Helping out the Homeless

I'm going to make an admission. 

I've always had a certain perception of those that are homeless. That is they are typically classified as alcoholics and druggies and hence that is the reason they are homeless.

However, today when I went to the Homeless Shelter my eyes were opened up. 

Of course, you will always get the dodgy ones and you can pick those a mile away, Russian mafia comes to mind on some of those, particularly the ones I saw today. And I'm sure a large percentage are in the place they are due to drugs, alcohol and crime.

But others....I was talking to a young woman last time I went in there and thought she was a volunteer, but today I found out she was homeless. A nice dressed and pleasant girl who is obviously well educated. If you passed her on the street you would not know she doesn't have a place to sleep tonight.

Another young lad carrying his possessions in his back pack, was just pleased to get a drink, shower and sandwich - where the hell are his parents or extended family. 

A tall chap who was helping us out was telling me he's studying to be a maths teacher and also working full time. He was telling me how challenging it is particularly as he's homeless. 

And then an old lady, neatly dressed and clean, whose face lights up with her smile, happy to sit back and have a cuppa and relax. I gave her some extra sandwiches to put in her bag that already carried all her worldly possessions.

I can't imagine their stories, their pasts and the present and why they are in the situation they are in. 

I know some are just bad people as we've been warned about a few, but others appear to be innocent victims of bad situations.

I will go back next week.