Why are they so friendly?
I glanced at my plastic bag and suddenly had an AHA momlent.
They thought I was one of them. Yeek!! And I realized why.
My bag held a plaid blanket spilling out, dirty running shoes visible on one side, and a bottle of wine sticking out of a brown paper bag tucked in the corner.
In addition to that, in the morning rush I neglected to put on any make-up and was wearing a very, very wrinkled dress.
Holy Moley, I’ve been mistaken for a homeless person.
The skinny woman across the aisle leaned forward and said, “Honey, you get yourself lots of water. “
I held up an unopened bottle for all to see.
“Good. Good”
We all smiled at each other and I settled back into my seat.
Oh, well, it’s nice to belong and be one of the gang.
And the bus rattled on.
QUESTION: WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THE GROUPS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON OUR STREETS? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM?
Please share your thoughts and ideas.
Great post! And I don’t know. Columbia has a pretty good support system compared to some cities but still lots fall through the cracks. We are a pretty small city.
I’m fairly certain that some could benefit from psychological therapy but others are just gonna be there.
Still powerless!
Actually, I think in many cases people just prefer to live on the street. We had an old bloke who slept oin the bus stop shed at Mosman and it turned out that he had an apartment given to him by the government, but he just preferred to sleep in the open. In other cases, I think it’s just a matter of people being too lazy and unmotivated to go get a job. In any event they are a blight on the Communit with all their , bedding and belongings, piled up against shopfronts, they should be rounded up and put somewhere out of sight.
I finally got some info on street people, via a board member of Salvation Army. One third of street people are happy being where they are. Another third are trapped in addictions of one type or another. The last third would like to change their livs, but face many problems. For instance, they can’t get aid or take advantage of government programs unless they have an addess. Cleanliness, food and transport are problems These people in the last third can be helped but I’m not sure many non-profits are targetting them except the Salvos. However, some cities have good support programs. Alas, not Fort Lauderdale.
Cheers