Things Homeless People Have Taught Me

I often think about homeless people. I try to understand how they feel. And grasp how awful it must be to have no security, no locked door to keep them safe, and no soft bed to crawl into at night.

Homeless people regularly try to sleep during the day. Sometimes they lay right across the sidewalk or sleep upright, leaning against buildings or telephone poles. They do this because they feel safer closing their eyes in the light of day and in plain sight. Because in the dark of night is when they are most vulnerable … when they are more likely to have their meager belongings stolen. Or get assaulted or even killed.

Not being able to sleep soundly and securely must be draining. Do homeless people feel exhausted all the time?

When I was fresh out of nursing school nearly 30 years ago, I worked the inpatient medical unit of a community hospital just outside of Boston. 12-hour night shifts. And I used to get admissions in the middle of the night of homeless people (mostly men) with various non-life-threatening diagnoses. We called them social admissions which really just meant this person needed a hot shower, a clean bed, nutritious meals, and a soft pillow to rest his head on ... just for a day or two, before going back to the streets.

These men were admitted to the hospital thanks to the kind and caring hearts of the emergency room physicians who had the courageous goodwill to not discharge them to the cold New England streets too quickly. It was often in the middle of Nor’easter snowstorms that social admissions occurred.

In my eyes, homeless patients earned a reputation for being the patients who never rang their call lights and never asked for anything. They never complained, they were never rude, and they were always humble and quiet. They gratefully and graciously accepted whatever food and care and comfort that was offered to them. I would have let them stay in the hospital forever if it were up to me.  

Those homeless men I took care of so many years ago taught me a lot. They taught me that homeless people are people, just like us. They have amazing stories to tell, just like us. They have friends and loved ones, just like us. They want comfort and safety and stability, just like us. They try to make the best of their situations, just like us. And they want and deserve a little kindness and consideration, just like us.