Homeless Diaries Series: You are not where you live

Hello Everyday Citizens. In honor of the National Homeless Youth Awareness month I thought it would be great to spotlight and celebrate some great programs that concentrate on homeless youth as well as stories from youth that are homeless. Today, I will post two stories, and one news article. This women is not a youth, but her story is inspiring. Becky Blanton, is a writer, photojournalist, and editor. She has been in journalism for 22 years and won numerous awards. Tim Russert selected her essay "The Monster," to be included in his last book, Wisdom of Our Fathers.

Blanton's story is unique, in that, she began living in her van by choice. According to Change.org, "One year after she began her adventure, she was broke, had fallen into the depths of depression, and felt homeless."

The video you will be watching is Becky Blanton's riveting story of being homeless and what she learned through her adventures in the van. She makes painful observations from the outside and inside, including three key lessons:

1. Society equates living in a permanent structure with our value.
2. The negative perceptions of others can easily impact our self-worth, if we allow it to.

3. Homelessness is an attitude, not a lifestyle.

The story was awesome and you could tell the experience really impacted her life. As I listened to her story, I didn't really consider Blanton "homeless", but she is a great storyteller and really reassured the listeners to look inside people and not on the outside.

Homeless Professor to Becky Blanton: You have a job, you have hope. The real homeless don't have hope...

People are not where they live, where they sleep, or what their life situations is at any given time.

What do you think?

Comments (1)

Amna

Hope does define how an individual can live his current life in the best possible way, be it the 'haves' or 'have-nots' but its action which has to be present to overcome all obstacles. Not everyone becomes homeless by choice, but to remain homeless is a choice. Think about it. Someone living in a rundown little house on the edge of town is, by American standards, “better off” than someone living in clean, well maintained vehicle.

Posted by Amna | December 17, 2009 1:04 PM

Posted on December 17, 2009 13:04

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