02/15/2026
People from all walks of life can end up homeless.
One of the first things that I saw when I woke up one day back in September was a thread in a Seattle-based community where a whole bunch of people shared their worst experiences dealing with homeless folks.
I've been seeing more anti-homeless rhetoric again lately, so I thought I'd post this again.
I was inspired to dig through my personal profile and find this photo, from one of my worst days as a disabled homeless adult in 2011.
We had been together for almost 5 years at this point, and we eventually ended up on the street because AJ was fired for being trans and not wanting to be harassed at work. I'd already had disabling back pain for a decade.
We were on the street for about six weeks. I had started B&B at the end of 2010. So I set up a little beading station each day, where I'd sit and work on jewelry. Each night, AJ would blow up cheap pool floats to keep me off the ground, so my pain wouldn't be as bad.
I would quietly hawk my wares each day, eventually having regulars who would stop by whenever they were nearby. Some folks told us that we were different from other homeless humans, or that talking to us changed their opinion of homeless people in general. Multiple people would regularly bring us leftovers from work, extra pizza after parties, etc.
During this time, while I was told I couldn't set up my jewelry — which was incorrect — it had been pouring rain. I believe this might have been the period of time where, having had nothing come in for two days, we went to a nearby sandwich place and asked if they would extend us credit for a meal. They ended up giving us a meal for free, which was so incredibly kind.
I also spent several years on and off the street as a q***r teenager who didn't feel safe at home with the people who were supposed to love and care for me. When I was younger, I was definitely self medicating with whatever I could get my hands on, to deal with the trauma that landed me on the street to begin with.
As disabled adults, we were both sober while homeless, but we met a lot of lovely people on the street who used substances to cope with their circumstances. Most of them were totally harmless.
One day, I gave a pair of spare flip flops to a young man who'd lost his shoes, and we waited with him for an ambulance while he was in crisis. The next time we saw him, he'd decided that we were his street parents. He had mental health issues, but he wasn't dangerous.
Some individuals can indeed be scary, whether they're sheltered or not. But painting broad swaths of humanity as problematic because you've had one or more bad experiences with homeless people is a serious problem, too.
Also, even desperate people have preferences and needs, and they're not being ungrateful if they turn down what you're offering because it isn't what they need. I've seen numerous people put others down for not accepting meat when they're hungry. I guess it never occurred to them that vegetarians can get incredibly ill if they suddenly eat meat; that improperly handled meat is one of the most common sources of food poisoning; that people have food allergies; or they might be afraid of food being deliberately poisoned because of the scary attitudes that many people have towards other folks for simply being unfortunate enough to end up on the street.
I also see a lot of people put down folks who don't accept what little transitional help is available, which doesn't always fit people's circumstances. For example, AJ and I helped each other in so many ways back then, and that's even more true now, 14 years later. There were people who insulted us for not wanting to be separated by gender — AJ had medically transitioned and were passing as male at that point — when we needed each other. I also was on controlled meds and didn't feel safe being forced to give my meds to shelter staff.
Additionally, I would have had to give up most of my belongings, including my jewelry supplies, because the amount of personal belongings allowed at the shelters was so small. We also had our pet rats with us, until we were finally able to find someone to take them. We'd been trying to find someone to foster or re-home them, and there was no one with space to take them.
I share because I want people to understand that homeless people are human beings, and it's not fair to judge folks based on a societal failure to care for our most vulnerable. The US does not care for these people. We have fewer and fewer real resources for those experiencing mental illness; the frightening homeless people that most think of first have been failed, too. So many of them are homeless vets who were traumatized by combat.
There are also a lot of people on the street because they've been discriminated against for being q***r or trans. There are still fewer opportunities for our communities, even in places where it is against the law to discriminate. It's still incredibly difficult to prove.
Please just try to treat people with empathy. I'm not asking you to put yourself in a position that makes you feel like you're in danger. But it's also really not necessary to contribute to the vitriol aimed at struggling people on a regular basis.
If you can't help, at least don't hurt. 💗
[Image description:
The photo features 30 year old Bri (pronounced like the cheese), sitting on blankets in a trash bag. They're wearing a tie dyed sleeveless shirt, a long black skirt, a straw hat, and flip flops. They have long brown hair and eyeglasses, and they look sunburnt.
The ground and the wall behind them are both brick. There are a pay phone and what appears to be a panel of utility meters and hook-ups on the wall behind them. To their right are two small cages with water bottles, housing pet rats. There's a small suitcase on top of the cages, and a bag of mini donuts, as well as a smaller bag next to Bri's leg.
On the ground in front of Bri is a small sign, reading "I tried to cell my art. Police told me I needed a permit. There are no permits for panhandling. Spa re change? Thank you. Blessings to you." It was written with blue marker and is inside a plastic bag to protect it from the rain. There's a jar to the left for change, and a small dish of stones to the right, meant as gifts for anyone who wanted one.
IDs are provided for accessibility purposes. Blind and visually impaired folks use screen readers that help them experience the internet, including platforms like this. These descriptions can also aid neurodivergent folks in processing images via context clues.
End of description.]
