TCManWalking is a Twitter name. His real name is Chris. I met him in person about a month ago. Chris is homeless. Up until very recently he was living in his car. He had a job and a home and enjoyed a kind of middle class lifestyle.
People have all sorts of attitudes about homelessness. Chris is not mentally ill or chemically dependent. He was what we call a “white collar” worker. He has raised our awareness of homelessness through his blog. Yes he has a blog, which sets him apart because it gives him a voice. I learned a lot by reading it and I hope you can take the time to read some of it too. He writes about others who live in their cars, and people who don’t really have a home but stay with friends and sleep on couches.
Chris has a place to live now, and when I last saw him he handed me a business card. He is starting a business.
Homelessness is a problem. The recession…oh my, I forgot it ended in June of 2009…has created more joblessness, and in the last three years homelessness has risen. Those of us who have homes and who have always had homes might not have a hard time imagining what it is like to be a little short of money, but we can’t really imagine what it is like to not have a home.
There are people living on the street in St. Paul and in Minneapolis. Most of us stopped seeing them long ago. Why do you suppose that is? We need to start seeing them again.
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